information about aeroplane essay

How do airplanes fly? An aerospace engineer explains the physics of flight

Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Clarkson University

Disclosure statement

Craig Merrett receives funding from the Office of Naval Research and L3Harris. He is affiliated with the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics, and is a licensed professional engineering in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Merrett is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY.

Clarkson University provides funding as a member of The Conversation US.

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How do airplanes fly? – Benson, age 10, Rockford, Michigan

Airplane flight is one of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century. The invention of the airplane allows people to travel from one side of the planet to the other in less than a day, compared with weeks of travel by boat and train.

Understanding precisely why airplanes fly is an ongoing challenge for aerospace engineers, like me , who study and design airplanes, rockets, satellites, helicopters and space capsules.

Our job is to make sure that flying through the air or in space is safe and reliable, by using tools and ideas from science and mathematics, like computer simulations and experiments.

Because of that work, flying in an airplane is the safest way to travel – safer than cars, buses, trains or boats. But although aerospace engineers design aircraft that are stunningly sophisticated, you might be surprised to learn there are still some details about the physics of flight that we don’t fully understand.

May the force(s) be with you

There are four forces that aerospace engineers consider when designing an airplane: weight, thrust, drag and lift. Engineers use these forces to help design the shape of the airplane, the size of the wings, and figure out how many passengers the airplane can carry.

For example, when an airplane takes off, the thrust must be greater than the drag, and the lift must be greater than the weight. If you watch an airplane take off, you’ll see the wings change shape using flaps from the back of the wings. The flaps help make more lift, but they also make more drag, so a powerful engine is necessary to create more thrust.

When the airplane is high enough and is cruising to your destination, lift needs to balance the weight, and the thrust needs to balance the drag. So the pilot pulls the flaps in and can set the engine to produce less power.

That said, let’s define what force means. According to Newton’s Second Law , a force is a mass multiplied by an acceleration, or F = ma.

A force that everyone encounters every day is the force of gravity , which keeps us on the ground. When you get weighed at the doctor’s office, they’re actually measuring the amount of force that your body applies to the scale. When your weight is given in pounds, that is a measure of force.

While an airplane is flying, gravity is pulling the airplane down. That force is the weight of the airplane.

But its engines push the airplane forward because they create a force called thrust . The engines pull in air, which has mass, and quickly push that air out of the back of the engine – so there’s a mass multiplied by an acceleration.

According to Newton’s Third Law , for every action there’s an equal and opposite reaction. When the air rushes out the back of the engines, there is a reaction force that pushes the airplane forward – that’s called thrust.

As the airplane flies through the air, the shape of the airplane pushes air out of the way. Again, by Newton’s Third Law, this air pushes back, which leads to drag .

You can experience something similar to drag when swimming. Paddle through a pool, and your arms and feet provide thrust. Stop paddling, and you will keep moving forward because you have mass, but you will slow down. The reason that you slow down is that the water is pushing back on you – that’s drag.

Understanding lift

Lift is more complicated than the other forces of weight, thrust and drag. It’s created by the wings of an airplane, and the shape of the wing is critical; that shape is known as an airfoil . Basically it means the top and bottom of the wing are curved, although the shapes of the curves can be different from each other.

As air flows around the airfoil, it creates pressure – a force spread out over a large area. Lower pressure is created on the top of the airfoil compared to the pressure on the bottom. Or to look at it another way, air travels faster over the top of the airfoil than beneath.

Understanding why the pressure and speeds are different on the top and the bottom is critical to understand lift . By improving our understanding of lift, engineers can design more fuel-efficient airplanes and give passengers more comfortable flights.

The conundrum

The reason why air moves at different speeds around an airfoil remains mysterious, and scientists are still investigating this question.

Aerospace engineers have measured these pressures on a wing in both wind tunnel experiments and during flight. We can create models of different wings to predict if they will fly well. We can also change lift by changing a wing’s shape to create airplanes that fly for long distances or fly very fast.

Even though we still don’t fully know why lift happens, aerospace engineers work with mathematical equations that recreate the different speeds on the top and bottom of the airfoil. Those equations describe a process known as circulation .

Circulation provides aerospace engineers with a way to model what happens around a wing even if we do not completely understand why it happens. In other words, through the use of math and science, we are able to build airplanes that are safe and efficient, even if we don’t completely understand the process behind why it works.

Ultimately, if aerospace engineers can figure out why the air flows at different speeds depending on which side of the wing it’s on, we can design airplanes that use less fuel and pollute less.

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History Cooperative

History of the Airplane

As Wilbur Wright nervously watched his brother Orville take flight across the tall, sandy dunes of Kitty Hawk, N.C., he likely knew they were making history. But he probably could not have imagined what was to come of their success. He could have never dreamed that this brief but successful voyage would lead humans not only into flight but into space.

Of course, a lot of other exciting things happened in between the Wright Brothers’ first flight and our eventual trips to the moon, and we’re going to explore the history of the airplane so that we can better understand how we got to where we are today.

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Looking to the sky.

Humans had been fascinated with the sky and were dreaming of joining the birds long before the first legitimate attempts to fly were made. For example, as early as the 6th Century AD, prisoners in the northern Qi region of China were forced to take test flights on kites from a tower over the city walls.

Early attempts to fly were essentially attempts to mimic bird flight. Early designs were primitive and impractical, but over time, they became more complex. The first designs that resembled ‘flying machines’ were those produced by Leonardo Da Vinci in the late 15th Century, the most famous being the ‘flapping ornithopter’ and the ‘helical rotor.’

The Birth of Flight

By the 17th century, the theory behind balloon flight had started to develop as Francesco Lana De Terzi began experimenting with pressure differentials. However, it wasn’t until the mid-18th century that the Montgolfier brothers developed larger models of the balloon. This led to the first manned hot air balloon flight (lighter than air) on November 21, 1783, by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and Marquis d’Arlandes in Paris, France.

Not long after this, in 1799, Sir George Cayley of England developed the concept of the fixed-wing aircraft. He deduced that four forces acted on an aircraft that were ‘heavier than air.’ These four forces were:

• Weight – The force exerted on an object either through gravity or as a result of an external force applied to it.
• Lift – The upward part of the force that is applied to an object when the flow of air is directed towards it.
• Drag – The resistance against the forward motion of an object caused by the air movement and speed against it.
• Thrust – The force exerted against the direction of a moving object. This demonstrates Newton’s third law that the reaction to a moving object is equal and opposite.

Using these principles, Cayley successfully made the first model airplane, and because of this, he is often considered  the ‘father of aviation.’ Cayley correctly deduced that continuous flight over a considerable distance required a power source to be affixed to the airplane that could provide the required thrust and lift without weighing the aircraft down.

Technology Improves

Fast forward just over 50 years and Frenchman Jean-Marie Le Bris achieved the first ‘powered’ flight with his glider pulled by a horse along the beach. After this, throughout the latter part of the 19th century, glider designs got more complicated, and these new styles allowed for more control than their predecessors.

One of the most influential aviators of the time was German Otto Lilienthal. He successfully completed multiple glider flights, more than 2500, from hills around the Rhinow region in Germany. Lilienthal studied birds and examined their flight to determine the aerodynamics involved. He was a prolific inventor who designed many models of aircraft including biplanes (those with two wings, one above the other) and monoplanes.

Tragically, however, Lilienthal came to an untimely death five years after his first flight. He broke his neck in a glider crash, but at the time of his death in 1896, his 250m (820ft) glider journey was the longest journey in an aircraft up until that time. Pictures of his adventures got the world curious and whetted the appetite of scientists and inventors to further push the boundaries of flight.

Around the same time, there were many attempts to achieve powered flight using an engine. While some very short ‘lifts’ were executed, the planes were generally unstable for sustained flight.

The “First” Flight

Orville and Wilbur Wright had closely followed the advances of Lilienthal and set out to achieve sustained ‘heavier than air’ flight. They struggled to produce a craft that would be light and powerful enough to achieve their objective, so hey engaged with French automobile engineers, but their lightest car engines were still too heavy. To find a solution, the brothers, who ran a bicycle repair shop in Dayton, Ohio, decided to build their own engine with the help of their friend, mechanic Charles Taylor.

READ MORE : The History of Bicycles

Their aircraft, aptly named the ‘Flyer,’ was a wood and fabric biplane 12.3m (~40ft) in length and with a wing area of 47.4 sq. meters (155 sq. feet). It had a cable system that enabled the pilot to control the height of the wings and tail, which enabled the pilot to control both the plane’s elevation and lateral movement.

So, on December 17, 1903, Orville Wright, who had ‘won’ the drawing of lots to pilot, attempted a number of flights, and his last attempt resulted in a successful flight that lasted 59 seconds and covered 260m(853ft).

The Wright brothers continued to develop their aircraft and a year later conducted the first circular flight of an engine powered airplane. Further tweaking ensued, and in 1905, the Flyer III was far more dependable than its two previous incarnations offering reliable performance and maneuverability.

A New Industry Emerges

One of the significant innovations in airplane design was introduced by Louis Blériot in 1908. The Frenchman’s Blériot VIII aircraft had a monoplane wing set up with a ‘tractor configuration.’ The tractor configuration is where the propellers of the plane are situated in front of the engine as opposed to behind, which had previously been the norm. This configuration resulted in the aircraft being pulled through the air instead of pushed, giving it superior steering.

Just a year later, Blériot made history with his latest aircraft, the Blériot XI, by crossing the English Channel, pocketing himself a £1000 prize in the process. It had been offered by the English newspaper ‘The Daily Mail’ to the first person to complete the feat.

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While on the topic of crossing bodies of water , in September 1913, Roland Garros, also a Frenchman, flew from the South of France to Tunisia, which made him the first aviator to cross the Mediterranean.

First World War 1914 – 1918

As Europe plunged into war in 1914, the exploratory nature of airplane flight gave way to the desire to turn airplanes into machines of war. At the time, the majority of planes were biplanes, and they were used extensively for reconnaissance purposes. This was a very hazardous undertaking as ground fire would often down these relatively slow-moving airplanes.

Garros continued to play a role in the development of airplanes, but now he was focused on turning them into fighting machines. He introduced plating to the propellers of the Morane-Saulnier Type L aircraft, which provided protection when firing a gun through the propeller arc. Garros later became the first pilot to down an enemy plane using this configuration.

On the German side, at the same time, Anthony Fokker’s Company was also working on the same type of technology. They invented the synchronizer gear that enabled more reliable ordinance discharge and swung the air superiority in favor of the Germans. Garros was shot down over Germany in 1915 and was unable to destroy his plane before it fell into enemy hands. The Germans, therefore, could study the enemies technology and this complemented Fokker’s work.

Fokker’s planes gave aerial supremacy to Germany and resulted in many successful missions early in the war until the allies’ technology caught up, at which point they regained the upper hand.

