2. Why did it take so
long for man to realize the dream of flight?
Although some say that people from an earlier era could have
achieved the dream of flight, the availability of the materials that were used
in the first aviation experiments were lacking and not readily available to
people of earlier time. Additionally, leading up to the first flight, there was
a culmination of several years of aeronautical principle and principles of
physics and mathematical concepts that took centuries of insight. Throughout
history each individual who made a contribution to the fields of physics and
engineering made a step towards the information and knowledge needed to make
the basic principles of flight. Another reason it took so long for man to
realize the dream of flight was that some of the simple technologies had to
wait for the inspiration of early modern science. Although Leonardo da Vinci
thought flight was possible and achieved knowledge in the basic principles of
flight “he kept his most interesting ideas in a wide variety of fields entirely
to himself…and the ideas that would have qualified him as the founder of
aerodynamics remained completely unknown until the nineteenth century” (Crouch,
28). Furthermore, aside from da Vinci,
many of the contributors to the aerodynamic theory were not interested in
flight which led to a lack of people pursuing the idea.
3. When did the era
of modern aviation begin and why?
Modern aviation begins with the work done by Sir George Cayley
done in the 1800s. He was born in England and had a deep interest in science
and technology. Cayley made contributions to several different fields but his
primary passion was aviation. By 1799 his work in aeronautics was underway with
his conception of a fixed wing flying machine. Sir George Cayley was the first
researcher who brought the immense power of science and technology to the field
of aviation and the problems with flight. He has several accomplishments that
lead to the beginning of the era of modern aviation, such as, realizing that
through scientific and technological research one could solve the flight
difficulties, establishing several basic principles of aerodynamics and
functioning as the first aeronautical engineer who gave the humans a taste of
flight with the building of the first fixed wing glider (Crouch, 35). Although
throughout history several people have tried various flying techniques, “the
invention of the airplane began in earnest with Sir George Cayley” (Crouch,
35). Sir George Cayley had an extensive knowledge of the principles of aviation
and along with his use of research and development he was able to make several
contributions that led to the beginning of the modern aviation era.
7. When and what was
La Grande Semaine d’Aviation de Champagne and what significance does it have in
aviation history?
La Grande Semaine d’Aviation de Champagne was “the first
great aerial spectacle – a full week of flying activity that attracted many of
the world’s aviators” (Crouch, 114). This aviation meet took place during the
week of August 22 to August 29, 1909 near Reims, France. This event is significant in aviation history
because it was the first international public flying event where almost all of
the prominent aviators of the time took part. Additionally, this meet was significant
because it was the first time where the aviators were able to see all of the
aircraft in one place and were able to make comparisons of the advantages and
disadvantages of each design. As each aircraft had a different design and it
was found out which designs were better suited for particular things, for
example, “Wright aircraft obviously performed far better in the turns, while
the Antoinettes seemed to offer the advantage of superior pitch stability. The Farman
machines were exceptionally sturdy” (Crouch, 116). By having an international
meet it allowed the aviators to come together and experience the designs of
others, and this meet marked the transition between the era of the invention of
the airplane and the beginning of the aviation industry.
Crouch, Tom D. Wings: A History of Aviation from Kites to the Space Age. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, 2003. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment