Wings #6

1. In your opinion, what was the most significant impact aviation had on our world in the first one hundred years of flight?

 In my opinion, the most significant impact aviation has had on our world is increasing the interaction between countries. This has affected our world positively and negatively. On the one hand, it is so much easier to share technology, hold international meetings to discuss world issues, and import products and resources from other countries nowadays because of flight. On the other hand, flight has played a huge role in making the wars that we fight quicker, deadlier, and sneakier. It has helped the sick and injured attain better care because they can seek care out that is far away from their home or the place that they got injured. Even though flight has contributed to war and increased casualties, I believe that the good that has come from the invention of aviation far outweighs the bad. Collaboration between countries has led to spectacular inventions and has aided the formation of treaties to end wars and increase world peace. If the Wright brothers had not achieved flight over 100 years ago, our world would be much different today.

 2. What do you think the future holds for aviation in the twenty first century?

 The future of aviation holds endless possibilities. It is hard to guess what technology will become available in the next 100 years and how these innovations will be integrated into flight. I am sure that the Wright brothers could not fathom what their invention would become when they began their test flights at Kitty Hawk. My guess for the future of aviation is that the airplanes might become "greener." We have seen the push for more eco-friendly, hybrid cars in the last ten years or so. It would not surprise me if this effort begins to extend to airplanes as well. It would also not surprise me if there was a push to make flights more economical. Even today when the airplane is not new technology, flights are still relatively expensive. A roundtrip airplane ticket across just a few states can cost a few hundred dollars. If planes become more eco-friendly by using less fuel, this could contribute to making flying cheaper. Only the future will tell!