Inter-War Period

In the years between the two world wars, airplane technology continued to develop. The introduction of air-cooled radial engines as opposed to water-cooled meant that engines were more reliable, lighter and with a higher power to weight ratio, meaning they could go faster. Monoplane aircraft were now very much the norm.

The first non-stop transatlantic flight was achieved in 1927 when Charles Lindbergh made the 33-hour journey from New York to Paris in his monoplane, the ‘Spirit of St Louis.’ In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to achieve this feat.

During this period, work was being carried out on rocket engines. Liquid propellant rockets were much lighter due to the liquid density and pressure required. The first manned flight with a liquid propellant rocket was completed in June 1939, a few months before the breakout of the Second World War.

Second World War 1939 – 1945

The second world war saw the airplane thrust into the forefront of military operations. The advances in design meant that there was a vast array of planes specifically suited to complete certain operations. They included fighter aircraft , bomber and attack aircraft , strategic and photo-reconnaissance aircraft , seaplanes, and transport and utility aircraft

Jet engines were a late addition to the fighter aircraft category. The mechanics behind them had been in the works for years, but the Messerschmitt Me 262, the first jet, took its inaugural flight in 1944.

The jet engine differed from the rocket engines as it drew the air in from outside the plane for the combustion process rather than the engine having to carry an oxygen supply for the job. This means jet engines have intake and exhaust openings where Rocket engines only have an exhaust.

In 1947, the rocket-engine-powered Bell X-1 became the first aircraft to break the sound barrier. The sound barrier is a point where the aerodynamic drag increases suddenly. The speed of sound is 767 mph (at 20 degrees centigrade), this had been approached in dives by airplanes with propellers, but they became very unstable. The size of the engine that would have been required to propel these planes through the sonic boom would have been impractically large.

This lead to a change in design with cone-shaped noses and sharp leading edges on the wings. The fuselage was also kept to a minimum cross-section.

As the world recovered from the ravages of war, aircraft began to be used more for commercial purposes. Early passenger planes such as the Boeing 377 and Comet has pressurized fuselages, windows and afforded flyers comfort and relative luxury not seen previously. These models were not completely polished though, and lessons were still being learned in areas such as metal fatigue. Tragically, many of these lessons were discovered after fatal failures.

The United States led the way in commercial aircraft production. Engines continued to increase in size and the pressurized fuselages got quieter and more comfortable. Advances were also achieved in navigation and general safety features around the aircraft.

As society changed in the western world, people had more disposable income, and with the expansion of air services, there were more opportunities to visit countries that were previously out of reach both financially and logistically.

The explosion in air travel and ‘vacationing’ supported many emerging businesses, some linked to expanding airports, holiday locations (hotels and attractions) and travel-related products such as many of the popular luggage brands we see today.

The Industry Expands

In the 50s and 60s, rocket technology continued to improve and space was conquered with man landing on the moon in July 1969. The Concorde, the world’s first supersonic passenger airplane, was released on the world in 1976. It could fly between New York and Paris in under four hours, but it was eventually discontinued for safety reasons.

Commercially, things started to get bigger and better. Huge aircraft, such as the Boeing 747-8 and the Airbus A380-800, meant that planes now had a capacity of more than 800 passengers.

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Militarily, the futuristic stealth bomber emerged, and jet fighters pushed the boundaries of the possible. The F-22 Raptor is the latest in a long line of ever faster, more maneuverable, stealthier (unable to be detected by radar), and intelligent jets.

In 2018, the Virgin Galactic became the first traditional aircraft to reach the edge of space, climbing to an altitude of 270,000ft, past the 50-mile mark as defined by the US government. Today there are commercial flights that take high paying customers some 13.5 miles into the atmosphere, giving birth to a new industry: space tourism.

The history of the airplane is a tale of many miraculous technical advances occurring in a relatively short period. This has been driven by many brave and intellectually brilliant men and women. Most of us take for granted the accessibility we now have to worldwide destinations as a result of these pioneers, but we must never forget how truly remarkable it is that we as humans have found the ability to fly.

Bibliography

Science and Civilisation in China: Physics and physical technology, mechanical engineering Volume 4 – Joseph Needham and Ling Wang 1965 .

The First Hot-Air Balloon: The Greatest Moments in Flight. Tim Sharpe

Gibbs-Smith, C.H. Aviation: An Historical Survey . London, NMSI, 2008. ISBN 1 900747 52 9.

http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/cayley.html – The Pioneers, Aviation and Aeromodelling

Encyclopedia of World Biography – Otto Lilienthal

The Wright Flyer – Daytona Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, Wright Brothers National Memorial

Encyclopedia Britannica – Louis Blériot, French Aviator. Tom D. Crouch

The First Jet Pilot: The Story of German Test Pilot Erich Warsitz – London Pen and Sword Books Ltd. 2009. Lutz Warsitz.

History of The Jet Engine. Mary Bellis.

http://www.greatachievements.org/?id=3728

NBC News – Virgin Galactic Test Flight Reaches The Edge of Space for the First Time. Dennis Romero, David Freeman and Minyvonne Burke. Dec. 13, 2018.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08/03/company-offering-flights-to-the-edge-of-space-for-nearly-14000/

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Simple Flying

The evolution of the airplane.

Aircraft design has changed a great deal since the Wright Brothers took to the skies. Let's take a look at some of the most significant milestones.

Next year in December it will be the 120-year anniversary of powered human flight. Needless to say, aviation has come a long way since then. It is difficult to say if, when the Wright brothers built and successfully flew the world's first motor-operated plane, they could imagine what kind of societal transformation they had set in motion. Did they envision aircraft flying faster than the speed of sound or carrying hundreds of people across oceans, complete with tax-free shopping and in-flight entertainment?

But just how did we get from Kitty Hawk to the Boeing 777X and beyond? Early changes to aircraft structure focused on the perfection of the techniques and methods of flight. Later, engineering moved on to being driven by trends in the market and airline capacity needs, looking to increase profitability and efficiency. As we move towards the middle of the century, these considerations continue to take center stage - but with the added complexity of decarbonizing the fuel source.

In this article, we will take a look at some of the key moments and events in the history of the evolution of the airplane. There are plenty of pivotal points to cover, and we will not be able to include everything, but we will try our best to share the most significant. Let's dive into the evolution of the aircraft thus far - and where it could potentially go from here.

What came before Wright?

We tend to think of the start of the airplane as the first "sustained and powered" flight, and the Wright brothers are regarded as the first to achieve this in 1903. But there had been interest and experimentation in flight long before this.

For possibly the earliest recorded pondering of flight, take a look at the Greek legend of Icarus from over 2,000 years ago. Icarus and his father, the master craftsman Daedalus, try to escape from Crete (and the Minotaur) using feather and wax wings (no spoilers, but many of you may be familiar with how that turned out). Around the same time, several Indian epics refer to flying palaces (known as Vimana).

The potentially earliest real experiments began in the 9th Century with the Andalusian inventor Abbas ibn Firnas designing a simple glider. Writings at the time refer to how he "flew faster than the phoenix in his flight when he dressed his body in the feathers of a vulture."

Some more in-depth experimentation took place in the 16th Century when Leonardo da Vinci researched the flight of birds and designed several flying machines based on the mechanisms he observed. His work survives in the "Codex on the Flight of Birds." As fascinating as these works may be, as far as we know, no successful flying machine was built from them.

Powered propeller aircraft

Leading up to the wright brothers.

The English engineer George Cayley is one of the most important figures in the early development of the airplane. He was the first to investigate and document the forces of flight (weight, lift, drag, and thrust ) and develop the concept of the airplane as a fixed-wing machine with systems for lift, propulsion, and control.

He designed and built several models, including successful gliders. His work, however, was limited by a lack of engine power or lightweight components. Nevertheless, what he designed had a lot of similarities with later powered aircraft, including the main wing and tail stabilizers.

Following the detailed studies by Cayley, there were several attempts to put them into practice. For instance, French aviator Jean-Marie Le Bris achieved flight with a glider pulled by a horse. You can see him in the photograph from 1868 below on the Albatross II. This is the first recorded photograph taken of a flying machine.

In 1886, another French aviator, Clement Ader, built a steam-powered airplane known as 'Eole.' This had partial success, achieving flight off the ground of about 50 meters.

The Wright brothers' first flights in 1903

It was in 1903 that the first successful powered flight took place. Wilbur and Orville Wright flew the first powered airplane on December 17th, 1903 , near Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. This is recorded by the record-setting body, the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, as "the first sustained and controlled heavier-than-air powered flight."

This first attempt in 1903 was a simple one. The aircraft only flew 37 meters and stayed airborne for just 12 seconds. The brothers kept working on this, and by 1905, their third aircraft, the Wright Flyer III, was capable of longer, controlled flight. Having added larger fuel tanks and engine coolant to facilitate more prolonged operation, the longest test flight in 1905 lasted 39 minutes and covered over 38 kilometers.

After these successful flights, the brothers disassembled the aircraft to prevent competitors from copying it. It was not until 1908, when the brothers had secured contracts in America and France, that it flew again. This time it was converted to carry a passenger. And in May 1908, mechanic Charles Furnas became the first airplane passenger in history.

Other aviators were working on similar designs around the same time. Perhaps the most significant was from the French inventor Louis Bleriot. The Bleriot VIII airplane, flying in 1908, first introduced the concept of a single stick to control both roll and pitch, with a foot-operated pedal for the rudder. The same concept has remained with aircraft right up to today.

Military aircraft from 1914

The outbreak of World War I in 1914 led to many companies and governments expediting aircraft design for military purposes. The propeller-based technology developed for previous early aircraft was taken further, producing larger aircraft with more speed and range.

Italy was one of the first countries to operate military reconnaissance aircraft (during the Italian-Turkish war in 1911). And during World War I, many countries used new or modified aircraft for photography, reconnaissance, bombing, and air-to-air combat.

In terms of aircraft technology, one of the most significant developments came from German engineer Hugo Junkers. His Junkers J1 aircraft, first flying in 1915, was the first aircraft to have an all-metal airframe. This was important for the later development of larger passenger aircraft.

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Developing commercial possibilities

As well as development for military use, companies began looking at the possibilities for revenue-earning passenger flights.

The first passenger service started in 1914 . In January of that year, the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line started a service between St. Petersburg and Tampa across Tampa Bay in Florida. This 20-minute flight was a significant milestone, forming the start of commercial aviation.

After the war, there was a rush of propeller-based aircraft onto the civilian market. This gave rise to a new industry of leisure and sightseeing flights, as well as demonstrations and air shows. But there was also a desire, and incentives, to develop new services and expand the limits of aircraft.

The first transatlantic flight took place in 1919, with British aviators John Alcock and Arthur Whitten-Brown flying a modified Vickers military aircraft. This followed the offer of a prize of £10,000 from the Daily Mail newspaper in London for the first successful flight "from any point in the United States of America, Canada or Newfoundland and any point in Great Britain or Ireland in 72 continuous hours."

