What role did the helicopter play in the development of aviation technology?
The helicopter was another technology that emerged from the war, and the inventing of the helicopter required many contributions from many different individuals. As a machine that could rise up straight into the air and hover, there were certain functions this would allow that had not previously been available. Aside from military uses the helicopter would play a role in urban and regional transportation. Crouch states that “the advent of the jet-powered helicopters had a profound impact on military operations” (472), and goes on to explain it usefulness in search and rescue as well as medical evacuation uses. The Marines also experimented with using helicopters to drop soldiers into battle and "with the Vietnam War gathering momentum... the next generation jet propelled CH-47 Chinook, would carry forty four troops over a distance of 110 miles" (Crouch 4730. In 1952, Nikolai Kamov had his first production machine, the Ka-15, which began a long line of rotary wing air craft. Rotary wing air craft represents a significant component of the international aerospace industry. The helicopter played a role in the development of aviation technology because due to the unique problems encountered during the invention of the helicopter it allowed for new technologies to be developed.
The helicopter was another technology that emerged from the war, and the inventing of the helicopter required many contributions from many different individuals. As a machine that could rise up straight into the air and hover, there were certain functions this would allow that had not previously been available. Aside from military uses the helicopter would play a role in urban and regional transportation. Crouch states that “the advent of the jet-powered helicopters had a profound impact on military operations” (472), and goes on to explain it usefulness in search and rescue as well as medical evacuation uses. The Marines also experimented with using helicopters to drop soldiers into battle and "with the Vietnam War gathering momentum... the next generation jet propelled CH-47 Chinook, would carry forty four troops over a distance of 110 miles" (Crouch 4730. In 1952, Nikolai Kamov had his first production machine, the Ka-15, which began a long line of rotary wing air craft. Rotary wing air craft represents a significant component of the international aerospace industry. The helicopter played a role in the development of aviation technology because due to the unique problems encountered during the invention of the helicopter it allowed for new technologies to be developed.
What effect did the invention of the computer have on aviation technology?
Computers had a great impact on aviation technology: "the power of the computer gave birth to computational fluid dynamics" (Crouch, 512). Although the wind tunnels still supplied essential data the computer was able to manipulate the information which allowed complex mathematical equations into accurate visual representations of fluid flow. Additionally, the new technology completely reshaped the way that air planes were designed. Traditionally, the designs were communicated through drawings which were very time and labor intensive. However, the CAD program was developed and could create a three dimensional image of any part which allowed for easier designing: "henceforth, drawing would be done on the computer, where complex curves based on conic sections could be created with what was quite literally mathematical precision (Crouch, 514). This program "brought an end to a host of industry traditions from the long hours spent at a drawing board, to the periodic arrival and departures of hordes of temporary draftsman and engineers, the production of endless reams of drawings, and the arcane of business of lofting" (Crouch 514). The computer also changed the way that airplanes were manufactured. Special purpose machines used in the manufacturing of airplanes enabled workers to send out a steady stream of war planes out of the factory in record time.
Support or refute the statement that aviation was the most important military technology since the invention of gunpowder.
I would support the statement that aviation was the most important military technology since gunpowder for a few reasons. First of all, the invention of the air plane allowed for the military to become more mobile than it had previously been. Aviation "revolutionized the way to project force over distance" (Crouch, 591) and it allowed for what used to be months of overseas travel to be done in hours. Additionally, it allowed for the use of weapons from the sky rather than solely on the ground which allowed for a new type of warfare; "it added an entirely new dimension of warfare... Air power evolved from a blunt and imprecise instrument most effectively employed to smash cities to a means of striking targets with breathtaking precision" (Crouch, 591). This invention lead to the advancement in unmanned aircraft and target guided missiles and also allowed for the technology to invent the helicopter which became important in search and rescue missions as well as in medical evacuation missions. With each subsequent airplane design new technologies were developed that allowed planes to fly faster, farther, and higher which allowed for increased military performance. Aviation also allowed for exploration into other technologies that helped to better the airplane and increase its importance in the military.
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