Ricker WINGS #6

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

            Although, as the ancient doomsayers predicted, the first one-hundred years of flight brought mass destruction from the skies and propelled the military-industrial complex, it also broadened globalization of cultures and economies.  For good and bad, this new global society has had the most significant impact on our world.   

            Who would have thought that flying in an airplane would become so commonplace? Tom Crouch, in his book Wings, quotes travel expert Bernard DeVoto who by mid-20^th century already found that “‘flying was the dullest mode of travel’” (592).  Previously, travel was as much about the journey as it was about the destination.  Notes Crouch, DeVoto’s eleven plus hour flight equaled “six months by covered wagon, eight days by steamboat and stagecoach, and two days by train” (594). Once the “common man” could buy a ticket to Timbuktu, travel became more about the destination than about the journey – and people flocked to the new world destinations that had only been accessible to the average person via books, radio, television, and their own imaginations.

            The ripple effect of this sky travel crosses all social institutions (government, family, business, class system, legal systems, religion, and education).  In particular, global economy has grown exponentially due to air travel, and American travelers have had a major impact on global business.  Because of the advanced nature of the American aviation industry, our citizens had access to safe and relatively inexpensive flights and took full advantage of this.  Soon, destination cities throughout the world were building infrastructure and retail establishments to accommodate these travelers.  This included everything from water/sewer lines and paved roads to modern hotels and fine dining to the smallest beaded necklaces hawked by street vendors. Notes Crouch, “soft drinks, food products, fast-food restaurants, and a host of other products colonized overseas markets” (596).  Global wealth increased and many third world countries were ushered into a new prosperous era. 

            Of course, there have been downsides to this as well, as it is a fragile industry.  For instance, after the 9/11 attacks, air travel tanked and all of the businesses even remotely linked with the travel industry suffered severely (Crouch 634).  Others point to environment damage as a side-effect of global air travel and although many industrialized nations are committed to improving this down-side, travel industries in emerging nations are not really concerned about this.

            All in all, though, the first 100 years of aviation have been exciting and beneficial – and flight is a world-wide institution which exists to serve mankind either by ferrying us to exotic destinations, patrolling for our security, or just putting money in the pockets of the working population who rely on aviation-related industry for their living.

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

            According to Tom Crouch in his book Wings, the aviation industry of the near future will most likely look the same as it does now.  He notes, “The airplanes now on the drawing board will still be flying a half-century from now…” (637-638).  But aviation is still going to be a progressive institution.  There will be tweaks in current technology as computers evolve.  Some industry experts are looking into adapting Google glasses and that sort of technology into the cockpit (Durden).  Others are looking into ways to make airplanes more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.  Aviation industry inventors are also looking for ways to make flights more comfortable and appealing to flyers.

            That being said, there are still problems within the industry – most notably the security measures put into place after the 9/11 attacks and the sudden, intense fear that can occur mid-flight if someone gets a bit rowdy on the plane. Such is the new world we live in.  Air rage and security checkpoints aside, air travel is still considered safe and convenient as a whole.

            On the other hand, aviation is not just about commercial air travel.  It also includes the categories of military and space uses.  According to Crouch, there are many new military aircraft in production as well as on the drawing board (638).  In addition, notes Crouch, “Inevitably, technology will also replace pilots in an increasing number of military cockpits” (638).  Governments will continue to invest in “new technologies that transform the way in which we fly” (Crouch 638).  So, it’s not likely that there will be any sudden declines in the industry like we saw post-9/11.

            Additionally, even though the U.S. has suspended our space shuttle program, we are still investing in space exploration in hopes of one day sending people out into the universe (but that probably will not happen this century).  Even if nothing cutting edge occurs in the next few decades, mankind has experienced flight, loves it, and will never give it up.

Crouch, Tom. Wings. New York: WW Norton, 2003. Print.

Durden, Rick.  “Google Glass on the Flight Deck.” AV Web.  28 March 2014. Web. 5 April 2015.