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh won the $25,000 prize for the first solo non-stop crossing of the Atlantic. Australian Charles Kingsford Smith (and crew) became the first to cross the Pacific in 1928 and the first to fly around the world in 1929.

This era also saw plenty of experimentation and development with aircraft types . For example, the German-built Dornier Do X, launched in 1929, was the largest aircraft at that time. It could carry up to 169 passengers (but usually only 66 or less if converted for overnight sleeping accommodation). This twelve-engine aircraft had a range of up to 1,700 kilometers and offered great potential. However, only three were ever built, with the Great Depression of the 1930s taking its toll.

Commercial success with the Douglas DC3

The years after World War I saw many aircraft developments. The aim was always the operation of successful and profitable commercial flights, and the first aircraft to properly achieve this was the Douglas DC-3, launched in 1936. It was not particularly large (compared to aircraft today or even some predecessors) and had a capacity of just 32 passengers (or 14 if equipped with beds).

The DC-3 improved on range, speed, and reliability. It offered a transcontinental US service with just three stops. According to analysis in the Smithsonian, it was the first profitable passenger aircraft, able to operate passenger services without any cargo or mail subsidies.

In total, over 11,000 aircraft (including variants) were built. Production continued up to 1942, when the surplus of ex-military aircraft entering the market after World War II came to an end. It is certainly a long-lived and well-built aircraft. As of September 2022 , there were an estimated 164 DC-3s still in operation (though sadly not in passenger service).

The start of the jet age – 1952

The next major advance in airplane design was the introduction of the jet engine . Development work on jet engines began in the 1930s, and the first operational jet aircraft was the German Heinkel He 178 in 1939, and then the Messerschmidt Me 262, which saw military service in Germany from 1947. And in Britain, Boeing introduced the jet-powered B-47 for military use in 1947

De Havilland Comet

The first passenger jet aircraft, though, was the de Havilland Comet, entering service in 1952. While it marked a significant step forward in aviation, this early jet aircraft had a number of serious problems. Most notable were issues with its fuselage, windows, and pressurization. It was not until its fourth iteration, the Comet 5, that the problems were solved and sales increased. But, by this time, other aircraft designers had learned from the early mover's mistakes and offered competitive alternatives.

The Boeing 707

There were several successors and competitors to the Comet, including the DC-8, Vickers VC-10, the Tupolev Tu-104, and the Boeing 707 . These were all interesting aircraft in their own ways, but the 707 stands out as the most successful.

To construct the passenger jet, Boeing built on its established success with military aircraft. It used the same Pratt & Whitney turbojet engines as the B-52 Stratofortress, and its original design was intended to double up as a military tanker aircraft. It first flew in December 1957 and remained in production until 1978, with 856 units built and delivered to airlines.

While it was not the first commercial jet aircraft, it was the first highly successful one and is often credited with ushering in the jet age. It also established Boeing as a dominant civilian manufacturer and marked the beginnings of the 7x7 series, which, of course, continues until this day.

Boeing incorporated many design elements based on problems with earlier jet aircraft and from customer feedback. This included:

• A wider fuselage, allowing five abreast seating and better cargo payload.
• Moving engines to underwing pods was considered safer in the event of a fire.
• Changes to flap design, and fuselage strengthening.

Adapting to the market – the 737 and the A320

Since the 1950s, there have been fewer fundamental changes to airplane design. The cylindrical fuselage has remained the standard airplane shape. Hydrocarbon-powered jet engines have remained but improved in power and efficiency. Cabin and cockpit technology have similarly improved but are still based on the same designs and concepts.

Boeing's evolution of the 737 series demonstrates this trajectory well. Following its success with the 707 and 727, it designed a new aircraft to beat the competition and win customers. The aircraft launched in 1967 and offered several design differences setting it apart from competitors:

• Two engines rather than three or four. This appealed to customers looking to lower costs.
• Engines mounted under the wings, offering easier access and allowing a wider cabin.
• A wider fuselage offering six abreast seating, and handling of standard cargo containers.

The 737 has remained with us since 1967, moving through many variants. Each of these has offered updates to meet airline preferences and demands. This has included, for example, options such as combined cargo models, and adaptions for gravel landing, and an evolving focus on new engine technology and efficiency improvements.

But the base design, fuselage structure, and wing design, for example, have remained much the same. Why change what is already working, when you can improve it instead, especially when this eases the way from a certification perspective?

The Boeing 737 has been the most sold aircraft to date, and despite the hiccups in sales for its latest addition, the 737 MAX, caused by two deadly crashes and subsequent grounding of the type, it looks to continue its successful trajectory. According to Boeing's data on orders and deliveries in November 2022, the aerospace manufacturer has received 18,008 orders for all variants of the 737 family to date.

Airbus has followed a similar strategy with its A320 family. Since the launch in 1987, Airbus has offered several different-sized variants and evolved these to provide technology and efficiency upgrades, including the latest addition of the new engine option , or neo, offering approximately 15% better fuel efficiency than the current engine option , or ceo.

It may have started later than Boeing, but it has also seen tremendous success. For a short period of time, the A320 family even overtook he Boeing 737 in numbers of aircraft ordered. However, it now sits a few hundred behind at a total of 17,567, according to Airbus's data for orders and deliveries from October 2022.

Making aircraft larger – the Boeing 747

The other significant change since the early jet aircraft was the development of larger aircraft. The best example here is the launch of the Boeing 747 in 1970, which was the best-selling widebody, having sold 1,768 copies across all variants, before it was passed by the 777, which, including the forthcoming 777X, has amassed 2,352 orders.

The motivation for the Jumbo came from Pan American World Airways. The carrier asked Boeing to design an aircraft around 2.5 times the size of the Boeing 707. Development began once Pan Am committed to an order for 25 aircraft in April 1966. Such close interaction between one airline and a manufacturer is unusual, and the involvement of Pan Am in the 747 has since been unmatched in other developments.

Such a large aircraft required several changes to previous aircraft design, including:

• The addition of a second deck. This was initially planned to be a full deck, but it turned out not to be possible due to safety restrictions at the time. The resulting design allowed for a full deck of cargo, and nose loading, a significant success factor for the 747.
• A new high-bypass turbofan engine design was needed for the larger, heavier airframe. Pratt & Whitney joined the 747 development, designing the JT9D engine specially for it.

The 747 was significant not just from a technical point of view, but also from an economic one. It changed travel in several ways. It allowed airlines to offer lower fares and longer routes. Combined with the deregulation of airfares in the US around the time of its launch, this opened flying up to many more passengers.

The extra available space gave airlines new options for onboard facilities and cabins. Some of the luxuries seen in the early days of aviation returned, including spacious first class cabins and lounge areas. Airlines also used the extra space to create new cabins. This began in the 1970s as some airlines created a 'premium' offering within their economy cabins, and by the 1980s, it led to what we now know as business class as a third cabin.

And larger again with the A380

Aircraft size limits would not be pushed so far again until the development of the Airbus A380 . Airbus looked at various versions of a large aircraft, including an interesting design of combining two large fuselages side by side (based on the A340). This eventually led to the concept of a two-deck aircraft. The A380 was formally announced at the Farnborough Air Show in 1990, with a target of 15% lower operating cost than the 747.

Several other large aircraft were proposed but never built, including:

• The two-deck McDonnell Douglas MD-12, proposed in 1993 but canceled due to lack of interest from airlines.
• Lockheed Martin planned a Large Subsonic Transport aircraft in 1996, seating over 900, but faced technical challenges.
• Russia proposed an ever larger, up to 1000 capacity, Sukhoi KR-860.
• Boeing twice proposed to stretch the 747 but dropped it to follow point-to-point models with the 777.

The A380 is a great aircraft, but it did not see anywhere near the same success as the 747. It is not so much the design that has let it down - engineering a two-deck aircraft was an outstanding achievement . It was more the changes in operating models and preferences that sealed its fate. And, of course, the global health crisis sped up its demise with many airlines, although some, such as Qantas, who were uncertain about its place in their fleet have brought it back out of storage.

The A380 received 251 orders before production wound down, with the final A380 rolling out of Airbus' facilities in Toulouse in December 2021. The idea at the time of launch was that airlines would use it for high-capacity, hub-to-hub routes. Preferences changed, though, with many airlines shifting to a point-to-point model, with more efficient, lower-capacity aircraft.

It also carries one significant design limitation: its size and large wingspan severely limit the airports to which it can operate. This is something that Boeing has learned from with its new 777X, developing folding wingtips to get around this problem . Meanwhile, the Super Jumbo's staunchest advocate, Sir Tim Clark, claims airlines just were not using the aircraft to its full potential. We have looked before at why the A380 may have very well been less successful due to being ahead of its time .

Supersonic aircraft

For many aviation enthusiasts, the peak of jet age possibilities was reached with supersonic flight. The sound barrier was first broken in 1947 by the American experimental aircraft the Bell X-1. This was powered by a rocket-based engine using liquid oxygen and ethyl alcohol.

Developments after this resulted in plenty of supersonic experimental and military aircraft. But it was not until the 1960s that supersonic passenger aircraft were developed, most famously, Concorde.

Supersonic aircraft required some major changes in aircraft design:

• Significant extra power was needed to overcome additional drag at high speed.
• The wings needed to be re-designed to lower wingspan (and, with it, drag). The solution reached for Concorde was a delta wing, which is much more efficient at high speeds (but with compromise and high angle of attack at low speed).

Concorde is the most well known supersonic aircraft. It was a joint development aircraft between the UK and France and was launched in 1976. Only 20 aircraft were built, and only British Airways and Air France ever operated them. It was not initially intended for just these two airlines, though, and in fact, 18 airlines placed options for it.

There was also a supersonic aircraft developed by Russian manufacturer Tupolev, The Tu-144. Meanwhile, Boeing came close to producing the supersonic 2707 but canceled the project due to insufficient orders.

Supersonic travel is an exciting development, but it ended with the retirement of Concorde in 2003. The limitations are not so much in airplane technology but in efficiency and cost. High operating costs lead to high ticket prices, and this is not a route that manufacturers and airlines have chosen to follow post-Concorde. This may change soon, however, with US company Boom Supersonic developing Overture, a Mach 2.2 supersonic passenger aircraft, which has received substantial orders from both United and American Airlines (although it is still, at the time of writing, in need of an engine maker) .

Improvements in efficiency

A major focus of the past couple of decades has been on improving airplane efficiency. Many of the early achievements were fantastic, but resulted in heavy aircraft, fuel-hungry engines, and high levels of emissions. As technology has improved and attitudes towards carbon footprints have shifted, manufacturers have focussed on making change to reduce fuel burn.

