Hess Wings Assignment #6

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

I think the most significant impact aviation has had on our world in the first one hundred years of flight has been on our military. If you remember, the first thing the Wright Brothers did when they achieved flight was to sell their invention to the military. They knew how immensely their invention would impact the service and once the military bought their invention, it took off in a big way. So many battles have been fought in the sky and World War II was even won through the use of airplanes. To some people this impact on military might not have been a positive one, but it was extraordinary. For the first time soldiers, supplies, messages, food, and weapons could be transported from one place to another efficiently. Airplanes have been used to help us defend the United States and, in addition, other countries. If it weren't for airplanes, we might have lost more than we have during wars in the last one hundred years.

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

As stated in Crouch, it is hard to predict what the future holds for aviation especially because it changes so rapidly. Even the Wright Brothers could not fathom the thought of planes travelling from New York to Paris or an engine being able to run for several days. Wilbur and Orville were engineers and saw a future with their invention, but they could not see the enormous influence it has had on our world today. I can’t predict what new inventions for aviation will come along, but I can say that the possibilities are endless. I am sure that we will want to get somewhere faster and more efficiently than we are even now. I know we will not stop experimenting and pushing the limits of what these aircraft can do. The one hundred year gap between when the Wright Brothers first took flight and where we are now has shown immense and extraordinary change, so I can guarantee that the next one hundred years will show just as much.