Aircraft Performance
Through the chaos and mayhem of World War 2, the aviation industry made significant advancements in its technology. After the war ended, this technology stretched and expanded to the farthest reaches of the world. Frank Whittle of England and Hans von Ohain of Germany both created the world of aviation that we live in today. Both men did it without the knowledge of each other throughout the 1930s and 1940s. This invention was the start of the Jet Age.
Aviation industry took some time to rebuild after WWII. Jet aircraft saw combat on the German side of the war, and the U.S military immediately showed interest in this technology. However, post-war budget cuts prevented the military from investing in this venture. There was
…show more content…
There was a widespread concern that jets would produce less power and consume more fuel than its piston counterpart. A short while later, it was determined that jets operate better and are more economical at higher altitudes. Once this was determined, the industry started to thrive. It also was noted that there was longer times in-between maintenance checks per aircraft. The less need for maintenance hours was simply due to the design of the engines. Jets operate at a continuous rate; whereas reciprocating engines caused more pounding and mechanical issues. Jet engines have more of a concern for corrosion and molecular decay, which is a long term issue. Around the same time that jet engines started to become popular is when the reciprocating engines and their propellers seemed to reach their technological limit. Propellers were reaching supersonic tip speeds which subsequently decreased their efficiency significantly. Reciprocating engines that operate above 3,000 horsepower require complex maintenance and other issues. With the development of the jet engine; the design of aircraft wings was changed as well. Wings were given a more “swept” design in order to reduce the overall drag of the aircraft. Drag is the force that counteracts the thrust component of aircraft flight. This new wing design was also more structurally sound. This allowed for the variations of pressure on …show more content…
Great Britain at first deferred operations with jet aircraft. It was determined that the Commonwealth route structure that was in place was not efficient for jet operations. Aircraft companies opted for the more efficient turboprop aircraft. These aircraft proved more efficient for the much shorter routes the country had verses their American counterparts. France developed the first rear mounted engine design in the SE 210 Caravelle from Sud Est. It was originally designed as a 3 engine aircraft until Rolls Royce developed a new engine; negating the need for the third. Russia developed the Tu-104 since the need for jet aircraft was high due to the large area of the country. The Tu-104 was operational after the Model 367-80 but well before the Boeing 707 took
a.) In the 1920’s lots of new things began to hit the market. Commercial radios, sunny hollywood movies, automobiles and airplanes! Aviation began to take flight as the first plane was perfected allowing greater distances to be achieved. Charles A. Lindbergh paved the success of planes with his 33 hour and 39 minute trek across the atlantic ocean.
This shows that Feng Ru’s efforts were recognized and he was known as a pioneer of aviation. Feng Ru was inspired by the United States and endeavored to introduce aviation and industrialization to his home country,
The Wright brothers infamous flight at Kittyhawk happened just over a decade prior to the assassination of the Archduke. And up untill the use in the 1911 war between Tyrkey and Libya airplanes were still rather undeveloped, and being used purely for recreation. War lead to an explosion in production and aircraft technology. Two of the major mechanical changes to the aircraft were the propellers being changed from pusher to tractor; meaning that the air was no longer being pushed behind the aircraft, but pulled towards it.
Airplanes changed the way wars were fought because with airplanes you were able to have eyes in the sky on enemy trenches and were able to drop bombs on the enemy from the sky. Airplanes was a huge advancement in World War 1 because they opened up opportunities to spy on the enemy. The first “missions were carried out as observation. Spotting artillery, troop concentrations and supply lines”.(HistoryNet) This shows how the advancement in technology was a big part in the war because it was able to give you the ability to be ahead of your enemy because you can see where their troops are and their strategy.
However, arguably the greatest advancement was the development of the long-range escort fighters due to its long-term effect it had on the war as the Allies were able to use it multiple times unlike ‘Window’. It was able to provide sufficient protection for the bombers as it diverted German fighters and acted as a convoy too allow Allied fighter planes to gradually chip away at Luftwaffe pilots, planes and resources. This meant that the Allies had not only been more efficient in bombing Germany but the death rate was also much lower and it ultimately led to the destruction of the Luftwaffe. In conclusion, the technological advancement’s significance was less at the start as the Allies were ill-prepared but towards the end of the war, the significance it had was much greater due to the rapid advancement despite it not achieving its initial
New engine helped people transport to different places easier, helped make transportation possible and air flight. Wilbur and Orville Wright built a plane which used a small gas powered engine Orville Wright made the first piloted flight in gas powered plane in December 17. This new invention would increase demands for oil production and change the americans transportation in the future.
Planes rose to popularity amongst pilots during world war I. During this time it was very rare to see an airplane let alone own one. However, after the first world war upwards of ten thousand planes were auctioned off. (1920s Aviation.) The auctioning off of the airplanes led to even more popularity.
Rotary engines were used in WW1 because of the fact that they were air cooled which made them lighten and more efficient as they didn’t need any other sources of cooling besides air (Aircraft Engines). The last inaccuracy with the fighter planes in Flyboys was the movie failing to show how often new aircrafts were introduced. In WW1 one side would come out with a new plane which would give them an advantage for a short time and within a few months the other side would also give them an advantage and it tended to go back and forth throughout the war (C N
After the Wright brothers first successful flight, many nations learned that aircraft could play a vital role in the war. The arms race for air supremacy led to aircraft design to evolve at an accelerated
They even invented another practical device; the bicycle. Once they embarked on the task of building a plane, they already had basic knowledge of mechanics. With many ideas already filling their heads, they moved to Kitty Hawk in 1900 because of its sand dunes. They wanted something to soften a crash in case they were to crash. Their first device was unable to fly as a kite, so they flew it as a free-glider.
Slowly after the 1900’s different types of planes were being made and they had certain purposes. Big sturdy planes carried a lot of cargo, long thin planes carried passengers. Now almost everybody has rode a plane, it is really an amazing mode of transportation! The Wright Brothers changed the way aerodynamics works by, teaching thousands of pilots how to maneuver a plane.
Sir Frank Whittle is credited for inventing the turbo-jet engine. “A jet engine uses the same scientific principle as a car engine: it burns fuel with air (in a chemical reaction called combustion) to release energy that powers a plane, vehicle, or other machine. But instead of using cylinders that go through four steps in turn, it uses a long metal tube that carries out the same four steps in a straight-line sequence—a kind of thrust-making production line” (“ExplainThatStuff.com”). The car engine is not as powerful or fast as the jet engine, but the jet engine is for traveling a long distance in a short amount of time; the car engine is designed for traveling a shorter distance in a similar slot of time. Both engines were designed to get you from point A to point
The first heavier than air flight in our country was on December 17th 1903 and the aircraft was flown by Orville and Wilbur Wright. This was the start of Aviation and would bring in a new era of transportation. Our government would eventually play a huge role in the development of the aviation industry. One of the first major laws are government passed that affected the aviation industry was the Airmail act of 1925 or the Kelly Act. This act gave the Post Office the ability to contract companies to deliver airmail.
My earliest interest in airplanes started back in my childhood when I was completely mesmerized by the flying aircraft. As a child, flying paper planes was so fun. But, this amazement was for few seconds as the paper planes tend to fall down after few seconds of flight. But it was a completely different story when compared to the huge aircrafts which were able to maintain their course for a long time without falling to earth. My eagerness to know the reason behind this perpetuated state of aircraft became the stepping stone for my interest.