Switching to twin engines

One of the significant changes to affect aircraft since the 1970s has been the improvement in twin-engine performance and safety. Early jet aircraft (such as the Comet and the 707) had four engines. At the time, twin engines were severely limited in where they could fly, having to remain no more than 60 minutes away from a diversion airport. Transoceanic flights remained the domain of four-engine and later three-engine aircraft.

This changed from the 1980s with the introduction of ETOPS (Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards). This allowed twin-engine aircraft to be approved to fly further from a diversion airport, recognizing their improving safety standards. The first rating, of 120 minutes, was given to Trans World Airlines flying a Boeing 767.

Ratings have since increased significantly. The A350, for example, is rated to fly 370 minutes from a diversion airport. This has been a major factor in the decline of four-engine aircraft, making way for significant improvements in much more efficient and cost-effective twins.

Four engines are now only needed for heavy airframes (such as the A380). There are limited advantages in routing any more, as this map of the off-limits areas for the higher ETOPS rating show. The only places that require four engines now are flights over Antarctica.

Improving new aircraft

As new twins have been introduced, there has been a constant effort to improve efficiency. Changes have included more efficient (and lower emission) engines, aerodynamic and wing design changes, and increasing use of composite materials in aircraft construction.

This has been one of the major changes in the new series of 737 and A320 aircraft introduced over the past decades. For example, each new series of the 737 has introduced improvements. The Classic series improved engines and aerodynamics over the Original series; the Next Generation series did the same to compete with the new A320; and the 737 MAX Series took this even further to compete with the A320neo.

A similar evolution has taken place with widebody aircraft. The 777 series has seen many improvements since its launch in 1989, including efficiency improvements. And the new 777X will take this even further.

The Boeing 787 is another excellent example of this. The program was initially known as the 7E7 program, with the E representing the leap the aircraft would make in efficiency, economy, and environmental standards. And it has delivered on this efficiency, as Simple Flying has explored previously (in comparison with the A350 ). It is regarded as the most fuel-efficient aircraft on the market.

More improvements coming in the future

The 777x and further improvements in efficiency.

For the moment, the near future of airplanes lies in further technology and efficiency gains. One of the most anticipated new aircraft, the Boeing 777X, has been marred by delays and is now expected to enter service in 2025 . However, despite the delay the jet is does constitute the next leap in dual-aisle aircraft.

The 777X promises incredible fuel efficiency with innovations including:

• The largest engines ever on a civilian aircraft (though also made lighter with composite fan technology).
• Folding wingtips to allow larger wings to improve efficiency, but not restrict airport operations.
• Composite wing construction, and raked wingtips.

Boeing is not alone with pushing efficiency in new aircraft. The Airbus A350 is also a highly fuel-efficient aircraft, with 53% composite construction, 'adaptive' wings that move in flight to reduce drag and advanced aerodynamic improvements to the wing shape.

Introducing new technology

Looking further ahead, there are moves to radically change how aircraft are powered. The world's addiction to fossil fuels needs to be dealt with if we are to have any chance of halting global warming. As such, even hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation must explore innovative routes to decarbonize operations. Options currently being explored and developed include battery technology and hydrogen power. Of course, the scaling of sustainable aviation fuel is one of aviation's best bets in slashing CO2 emissions, but it can be used with current technology aircraft and engines.

Both of these technologies have seen developments geared for short-haul air travel, but may be a long way from adoption in significantly larger aircraft designs. Hydrogen-electric fuel cells may be retrofitted onto planes the size of a Dash 8 by 2026 , and electric aircraft carrying 30 passengers are predicted to enter service a couple of years later. Airbus has promised it will have a hydrogen-powered medium-sized jet ready by 2035. This will most likely not be the rendered blended wing design from the manufacturer's ZEROe concept aircraft. However, blended-wing planes may prove to be another exciting development yet.

Both electric and hydrogen technology come with a fair amount of challenges, but initiatives and investments are beginning to pick up, for hydrogen-electric fuel cells as well as electric planes, including eVTOLs (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing vehicles). The Wright brothers could hardly have predicted where aviation would go 120 years from their first flight. Who knows where it will be in another 120?

There are so many events, developments, and different aircraft involved in the evolution of air travel. This article has looked at just some of the most significant. Feel free to discuss more in the comments below. We would love to hear about other events of importance you would like to highlight.

How Do Airplanes Fly – The Physics Of Airplane Flight

From Icarus’ wing-melting failure to Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches of an air screw to the Wright Brothers finally flying at Kitty Hawk, few things have held a greater place in the human imagination than the dream of flight. The reality of how airplanes make use of lift and gravity to stay airborne is even more astonishing. It’s nothing to be ashamed of if you’re wondering what it is that keeps a plane in the air. So let’s answer the question of how do airplanes fly today.

Table of Contents

How Do Airplanes Fly?

The physics of airplane flight.

In short: Wings, Lift, Air Molecules, and Conquering Gravity.

What Keeps A Plane In The Air?

The fact that airplanes fly because of something called “lift” is pretty common knowledge. However, there’s more to this phenomenon.

Most of us understand “lift” to mean generating or harnessing air pressure beneath the wings . The physics of how that happens are as complex as they are interesting.

For one thing, while we tend to focus on lift, a better way of imagining flight, as per Minute Physics’ video on the topic, may be to think of flight as a means of gravitational “balance” that just happens to take place in the air.

It isn’t as though planes simply float in mid-air. To fly, they have to generate thrust as well as lift while balancing different gravitational forces.

How is that achieved? 

For starters, as that Minute Physics video points out, it isn’t just lift acting on a plane, but drag and gravitational forces which pull it down as well.

The plane has weight and mass, as does every piece of equipment and luggage as well as every passenger. All of this has to be accounted for in the calculations for making a plane flight-worthy.

That means not only generating lift but generating enough lift pushing the plane upward to counteract and thus balance the forces pushing it downward.

To begin this deeper dive into the physics of airplane flight, consider Newton’s Third Law of Motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

This, in physics terms, is how balance is achieved – the air acts as an upward force on the plane, hence lift, and the weight and mass acts as a downward force, hence drag. Equalize these two opposing forces out, the result is balance.

When a plane is parked on the ground , the amount of air molecules striking the plane as a whole and the wings in particular is roughly equal. Hence, the plane stays put. Once that plane is off the ground, however, the air molecules strike the plane’s wings differently.

Looking at an airplane’s wing reveals that it isn’t straight but affixed at a slightly tilted angle, with the bottom straight and the top typically featuring a more gentle curve. This isn’t merely an aesthetic choice, but rather is integral to helping airplanes become and remain airborne.

As stated, equal force means balance, and the slant and curve of the wings disrupts that balance ever so slightly, causing more molecules to strike the bottom of the wing and in a “harder” fashion than the top.

Angle Of Attack (AOA) in Aviation

The upward slant of the wings ensures that the air strikes the bottom of the wing that way as well, resulting in the upward lift that is critical for flying.

The same principle is at play in the wing’s shape .

Striking a flat surface head-on is bound to create greater force than striking something at an angle, which is precisely what happens when air molecules strike the curved top of the wing.

The curvature reduces the amount of molecules which hit the wing, and those that do hit it do so at an angle less conducive to releasing force.

In addition, the centripetal manner in which air molecules move around the wing further lessens the amount of pressure exerted by air molecules hitting the top of the wing. 

Minute Physics uses the analogy of running into a rainstorm. In this case, the frontmost parts of the runner’s body get soaking wet – but the back part of their body less so.

That’s because the angle at which the runner is moving coupled with forward motion means that most of the rain hits the face and front of the body and peels around the back, leaving it drier.

In essence, something similar is happening with wings and lift. As with the raindrops hitting a body in the above analogy, as the plane moves forward, air molecules skim past the curved top and back and instead hit the front and bottom – the places necessary to create and maintain lift.

Aerodynamic Design

Overall aerodynamic design also matters here. Anyone who has ever made a paper airplane knows that paper wings which slant diagonally result in far better flying paper airplanes than those with simple rectangular wings and boxy designs. 

The same way that the curved top half of the wing lessen the amount of air molecules and thus force exerted on it, aerodynamic slanted wing designs in real airplanes help the air move around the wings and plane in such a way as to reduce resistance and thus make it sleeker and faster.

The Wright Brothers’ plane lacked the curved wings mentioned here, in favor of a bigger, boxier, flatter design.

What remains constant between their most rudimentary plane and today’s biggest jets – and thus what serves as the critical factor in wing design, is the “angle of attack,” the degree to which a wing is slanted so as to produce that top/bottom air pressure imbalance.

Too much of a tilt, however, and the airflow around the wings becomes too choppy and irregular, and the plane fails to sustain lift and fly properly. A 15-degree tilt tends to be the maximum sustainable angle for aerodynamic flight.

Thrust and Drag

All this talk of lift, force, and gravity, however, is only half of the equation.

After all, an airplane’s wings only work this way if the air hits the front and underside with enough force to counteract the amount hitting the top and thus create an imbalance great enough to conquer gravity.

That means the plane must keep moving forward with enough speed to maintain that imbalance.

And that takes us to the next part of our equation – thrust and drag.

In the simplest of terms, thrust propels the plane forward, while drag holds it back.

In the same way that generating lift is all about that top/bottom wing force imbalance, generating thrust is all about pushing air backward with enough force and speed to counteract the force of drag operating on the plane. 

From Kitty Hawk to the skies above Europe during the First World War , the first decades of flight saw thrust being achieved primarily via propellers . Then jet power was invented.

Today, most planes make use of some combination of the two, which work together to push air backwards efficiently, forcefully, and quickly enough to counteract drag and thus help the plane conquer gravity.

The same principles of curvature, centripetal force, and the air force imbalances they create with wings works for propellers as well, which capture air beneath their propellers and propel them backward.

When they do so with enough force, the amount of thrust outweighs the amount of drag, and the plane moves forward.

How Planes Steer In The Air

All of that is well and good, but what about steering in the air? Getting a large metal plane off the ground is an impressive feat, but it won’t mean much if it can only fly in a straight line.

Of course, birds don’t just fly in a straight line, and it’s from them that we get our answer.

When we see birds fly and they turn, they dip one wing or the other, and thus fly at a slanted angle while turning.

Planes, of course, do the same thing. When a plane needs to turn, one side dips lower than the other as the plane slants in the direction the pilot wishes to turn.

Given all the above points about lift and how air molecules strike the underside of wings, the reason for this may already be apparent.

By slanting and dipping the plane in such a way, the pilot creates yet another imbalance in how the air molecules strike the wings.

This time, it is done to increase the force of air on one wing compared to the other.

The same way that a top/bottom air pressure imbalance causes lift, a left/right imbalance in the amount of air pressure exerted on the wings enables the plane to steer.

A Final Tip on Wingtips

Finally, it’s worth noting that modern airliners typically have wingtips, also called winglets, which come up at the end.

