WINGS Questions #5

Assignment #5 Wings

Chapters 12-14

Answer three of the following questions:

6. What was the status of general aviation following WWII in the U.S.?

Following World War II, the aviation industry in the United States fell apart. Multiple companies with factories all over the country had been constantly churning out products during the war to fulfill military contracts. All of the sudden, they had nothing to build. Without government orders, most business reported massive losses, were forced to close plants, and laid off countless workers. Some savvy businesses were able to stay in operation by producing different goods for the first few years after the war: spare parts, appliances, automobiles, and more. Eventually, some lucky companies like Boeing began to churn out profits again.

It was far from smooth sailing though. With the surplus of planes manufactured in the early 1940s, the demand for planes was at an all time low. Even up to 1964, “40 percent of the active general aviation aircraft” was built during the wartime era or shortly thereafter. Piper, Beech, and Cessna were the only major companies to survive this economic downturn. They were able to produce quality, popular products in a time where general aviation was going by the wayside. Ultimately, the whole general aviation industry continued to decrease in profits as airlines and commercial aviation took over the skies.

7. What effect did the invention of the computer have on aviation technology?

The invention of the computer aided aviation in a wide variety of ways. First of all, it made the process of designing airplanes much easier. Gone where the days where blueprints and schematics had to be drawn out by hand meticulously. With the dawn of computers, engineers could design the flying machines electronically, which saved time and increased accuracy, producing the “first paperless airplane(s).” Secondly, computer technology increased the accuracy of weapons systems. When missiles and bombs were synched to electronic delivery systems, they were able to hit more precise targets. For instance, allied forces destroyed a strategic bridge in Vietnam using laser-guided bombs. This new method of bombing has saved countless lives and resources since the days of carpet-bombing in World War II.

Furthermore, the military was able to upgrade the internal systems of its machines rather than produce entirely new models every time technology is updated. Thus, the B-52 will be around for 90+ years by the end. Finally, computers have now made it so pilots are no longer necessary. With drones rising in popularity, the military only needs an operator at a computer screen to strike enemy territory, which eliminates the possibility of personnel casualties. In essence, computers and planes have gone hand in hand.

10. Support or refute the statement that aviation was the most important military technology since the invention of gunpowder.

I do believe aviation was the most important military technology since gunpowder. If one looks back in history, one finds that the way in which wars were fought changed very little from the early 18^th century to the early 20^th century. Throughout that period, soldiers generally marched into battle banging drums, lined up and fired in unison at the opposing line of soldiers. Occasionally some bold leaders would shift the game a little bit, like the surreptitious minutemen of the American revolution, but overall, the game of war was fought with this same set of rules.

Then, World War I happened. Things were different. Trenches replaced simple lines of soldiers. Machine guns replaced muskets. Tanks replaced cavalry. Men were being killed in exponentially higher rates than any previous wars. But was this really that different? It was simply a leap forward in the way gunpowder could be utilized sparked by the industrial revolution. The game of war still had the same objective. The rules were merely more complex. But there was one exception: planes.

Planes truly changed the game. In forty years the world saw the difference between the open fields of Europe during the Great War to the jungles of Vietnam where traditional tactics were moot. Aviation was a new frontier for militaries. It was a new mode of attack, and with that came the sudden realization that no one is safe. Even today, I fear a bomb falling from the sky sometimes, but I would never fear a large-scale invasion living in Dayton – I would hear about it on the news before it was ever a threat to me. Flying machines instill great fear and have great destructive power. Nuclear weapons are largely effective only because they can be flown to targets. Now, in our modern world, nations must invest the majority of their military budgets in missiles, planes, choppers, satellites and drones. The ability to fly has forever changed our ability to fight.