Jess Hess Wings #3

4. How did the science of meteorology relate to aviation?

                Anyone who has been on an airplane has experienced a delay of some sort. More often than not, those delays are a result of poor weather conditions. So, how did those pilots know if and when they were about to run into poor weather? In the 1920’s, a Swedish student at Vilhelm Bjerknes named Carl-Gustaf Rossby developed a weather-reporting system for aviators. He was first hired on to establish the system for Western Air Express, which was an airmail contractor. Rossby was then given a grant by Guggenheim officials to make it come to life. (pg. 251-252) To accomplish this task, Rossby had meteorologists planted at several different airports and selected points along flights to report the forecasts to the pilots in the air. Each meteorologist would broadcast to individual stations, which the aircraft could tune into and listen for what kind of weather they would encounter (pg. 252). Having this system in place allowed pilots to prepare for what was ahead and protect themselves from any potential danger. The science of meteorology and aviation must be related to one another because if they were not, the reports of airplane crashes would go way up. Meteorology is essential to keep modern planes, pilots, and passengers safe.

6. What influence did Charles Lindbergh have on aviation during his career?

                Perhaps known most famously as the father of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., the infant kidnapped and killed in 1932, Charles Lindbergh was also a successful airmail pilot who had an amazing influence on aviation during his career. His most famous success took place in 1927 when he flew his aircraft called the Spirit of St. Louis from New York to Paris. This challenge was presented by the Frenchman Raymond Orteig, who offered $25,000 to whomever could accomplish the task. Lindbergh, having a great deal of experience with delivering mail via airplanes, went out to find the most successful aircraft to travel on the mail routes. He eventually found the Spirit of St. Louis to fly, which was an M-2 plane on steroids. However, the plane did not have any elements that made it stand out from all of the rest. But, Lindbergh flew it well and was able to make the trip from New York to Paris. After his accomplishment, Lindbergh went on several tours around the world. On these tours, he found his wife, Anne, supported commercial aviation, and was involved in creating the airlines: Transcontinental Air Transport and Pan American World Airways (pg. 262). Even though Lindbergh only started out as an airmail pilot, he became the most famous aviator in the twentieth century. (pg. 254-264)

12. Were technological advancements in aviation reflected in other aspects of society and culture during this period?

                Absolutely aviation was reflected in other aspects of society and culture during the twentieth century! Film was huge during that time period and Hollywood was quick to pick up on society’s fascination with aviation. So, naturally, more and more movies were released that had a focus on aviation and pilots. Among these were movies such as Wings, Hell’s Angels, Flight commander, Ace of Aces, and even Mickey Mouse’s Plane Crazy (pg. 312). I am sure the Mickey Mouse film was created to reach out to the younger generation who were not old enough to watch the other films such as Test Pilot. Another timeless form of entertainment for society was radio. As far as aviation goes, “Jimmy Mattern’s Diary” was a popular program for people to tune into so that they could hear about the many adventures in the sky. Other aspects of society influenced by aviation were comic strips and clubs/groups that were interested in finding out more about aviation. Possibly the biggest influence on society, however, were model airplanes. Crouch states that, “…aircraft modeling quickly became an officially approved pursuit carried out under adult supervision” (pg. 314) Even today, there are several varieties of model airplanes for people to purchase and assemble. Overall, aviation had a major influence on aspects of society and people welcomed it with open arms. (pg. 312-315)