Why is that?

Wings don’t throw air back in perfect, smooth, neat distributions, but in “wing vortices,” that is, large swirls of air. While most of this passes behind the plane, some of it swirls upward, which can reduce lift.

Modern airplanes account for this via their upturned wingtips, which help minimize the effect these swirls of air can have on the plane’s ability to maintain lift and smooth forward flight.

References ▾

• explainthatstuff

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AIR & SPACE MAGAZINE

The airplane changed our idea of the world.

The invention of the airplane shook the globe, and it never looked the same again.

Paul Glenshaw

The advent of human flight not only boosted our power of movement, but also enhanced our vision: We gained the ability to see the Earth from above. Before the Wrights’ epochal breakthrough, there had been perhaps thousands of human flights, mostly in balloons. But it was the advent of the airplane—a whole new way of seeing and experiencing our planet with speed and control—that led to euphoric reactions across the world. Wilbur and Orville caused the eruption with their first public flights in the summer and early fall of 1908.

In order to appreciate just how big the news was, it’s important to remember the widespread skepticism of the Wrights’ claims to have perfected a fully practical flying machine. They did not hide their machine during its development through 1905, but didn’t exactly invite crowds either. On February 10, 1906, the New York Herald put it bluntly: “The Wrights have flown or they have not flown. They possess a machine or they do not possess one. They are in fact either fliers or liars.”

But when they flew for the public—Wilbur first, on August 8, 1908, in Le Mans, France—the press reports were breathless: “I’ve seen him! I’ve seen them!” a reporter for Le Figaro cried. “There is no doubt! Wilbur and Orville Wright have well and truly flown!” Wilbur’s flights came on the heels of earlier French and American successes by other competitors: Henry Farman winning the Deutsch-Archdeacon prize for a one-kilometer circular flight; Glenn Curtiss winning the Scientific American Cup for a one-kilometer straight-line flight in his June Bug. But Wilbur’s flights in France, and then Orville’s at Fort Myer, Virginia, were longer and in greater control by far than anything that had come before. “WORLD’S AIR SHIP RECORD SMASHED BY ORVILLE WRIGHT AT FT. MYER, VA.,” blared the Washington Times on September 13 after he flew for more than an hour. An eyewitness was quoted as saying, “I would rather be Orville Wright right now than the President of the United States!”

When airplanes first flew, they brought two new astonishing experiences to the human race. One was simply the sight of a fellow human being traveling through the sky at speed and in control. Grand contests were held for the public to witness the miracle. The first such competition in the United States was at Dominguez Field in Los Angeles in January, 1910. “In Trial Flight [Glenn] Curtiss Soars Like Huge Bird. Thousands Cheer as New and Untried Biplane Leaps into the Sky,” announced the Los Angeles Herald . The meet ran for 10 days, and more than 250,000 people attended.

The second novel aspect of airplane flight was what the aviators and their passengers saw from the sky—experiencing our enhanced vision for the first time. Famed reporter Richard Harding Davis best describes the transformation. He went to Aiken, South Carolina to fly with Wright exhibition pilot and instructor Frank Coffyn in 1911. Although he’d covered the Johnstown Flood and the Spanish-American War, he approached Coffyn’s Wright Model B with terror. “I began to hate Coffyn and the Wright brothers,” he wrote. “I began to regret that I had not been brought up a family man so… I could explain that I could not go aloft because I had children to support. I was willing to support any number of children. Anybody’s children.”

But once they were in the air, “a wonderful thing happened,” he wrote. “The polo field and then the high board fence around it, and a tangle of telegraph wires, and the tops of the highest pine trees suddenly sank beneath us.... They fell so swiftly that in a moment the Whisky Road became a yellow ribbon, and the Iselin house and gardens a white ball on a green billiard cloth. We wheeled evenly in a sharp curve, and beyond us for miles saw cotton fields like a great chess board.”

He underwent an epiphany. “I began to understand why young men with apparently everything to make them happy on earth persist in leaving it by means of aeroplanes.... What lures them is the call of a new world waiting to be conquered, the sense of power, of detachment from everything humdrum, or even human, the thrill that makes all the other sensations stale and vapid, the exhilaration that for the moment makes each one of them a king.”

When they landed, Coffyn told Davis they’d flown about six miles. “But we had gone much farther than that,” wrote Davis. “And how much farther we still will go no man can tell.”

Wright Brothers & the Invention of the Aerial Age is made possible by the generous support of David M. Rubenstein and Frederick and Barbara Clark Telling.

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This story is a selection from the April/May issue of Air & Space magazine

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Paul Glenshaw | READ MORE

Paul Glenshaw is a frequent Air & Space contributor who writes from Silver Spring, Maryland. He created education programs for the Wright Experience and Discovery of Flight foundation, and is the co-writer and co-director of the documentary The Lafayette Escadrille .

FREE K-12 standards-aligned STEM

curriculum for educators everywhere!

Find more at TeachEngineering.org .

• TeachEngineering
• Airplanes Everywhere: Land, Water, Sky, Oh My!

Lesson Airplanes Everywhere: Land, Water, Sky, Oh My!

Grade Level: 6 (5-7)

Time Required: 45 minutes

Lesson Dependency: None

Subject Areas: Physical Science

• Print lesson and its associated curriculum

Curriculum in this Unit Units serve as guides to a particular content or subject area. Nested under units are lessons (in purple) and hands-on activities (in blue). Note that not all lessons and activities will exist under a unit, and instead may exist as "standalone" curriculum.

• Fun with Bernoulli
• Air Pressure
• Windy Tunnel
• Bend That Bar
• Physics Tug of War
• Equal & Opposite Thrust in Aircraft: You’re a Pushover!
• What a Drag!
• Paper Airplanes: Building, Testing, & Improving. Heads Up!
• Better By Design
• Let's Get It There Fast
• Balsa Glider Competition
• Design a Flying Machine

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Engineering connection, learning objectives, more curriculum like this, introduction/motivation, associated activities, lesson closure, vocabulary/definitions, additional multimedia support, user comments & tips.

Many different types of aircraft have beenn created for many different roles—commercial, general, transport and military—and engineers are responsible for designing and building them all. Engineers take into consideration the purpose of an airplane when they are designing it. Over the years, engineers have advanced the design of airplanes so they are more sophisticated and specialized. Engineers also design and build the aircraft support systems and structures, such as runways, airports, radar communications, and scheduling.

After this lesson, students should be able to:

• Identify the historical context of airplanes as relatively new compared to other modes of transportation.
• Describe the use of airplanes in the transportation of goods and services.
• Describe examples of how technology can affect individuals and communities.
• Describe engineering-related contributions to aviation.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

International technology and engineering educators association - technology.

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Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback!

State Standards

Colorado - science.

Begin by showing illustrations of—or asking students to imagine—a truck, a train, and an airplane. Ask them to brainstorm the following: What do these things have in common? What is different about them? How do we use them? What kind of support do they need? What is their impact on our environment? How do they affect us? (It might be helpful to do this using a Venn diagram so that students can identify the differences and similarities between the different modes of transportation.) The answers to these questions should help provide an explanation as to why different types of transportation are valuable to us as a society. In fact, look at your shoes. Where do they come from? How did your shoes make it from the factory first to a shoe store and then to you? In this lesson, we will concentrate on airplanes, which is a relatively new mode of transport compared to other modes of transportation. Engineers are responsible not only for the design of the many various aircraft, but also for the support they need, including, but not limited to, airports, runways and aircraft maintenance. Engineers also play an important role in the technologies used in the airplane as well as at the airport itself.

Practically all humans have been touched in some way, at some time, by aviation . Aviation has three divisions: commercial, military and general. Commercial aviation refers to the airlines whose business it is to transport people and services all over the world. Military aviation refers to the Army, Navy and Air Force. General aviation refers to flights that are not military or commercial related, but consumers who fly private planes for leisure or business reasons. Ask how many students have been on an airplane for commercial aviation (a vacation or a visit to a relative's or friend's house) or general aviation (if they have been out with a pilot who flies for fun/recreation).

Commercial airlines serve about 450 of the nation's 14,000 airports. Meanwhile, general aviation airplanes service all 14,000 airports, making them a vital link in the air transportation system. General aviation airplanes have many different uses including business, air taxi, rental, commuter operations, personal transportation, sport flying, flight instruction, air ambulance and agricultural, among many others. Many athletes, musicians and politicians travel about on general aviation flights instead of commercial airlines for privacy and to ease of use.

Today, we will look at different technologies for transportation. We will compare/contrast airplanes with other modes of transportation and decide which are better for different situations (Refer to the activity Let's Get It There Fast to conduct a comparison of transportations) and learn about the role of engineers in transportation.

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

History of Flight

In the early 1900s, two American brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright from Dayton, Ohio, began to experiment with gliders that they built using the results of experiments conducted by European Otto Lilienthal. However, most of the Wright brothers' flights failed.

In 1901, the Wright brothers decided to gather their own wing data by conducting systematic experiments on different types of wing configurations. In 1902, from this earlier experimentation, a glider with a wingspan of 32 ft. was invented. This was the first aircraft that could go up or down, left or right, and could roll about its longitudinal axis. Filled with confidence, Orville and Wilbur Wright returned to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where they had originally tested their first glider. At Kitty Hawk, they conquered the problem of aircraft control and stability.

The Wright brothers now decided to turn their attention to power. First, they built an engine that produced 12 horsepower. Next, they built the propellers. Consequently, the Kitty Hawk Flyer was born, and on December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright demonstrated self-powered flight in an aircraft.

Following the Wright brothers' success, a flurry of aeronautical activity took place around the world. In 1909, Europe also saw its share of aeronautical successes in the work of Santos-Dumont and Louis Bleriot, whose monoplane achieved the first flight across the English Channel in 1909.

As time passed, the speed of airplanes increased, from the 12 mph top speed of the Wright Brothers Kitty Hawk Flyer to the 400+ mph of the famous WWII era American P-51 Mustang.

Even though the velocity of newer aircraft was increasing, very soon it was realized that an invisible barrier was preventing aircraft from surpassing the speed of sound. This barrier is known as the "sound barrier." This barrier became the second biggest obstacle since man's first attempt at flying. In 1947, a young test pilot, Chuck Yeager, broke that barrier and exceeded the speed of sound. From that point on, a series of experimental supersonic aircraft took to the sky breaking one speed record after another. In 1962, the North American X-15 airplane achieved 6.7 times the speed of sound (Mach 6.7) at an altitude of 108 km.

Today we still can see some of the supersonic aircraft that were built in the 1960s. These pioneering aircraft include the British/French Concorde (cruise speed of Mach 2.0), the Russian TU-144 (cruise speed of Mach 2.2), and the famous American spy plane SR-71 Blackbird (while the actual cruise speed is classified, it is known to be well over Mach 3.0).

