1. Summarize the new aviation technologies that
emerged as a result of WWII.
As a result of WWII, numerous, yet
stunning aviation technologies emerged.
These included: guided missiles,
jet aircraft, nuclear weapons, long-range rockets, and electronic systems of
all kinds. By improving aerodynamics,
electronics, and propulsion, guided missiles were thought to have the ability
to hit enemies who were thousands of miles away at a relatively fast
speed. As a result, these small
explosives would have the potential to destroy several square miles of enemy
territory. Yet, that was not all that
was envisioned for guided missiles.
Target missiles would defend one against everything but the fastest
aircraft, providing effective defense in the air. In addition to missiles being perfected, jet
aircraft was being introduced, where the appearance of a turbojet is credited
as one the most notable inventions of aviation history. Not only did it pave the way for new
altitudes and speeds, but turbojets also altered our perceptions of how an
airplane looks and sounds.
Besides the latter inventions,
numerous software systems emerged as a result of WWII. For instance, federal funding created the rocket-assisted
take-off (RATO) system, which as a result led to the Aerojet General
Corporation – a top pioneering rocket company.
The Navy was also at work. Establishing
direction-finding sets, communications equipment, and American radar within the
twenty years that separated the two wars, the Navy began its longstanding
research tradition. As if these
creations were not enough, they also discovered a thermal diffusion process,
aiding in the discovery of the uranium isotope, a component of the atomic bomb.
Even postwar, the Navy still played a
major role in aviation, where they managed the upper-atmosphere tests and
sounding rocket programs. In fact, they
invented the Project Vanguard, which was the first official earth satellite
program of the nation.
Because of such advancements and these
achievements, governments were able to direct research, harnessing the forces
of industry and science to yield desirable weapons that were thought to be
impossible in the previous decade. Not
only did these programs supply powerful lessons that would alter the way in
which basic research was conducted in the United States, but they also
transformed the entire world in the process.
Prior to this time, funding for national research for academic success
failed due to the Great Depression. Those
who were fortunate to fund their research expenses through small grants via
universities and private institutions did so in small areas under several limitations. So, not only did WWII generate a range of
stunning new aviation technologies, but it also made science an economic,
political, and social force.
3. What role did the helicopter play in the
development of aviation technology?
The helicopter, which was developed by
Igor Ivan Sikorsky who is remembered as “one of the most extraordinary
individuals in the history of flight,” played many roles in the development of
aviation technology. Not only did the
notion of a helicopter appeal as a means of personal transport for tomorrow,
but it also had the potential to serve many functions since it was a machine
capable of rising straight up into the air and hovering over a particular
spot. For example, it was thought that
it could play a crucial role in regional and urban transportation.
As many fought to produce the “best’
helicopter designs, and thereby, compete in sales, other advancements emerged,
such as jet propulsion and turboshaft engines. Jet propulsion enhanced the
speed of growth of vertical flight, whereas turboshaft engines allowed for the
machine to exhaust the hot jet gases as it flew. In fact, on December 11, 1951, Boeing marine
gas turbine flew for the very time, introducing the creation of other light and
increasingly powerful turboshaft engines.
Providing a revolutionary leap in performance, the turboshaft-propelled
helicopter became the most notable turning point of rotary-wing flight
history. As a result, the economy also
benefited, where total production and sales of rotary-wing craft reached 7,200
air crafts and 2.5 billion dollars, respectively.
Not only did the turboshaft engine
help fuel the American helicopter industry, but also the jet engine. Its development profoundly impacted military
operations. Prior to these new advancements,
helicopters were only used for search-and-rescue and medical evacuations. Now, due to their increasing speed of
vertical flight, they were dropping thousands of soldiers into battle and onto
enemy positions. Therefore, air mobility
became one of the most significant notions to come out of various wars, such as
the Korean and Vietnam combats. Thus,
the helicopter played many roles in the development of aviation technology,
where it’s most notable was the development of different, yet better engines
and their respective impacts on various transportation and/or military
operations.
7. What effect did the invention of the computer
have on aviation technology?
The invention of the computer had a
profound effect on aviation technology. First,
it yielded computational fluid dynamics, which meant that it would manipulate
the essential data provided via wind tunnels and transform the exceedingly
intricate mathematical calculations into exact pictorial models of fluid flow. Secondly, it also reshaped how air planes
were constructed. Rather than relying on
designers’ drawings and the strenuous, tedious work that went into them, as
well as the lofting business behind them, there was now a computer software
program capable of advanced illustrations processing. As a result, it was easier for engineers to
coordinate their designs versus doing so with two-dimensional papers.
Although other architects and
manufacturers, like those of automobiles, had already explored and experimented
with computer-aided design, it was not until the early 1980s that computers
exerted their full effect on aviation technology. This was done via the introduction of the
CAD/CAM (computer-assisted design/computer-assisted manufacturing) programs,
which enabled better precision demanded by the aviation industry and ended long
hours on a drawing board. It also enabled
designers to be able to construct three-dimensional images of any kind with
accuracy. It allowed them to view their
masterpieces from various angles as well.
Not to mention, they now had the ability to send their work to anyone at
any time via the push of a button.
Besides making drawing an easier,
repeatable task, these programs were also capable of tabulating all necessary
calculations. For instance, intricate details,
such as how many rivets could or would be needed to bind large airplanes
together, which was often hundreds of thousands, could be determined by a few
key strokes within minutes or seconds.
By combining the computer with aerospace research, numerous corporations
and universities began spending and investing money on future research,
changing the ways that airplanes and things were manufactured and boosting the
American economy. Thus, the benefits and
possibilities that came with the invention of the computer were endless, and
thereby, profoundly affected aviation technology in many positive ways.
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