Airplanes have been around for more than 100 years. As you can see, many advances have been made, particularly in the last 70 years. Now, airplanes are still an important part of our lives. Today, engineers continue to strive to design better airplanes for commercial, military and general aviation. Engineers must consider both the principles addressed in earlier lessons of this unit as well as the economic effects of the airplanes they design.

• Let's Get It There Fast - This activity focuses on how airplanes relate to other forms of transportation.

Have the students make a class list of all the modes of transportation that they can think of (examples include train, plane, automobile, skateboard, bicycle, etc.). Ask the students to explain in their own words for what purpose they would use each mode of transportation. What types of cargo would be transport by each mode of transportation? (Example answers: A train carries coal and livestock; airplanes carry people as well as a variety of products; vans transport packages, which might have come off of planes, boats and trains; etc.) Which types of transportation did engineers help design and build? (Answer: all of them.) How could engineers improve some of the transportation designs?

aviation: Includes all flying done through general aviation, commercial airlines and the military.

commercial aviation: Refers to commercial airlines whose business is the transportation of goods and services.

general aviation: Refers to all flying outside of the military and commercial aviation and includes pilots who fly for recreation, air taxis, and crop dusting, among others.

military aviation: Refers to planes flown in the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Pre-Lesson Assessment

Brainstorming: Have students generate a number of possible ideas about transportation. Encourage wild ideas and discourage criticism of any ideas.

• Begin by thinking about a truck, train and airplane. What do these three modes of transportation have in common? What is different about them? How do we use them? What kind of support do they need? What is their impact on our environment? How do they affect us? (Using a Venn diagram of a truck, train and plane would work nicely here.)

Post-Introduction Assessment

Question/Answer: Ask students questions and have them raise their hands to respond. Write answers on the board.

• What role do engineers play in aviation? (Answer: Engineers are responsible not only for the design of these various aircraft, but also for the support they need, including airports, roads and aircraft maintenance. Engineers also play an important role in the technologies used in the airplane as well as at the airport.)
• What are the three types of aviation? (Answer: commercial, military and general)
• What is commercial aviation? (Answer: Commercial aviation describes the airlines that fly people between destinations, such as United, Frontier and Continental, among many others.)
• Which type of aviation uses the most airports? (Answer: general)
• What are some uses of general aviation? (Answer: General aviation airplanes have many different uses including business, air taxi, rental, commuter operations, personal transportation, sport flying, flight instruction, air ambulance, and agricultural.)

Lesson Summary Assessment

Community Debate: Have the students write/perform a short play or class debate about the airplane industry. The setting is a town meeting about one of the issues below. The people present are: an engineer, a manager of the airplane industry, a local politician, and various citizens. Scenarios include:

• The city council wants to build a small general aviation airport on the outside edge of town. What are the pros/cons of having an airport in town?
• A group of engineers have developed a new "model" airplane they want to sell. Why should or shouldn't they be permitted to do so.

Lesson Extension Activities

Have students chose an aircraft from any time in history and write a one-page essay on what that aircraft has contributed to human society. Require them to report the history of the aircraft and why it was invented/produced in the first place, and make the focus of the essay the impact of the aircraft during its service. Did it help win a war/battle? Was it the first plane to break a record? Did a famous event involve this aircraft? Did the airplane affect the way humans interact?

It may be fun to read to the students about the history of flight. Ask them to describe how engineers have been involved in flight. Are inventors like the Wright brothers considered engineers? (Answer: Yes, they are!)

To learn more, refer to the History of Aviation page at this ebsite at http://www.allstar.fiu.edu.

Students learn about kites and gliders and how these models can help in understanding the concept of flight. Then students move on to conduct the associated activity, during which teams design and build their own balsa wood glider models and experiment with different control surfaces, competing for ...

Students begin to explore the idea of a force. To further their understanding of drag, gravity and weight, they conduct activities that model the behavior of parachutes and helicopters.

Students are introduced to the concept of air pressure. They explore how air pressure creates force on an object. They study the relationship between air pressure and the velocity of moving air.

Students learn that navigational techniques change when people travel to different places — land, sea, air and space. For example, an explorer traveling by land uses different navigation methods and tools than a sailor or an astronaut.

Bellis, Mary. History of the Airplane - Orville and Wilbur Wright: The history of the airplane and flight. (airplanes, airplanes, history, safety and more) About, Inc. http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blairplane.htm

Uses of Airplanes - Level 1 . Last updated March 12, 2004. Aeronautics Learning Laboratory for Science, Technology and Research, ALLSTAR Network, Florida International University. (Informative site on commercial, military and general aviation) http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/fltmiduses.htm

History and future of airplanes. PBS Online. http://www.pbs.org/

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed under grants from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation (GK-12 grant no. 0338326). However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Education or National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: May 6, 2021

213 Aviation Essay Topics to Research & Write about

Looking for interesting aviation topics to research and write about in your project? The field of aviation is very inspiring! It includes civil and military aviation, the issues of safety, environment protection, management, and much more.

🏆 Best Aviation Essay Topics & Examples

👍 aviation research topics, 💡 aviation project topics, ✅ aviation thesis topics, ✍️ aviation essay topics for college, ❓ aviation research questions.

This article contains easy aviation essay topics & examples for students. More complicated aviation thesis topics are also added. Write an A+ paper with us!

• History of Aviation The idea of the airscrews, propellers and parachutes contributed to great heights in the aviation industry. Kites were used in testing aerodynamics and the stability of the flight.
• Boeing and Airbus Competition With the background that includes the visions of the two companies, the paper seeks account for the difference in the visions, analyse the events of competition between the two companies, give an analysis of the […]
• The Use of Computers in the Aviation Industry The complicated nature of the software enables the Autopilot to capture all information related to an aircraft’s current position and uses the information to guide the aircraft’s control system.
• Positive and Negative Aspects of Aviation Have Been Observed in America in the Past 75 Years According to Hansen, the aviation industry has seen airplane development as one of the most sophisticated technologies of the twentieth century, affecting the lives of American society and international community significantly.
• Aviation Fire Risks and Safety The major difference in standards of competence between the two branches is that, the personnel of Aviation Fire Rescue Services, have a deeper knowledge in aviation matters that the Local Authority Fire Rescue Services.
• Physical Fitness in Aviation Aviation is an aspect that highly depends on the judgment of the people on the crew and the pilot for any outcome therefore, necessitating the importance of one to be careful with the health state […]
• Aviation Security, Threats and Strategies The given study delves into the critical aspects of the modern aviations functioning and the work of the international organisations as IATA or ICAO aimed at the improvement of safety measures and creation of a […]
• Human Factor and Motivation in Aviation Security For this reason, the human factor in aviation security becomes a crucial issue that should be investigated in order to improve this aspect and minimize the probability of error.
• Analysis of Dubai’s Aviation Model This paper not only sheds light on the factors contributing to the success of the sector but also analyzes the contributions of the aviation sector to Dubai’s economy. The success of the partnership is attributed […]
• Air Traffic Controller Shiftwork and Aviation Safety The purpose of the research is to study the impacts of shiftwork on overall safety in airports. This study is related to the issue of fatigue development in air traffic controllers.
• Amelia Earhart: Contributing to the Aviation Development Her contributions include the first solo cross-Atlantic flight completed by a woman, the books she wrote on the topic of aviation, and the establishment of “The Ninety-Nines” group.
• Automation in the Aviation Industry Even though automated systems increase the efficiency of operations in the aviation industry, automating the roles of first officers is a bad idea.
• Bird Strikes in Aviation: Causes and Results Consequently, the following research aims to assess the bird species globally, the birds hearing frequencies, the species of birds’ altitude, and current technology that deters birds in airports and planes.
• The Role of Social Media in Aviation Crisis Management Therefore, this paper considers the general role that social media might play in a crisis or emergency in the airline industry and describes methods that could be used to deal with the potential adverse outcomes […]
• Aviation Industry: Past and Present 1 Before the civil aviation and the commercial aviation began operating, several theorists, scientists, and early innovators, had foreseen the coming of the aerospace technologies.
• Methods of Non-Destructive Crack Detection in the Aviation Industry The NDT inspections will always hold a special place in the aeronautics as there will always be a need to carry out inspections in the manufacturing of new aircrafts and maintenance of the aging ones […]
• The Modern Aviation Industry and Its Threats However, the creation of a new digitalized environment can result in the appearance of new vulnerabilities due to the nature of the software and technologies used in airports to organize their functioning and guarantee appropriate […]
• Emirates Airline: HR Framework in the Aviation Sector A key concept in this understanding is “Universalism,” which presupposes that the adoption of universal best practices in an organization would lead to an overall improvement of organizational performance, regardless of the context of analysis.
• Air Force Maintenance and Production Planning The paper also explores the concept of production planning in the air force in regard to the setting up of air force production centers and the personnel mandated with the strategic management and the overall […]
• Returning to the Aviation Market: The Boeing Company The purpose of writing this report is to ascertain the factors leading to the comeback of Boeing Commercial Aircraft in the aviation market.
• Privatization of the Aviation Industry The private sectors have the potential to bring expertise with advanced technology that will entail better customer care and commercial discipline.
• Aviation Industry Affected by Covid-19 Pandemic As the weeks progressed, the truth of the epidemic became apparent, and traveling was prohibited in an attempt to halt the further spread of COVID-19. The changes in the aviation industry due to the coronavirus […]
• Incident and Accident Investigation in Aviation Accidents are fatal most of the times and may lead to the loss of life and destruction of the aircraft. Investigations state the causes and lead to changes that are necessary for the safety of […]
• Physical Security Approaches in Aviation However, the multi-layered security system the dominant approach to airport security is nowadays being criticised as consuming an excessive amount of money and resources; an alternative has been proposed in the form of a risk-based, […]
• Aviation Psychology Therefore, it is crucial to explain how aviation psychology impacts the performance of pilots and flight crews in order to enhance safety during flights Aviation psychology relates to aviation safety in numerous ways. Clinically, aviation […]
• Aviation Security at Regional and Global Levels According to Earley and Mosakowski, the government has made deliberate steps to ensure that the economy is highly diversified to reduce overreliance on the oil and gas sector as the main driver of the economy.
• Personal Protection Equipment in Aviation Airline workers are habitually exposed to numerous hazards, the significance of which can vary from minor to immediately dangerous to life and health. It is worth remembering that eye PPE can limit the field of […]
• Threat to Civil Aviation-Hijacking The 9/11 attacks on the United States’ civil aviation industry demonstrated the extent to which terrorism can cause damage to the economy of a country and mass murder of innocent individuals. On the other hand, […]
• Meteorological Hazards in Aviation Available literature demonstrates that there exists a multiplicity of weather conditions that qualify as hazards in aviation due to the scope and context of the dangers they present to the industry.
• Graph Analytics in the Aviation Industry In response to this significance, several frameworks have been designed to deal with big numbers, given the availability of data and the complex agent interactions. Data extraction and analysis have been in the face of […]
• The First World War: Role of Aviation The main features of aviation in that period were the simplicity of aircraft design and the rapid improvement of models depending on combat requirements. The use of aviation had a great influence on the development […]
• Irish Aviation Safety Management and Strategies The analysis will also highlight the extent to which the 2020-2023 SPAS report addresses the aviation safety problems highlighted in the safety performance review of 2019.
• The Aviation Industry in France The amalgamation of five private airlines in the year 1933 led to the formation of Air France, the national airline. In the early nineties, the airline was in the brinks of collapse due to heavy […]
• Egypt Air Hijack and Its Impact on Aviation This incident led to the sudden closure of the airport. Several negotiators were involved throughout the event to secure the lives of the 56 passengers in the hijacked aircraft.
• Aviation Logistics Internship in the UAE As a trainee in the department of aviation logistics, I was supposed to supervise the procurement and shipment of varied military resources.
• Labor Laws in United Arab Emirates’ Aviation Vespermann et al.allege that the aviation industry has signed numerous Open Skies deals and enhanced the status of the present Air Services Agreements as a way to improve the general connectivity of the country.
• Aviation: The Black Hornet Nano Unmanned Aerial Vehicle The Black Hornet Nano UAV is the result of such an effort. The Black Hornet Nano is a miniature helicopter and flies like the one.
• How Aviation Impacts Climate Change A measurement of the earth’s radiation budget imbalance brought on by changes in the quantities of gases and aerosols or cloudiness is known as radiative forcing.
• Spokes and Hubs System: Aviation Context In the simple terms, the traffic moves along a stream that is often referred to as a number of spokes which are linked to one central location that is referred to as a hub.
• Aviation Management Career To achieve my dreams I have studied academic courses that are relevant in the career and I have interacted with several professionals to make myself acquainted with all the activities and requirements.
• Contracts and Negotiation in Aviation Procurement The procurement department has to be keen during the identification and eventual provisioning of the goods or services to ensure that the management makes strategic decisions.
• Aviation Impact on Air Quality and Global Warming The United Kingdom’s aviation sector is the largest, most mature, yet the fastest expanding source of CO2 emissions compared to any other industry in the country.
• Emergency Response Planning in the Airline Industry The goal of this paper is to provide information about the concepts surrounding this issue and to look into the impact of emergency response on the reputation of an airline and legitimacy based on real-life […]
• John Glenn, a Historical Aviation Personality John Glenn’s trip to space in the Friendship 7 capsule in 1962 was a major accomplishment for the American space program.
• Internal and External Issues in the Airline Industry The skills and training that the airline staff get is necessary to ensure security and effectiveness of the flight and thus make the operation and management of the airline easier. The preferences and the needs […]
• Aviation Safety: Maintenance and Inspection Presently, the increase in the number of accidents due to poor maintenance and inspection is a major concern to many stakeholders.
• Embracing Aviation Automation and Managing Human Capital in the Future This white paper discusses the impact of automation on aviation and human capital management in the coming years and the possible solutions to the negative experiences likely to be encountered.
• Liberalization: The American Aviation Sphere The economic growth in the country contributes to the significant increase in traffic and the improvement of the financial state of people.
• Problems in the Aviation Industry Although the trend of airplane crashes has been on a downward trend since the 1980s, and statistics estimate that the probability of dying in such a crash is 1 in 3. However, the lack of […]
• Aviation Security Threats in Australia The reliability of the airline is one of the priorities that influence the choice of citizens, and the implementation of relevant safety standards is a necessary measure.
• Business Agreements in Commercial Aviation Use and lease agreement is the primary type of two-way commercial contractual interactions in the aviation sector of the US transportation industries.
• Safety Management Methods in Aviation: The Tenerife Airport Disaster For the academic goals of systematic review of literature, the emphasis will be put on preventative solutions to minimize the impact of human factors.
• Navigating Fatigue in Civil Aviation The collection of information received in the interview was subject to standards, and for this, the author used Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.
• Anti-Terrorism Security Complex for Civil Aviation It is expected that the increase in the number of flights in the absence of a strengthened anti-terrorist culture should also lead to an increase in the number of unintended consequences of such flights – […]
• Project Management of Federal Aviation Administration The final phase of the project is the closing phase to acknowledge the achievement of the project and officially disband the team and project.
• Researching of Aviation Medicine Preventive aviation medicine aims to decrease the risk to the health and well-being of persons in flight and individuals in destination locations.
• Aviation: F/A-18E Super Hornet Due to the strengthening of chassis supports in particular and the design of the aircraft in general, the upgraded fighter bomber has a maximum landing weight of 4100 kg more than the F/A-18C/D.
• The Weather Services in Aviation The service’s goal is identical to the aim of AIRMET, as it usually reports dangerous conditions. Thus, the service’s limit is defined by certain conditions and their definitive features.
• Noise Management in the Aviation Industry In particular, it causes noise pollution, which is the most significant problem that elicits adverse reactions in the communities, thus constraining the growth of airports and, consequently, the aviation industry.
• Aviation English Curriculum in Vietnam With Vietnam being a country that majorly speaks the Vietnamese language as the official way to communicate; English has, however, increased the favor as it is used as the second language in that country.
• American and European Aviation Safety Agencies Even though the two organizations rely on various documents to regulate and create their ICAs, one can admit that the approach is the same.
• Linear Multiple Regression Applied to Civil Aviation The various factors considered in the study included; pilot training results, crew performance outcomes, the aviation institution, technological advancement, flight numbers, types of aircraft, qualification of pilots, number of crew on board, and the cyber […]
• Aviation, Climate Change, and Better Engine Designs: Reducing CO2 Emissions The presence of increasing levels of CO2 and other oxides led to the deterioration of the ozone layer. More clients and partners in the industry were becoming aware and willing to pursue the issue of […]
• General Aviation and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Due to the lack of regulation and screening procedures, general aviation airports may be used to smuggle weapons, explosives, drugs, and even people.
• Aviation Security Behavioral Profiling The robust increase in the number of people travelling by airplanes has also led to the use of behavior profiling to identify the human threat.
• The COVID-19 Impact of Aviation Safety In the aviation industry, the effect of the pandemic did not only affect the economy of the industry but other aspects such as the skills and expertise of different employees.
• Civil Aviation During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using the HRM perspective as the basis for the discussion, the study analyzes the effectiveness of the employed methods and their contribution to overcoming the crisis.
• Technological Impact on Aviation Security It is the role of everyone in the aviation industry to find out the best way of using technology to help solve the challenge of aviation security.
• Risk Management and Aviation Safety It is the responsibility of the accountable manager and the senior management team to promote positive behavior and the correct implementation of the safety culture.
• The Irish Aviation Authority Safety Regulation Division The regulations of Ireland and its safety management are taken as the basis for the case study presented in the paper.
• Aviation Weather: Atmospheric Pressure On the other hand, temperature changes the air pressure; therefore, altimeters mostly indicate an altitude different from the true altitude. Thus, the altitude of an airport is the most meaningful altitude to a pilot.
• Aviation Crisis Management Toolkit The impacts on these organisations vary considerably depending on the type of crisis, the severity of the crisis and the way in which the organisation has planned for, and responded to the crisis.
• Airport and Aviation Security Thus, the principal purpose of the given paper is to comment on the current status of airport and aviation security and consider an example to see whether the existing measures are effective.
• The Various Types of Aviation Pioneers This paper explores the various types of aviation pioneers and focuses on Sir Frank Whittle by detailing his invention coupled with how it contributed to the future of aviation. In this way, it is clear […]
• Aviation Management and Regulatory Environment These regulations are meant to determine the quality, price and the quantity of the airports and to specify the traffic control system, which is an issue of concern between the academics and the practitioners.
• The Aviation Advancements Overview The Bernoulli’s principle assisted in the shaping of the airplanes wings such that the air on top of the wings has a different pressure with the air underneath the wings. This was a major advancement […]
• Cost of Goods Sold & Favorable Variance: Aviation Industry To: XXX From: XXX Date: May 7, 2016 Subject: The Favorable and Unfavorable Variances’ Impact on Cost of Goods Sold While discussing the interdependence between Cost of Goods Sold and the favorable variance, it is […]
• The Guarantee of Aviation Security The key events on this path were the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the establishment of the Transportation Security Administration on the national arena in 2001-2002, as well as signing the aviation […]
• A Brief History of Aviation The figures above show that in his mind, Abbas believed that there is something unique in the overall design of a bird that enabled it to fly. He was not able to control the speed […]
• Aviation Physiology and Effects of Flying Aviation physiology is the study of the effects that the environment inside aircrafts during a flight have on the human body. The natural compensatory mechanisms of the body enable it to adapt to the variations […]
• Aviation Industry: New Technologies The reason behind this is due to the fact that the researcher believes that as a student attempting to attain a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics with a Minor in Safety and Human Factors his […]
• Aviation Safety: Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) These errors range from drug and alcohol use by the pilots, homebuilt aircraft, use of student pilots, improper fuel management, on ground and in-flight judgment, unsterilized approach, inadequate flying skills, the inability of the flight […]
• Responsibilities of Air Carriers: Federal Aviation Administration There are a number of situations and conditions that the FAA uses to judge an air career’s inability to comply with the conditions specified in the FA act namely an air career’s repetitive noncompliance with […]
• Limitations for the Federal Aviation Administration The rule states that; if any disciplinary action is taken on an alleged person 6 months after the offence without the FAA giving any reason for the delay, the respondent can seek the dismissal of […]
• Federal Aviation Authority The following report explains the various aircraft -noise control measures that are taken by the Federal Aviation Authority in controlling the noise problem.
• Aviation Fuel Hedging There is a limitation in the efforts that are carried out to engage in passing on of varying degrees of the costs of fuel to the clients as surcharges because of the “price elasticity of […]
• Effect of Very Light Jets on Aviation Among the changes that are expected to result from the introduction of VLJ’s in aviation include: a taxi air model of travel, restructuring of airports and traffic control, restructuring of the human resource base in […]
• Willa Brown: Impact on the Aviation Industry Through the analysis and perusal of relevant literatures, the study will in detail provide an informative and well thought out discussion as regarding to the various aspects of life as experienced by Willa Brown.
• Crew Resource Management in the Aviation Industry According to the recording transcripts preceding the crash, the captain was heard saying that they were already at the runaway and therefore the first officer should not have pulled the yoke.
• Aviation Communication: Effective Communication in Preventing Accidents While the crew was not able to give the flight controllers the true picture of their desperate condition, the traffic air controllers on the ground did not coordinate and communicate effectively to control air traffic […]
• How Indiscipline Leads to Accidents in the Aviation Industry It is important to notice that this particular pilot held a high rank of a lieutenant and was in charge of wing standardization meaning that he must have been acquainted with very high-ranking officials in […]
• Aviation Business Alliance In the airline industry, there are three large and known passenger alliances that include, the sky team, Star Alliance and the Oneworld.
• Fixed-Base Operators in the Aviation Industry Most of the business conducted within the airdrome environs as well as those that require a straight linkage to an airdrome in order to subsist yet their chief commerce is not associated to aviation.
• The U.S. Government and Aviation Security Threats In this regard, the U.S.government had to adapt to these changes so that using airplanes as a means of transportation will remain to be the safest mode of transportation in the 21st century.
• The Basic International Documents of the Aviation Law Sphere The fact is that, it is hard to disagree with the FAA, as the downsizing of one of the numerous airports is the necessary measure aimed at improving the Aviation services in general, decreasing the […]
• Screening in Aviation: Prevention of Crime This essay will provide a critical analysis of the strengths of screening, such as the prevention of crime, as well as the weaknesses, such as their congestion, bypassability and privacy concerns, that enable its failures […]
• International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Culture The system of interaction among the employees of the agency is set up in such a way that the experience and values of predecessors form the basis of organisational culture. Thus, in the context of […]
• External Issues in Aviation Economics As an example, the current situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic has developed in the space of months and led to the shutting down of many critical airline routes.
• The Importance of Reports in the Aviation Practice The purpose of the current essay is to analyze the reasons that lead students not to fill in safety reports, stating their mistakes, and the measures that can be taken to improve the situation.
• Screening for Terrorist for Aviation Security Screening for terrorist has acquired a special importance after the events of 11 September 2001, and reflecting on the consequences of the events of those sad days it seems that any measure which would help […]
• The Effects of Change Management in General Civil Aviation Authority There is also a risk that after the implementation of change management techniques the positive result will be observed, but after a certain time, the effect of the intervention may be minimized due to lack […]
• Bahrain Airport Company’s Global Aviation Hub Initiative Objective is “to unify the goals of the Bahrain International Airport entities for the benefit of travelers, stakeholders and staff, in a future-ready facility, which in turn, contributes towards the shared vision of the kingdom […]
• Germany and Its Contribution to Aviation During the time the war was approaching its end, the manufacturers of aircraft in Germany dwelt on the idea of changing their production of aircraft to civil use.
• Psychology in Aviation: Air Rage The feeling of threat could cause the person to shout and become aggressive in nature. The passengers and crew close to the troublesome person will be in immediate danger of being hurt.
• Fatigue Management System and University Aviation Program The individual should record the type and number of such conversations in each workday and the conditions that existed at the time.
• Life Cycle Analysis for Systems and Program in Aviation & Aerospace Fifth is the actual launch of the system, where initiation of the system means operating the system and creating products that make the system do what it was proposed to accomplish.
• Aviation and Aerospace Future Technology Aerospace refers to the earth’s atmosphere and the space beyond it. Technology in both aviation and aerospace has proved to be of great advantage to mankind over the years.
• Aviation Weight Management and Lifestyle Modification Programme Since many guidelines on healthy eating and lifestyle are available for pilots, the aviation weight management and lifestyle modification program should be based on an individually tailored lifestyle modification intervention suggested in the context of […]
• Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects: Organizational Development Organizations consider organizational development when there is a need to make a systematic change in the attitudes and values of the personnel.
• Safety Management Systems in Aviation Passengers booking non-refundable and unchangeable flight tickets do not have any incentive to notify the airline of their no-show, and the total weight of passengers are difficult to estimate before the date of check-in.
• Brexit and Aviation Industry in the UK and Europe The most significant impact of BREXIT on the airline industry in the UK and the EU would be economic ramifications as key drivers of industry change.
• The General Civil Aviation Authority’s Challenges The first security and safety challenges targeted by the GCAA is the presence of consumer drones around airports. The purpose of this application is to allow officials across the nation to track the speed, location, […]
• 3D Robotics Disrupts the Aviation Industry 3D Robotics describe their business model as perceiving open hardware, drones, and the future of robotics as the part of the community and the company.
• Runway Incursions and Safety in Aviation Runway incursions are widely recognized as the most significant challenge to the safe operation of the runway systems. Modern researchers pay focused attention to the development of tools helping to exclude any runway incursions, but […]
• Carbon Trading for Aviation and Regulations Explain what the “Stop the Clock” EU ETS Regulation involved and explain the current scope of the EU ETS system for aircraft operators.’Stop the Clock’ EU ETS regulation is needed for deferring the surrendering of […]
• Aviation Maintenance Facility Business One of the impacts resulting from information systems includes efficiency in employees’ performance, as the systems contribute to the coordinated responses and communication across all departments.
• Aviation Visual Perception: Research, Misperception and Mishaps The location of the propeller is not the same, and it is not as close to the compressor and standard engine turbine.
• Science and Aviation Technology Effects on Society The asteroid collided with the Earth would kill most of the population and leave the rest of the planet uninhabitable. For the survival of our species, it would be safer to have a backup plan […]
• Management of the Aviation Companies This article contributes to the development of the research questions, as it states that biofuel started gaining popularity in the world.
• Aviation Security: Cyber Threats The rapid development of technologies along with the reconsideration of traditional methods cultivates a new way of thinking that includes the extensive use of digital devices to attain improved outcomes and facilitate the shift of […]
• Aviation Security Legislation: Cyber Attacks The first step in improving the level of protection against cyber attacks in the aviation industry is related to developing a clear understanding of the potential threats that the aviation is faced with and that […]
• Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects: Corporate Management Within the framework of the current research, the author is going to address the most important points regarding the strategic and corporate management and conduct a literature review of the approaches that are characteristic of […]
• Aviation and Aerospace Issues of Information Security Information Sharing and Analysis Centers are a significant part of the information sharing strategy in the U. There is such a center responsible for the aerospace industry, and its goals are the sharing of threat […]
• Issues of Information Security in Aviation Various rules and regulations established by agencies such as the FAA support the adoption of best practices that foster the implementation of data communications in the aviation sector.
• Deployment Models in the Aviation Cyberspace Hence, it is crucial to examine the importance of cloud computing while using examples to illustrate the application of private and hybrid deployment methods in aviation cyberspace.
• Mergers and Sustainability in Indian Aviation Industry For instance, in the case of the Benz and Chrysler merger, both firms benefited from the expanded market in luxury vehicles and improved efficiency in the cost of production.
• Abu Dhabi Aviation: Strategic Management Principles The understanding of the specific forces and factors in the industry and sector where the company operates is essential to the development of effective strategies.
• Freeways Aviation Parts Inc.’s Joint Ventures The company has become a major supplier of aircraft parts to major airlines in the GCC countries for the past four decades, and as a result, it has created a brand of quality for itself […]
• Risk-Based vs. Traditional Aviation Security Models On the whole, it is hypothesised that the implementation of the risk-based, outcomes-focused approach to aviation security will allow for attaining a considerable advantage in comparison to the traditional, prescriptive aviation security model.
• Aviation Training Efficiency and Evaluation The literature review reveals that plenty of research studies on the topic of aviation training are directed at the provision of security and safety to both the crew and the passengers.
• Employees’ Safety and International Civil Aviation Acts The effective operation of organizations in the aviation sector calls for the safety of employees. They are meant to uphold the safety of the employees both on the runway and in the aircraft.
• American Airlines as a Leader in the Aviation Industry In addition to that, the alteration of the pricing model was needed because of increased flight demand. All in all, the airline is expected to set prices, focusing on the way the value of services […]
• American Aviation Colleges Tuition Fee In this research, I intend to find out the average tuition cost for a four-year aviation management course in the American Aviation Colleges.
• Human Factors in Aviation Accidents This fatal accident led to the death of all the passengers and members of the crew. The second framework that can be used to analyze the role of human factors in aviation accidents is the […]
• Procurement Trends in the Aviation Industry Elements of performance-based contracting that have changed the procurement trends in the aviation industry include the need to achieve maximum levels of quality during delivery, and the provision that remuneration applies only to goods and […]
• Civil Aviation Safety Authority Corporate Plan Such issues as the current strategic position described in the document, the adequacy of the plan to the existing Australian aviation safety performance, the plan’s strengths and weaknesses, are investigated; also, safety standards and guidelines […]
• Aviation Safety and Australian Corporate Plan The usage of the Australian Corporate Plan related to aviation safety and security could also contribute to the reconsideration of the existing approach to airport operations and help outline the spheres of change that should […]
• Private Aviation in Managerial Economic Analysis In 2008, the demand for the jets that are usually used in private aviation was extremely high. The price of the jets that are often used in private aviation tends to change.
• Climate Change Impacts on the Aviation Industry The last two research questions focus on investigating the challenges experienced by stakeholders in the aviation industry in reducing the carbon blueprint of the sector and discussing additional steps the aviation industry can take to […]
• Graduate Employees Recruitment in Aviation Industry The current study is limited to the review of the selection and recruitment of graduates in the aviation industry. Employers in the aviation sector adopt a number of strategies to select and recruit graduates.
• Biometrics and Body Scanner in Aviation Security In particular, regulation number 300/2008, issued and approved by the European Parliament and Council, outlines a set of common standards and rules affecting the procedures involved in aviation security matters; to be more precise, the […]
• Aviation Industry’s Risk Management Numerous international and regional organisations such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the European Aviation Safety Agency, the Arab Civil Aviation Commission, the African Civil Aviation Commission, and the Latin American Civil Aviation Commission oversee […]
• Aviation: Security Risk Management Moreover, the rise of terrorism and its spread throughout the globe has also contributed to the great importance of security measures that must be explored to guarantee the security and safety of passengers and personnel […]
• Acquisition of Landmark by BBA Aviation Despite the fact that the provisional estimates for the total number of UK-related domestic and foreign mergers and acquisitions for the first quarter of 2017 were lower than that for the last quarter of the […]
• Mensa Aviation and Abu Atal Project Management
• Aviation Safety: Ground Accidents and Their Prevention
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Invention Essay: Wright Brothers: the Start of Aviation

Who Were the Wright Brothers? The Wright Brothers were American engineers, aviators, and inventors. They are famous for inventing and flying the first airplane in the world on December 17, 1903. The Wright Brothers’ first flight was a success after their failures in experiments to invent the airplane. Their persistence made them adjust the airplane until they were able to fly and land safely. Their success marked the beginning of the era of flights for human beings. They had tested several aircrafts before, which helped them understand the complexity involved in aerodynamics. The brothers hoped that in the end they would be able to make a successful aircraft.

Wright Brothers Memorial is a national symbol which is located in Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina. It serves to honor and celebrate the first sustained, triumphant, and powered flights in a machine which is heavier than air.

The Wright Brothers biographies are not written separately but combined as one and referred to as the Wright Brothers biography, which gives an account of the life, story, and death of Wilbur and Orville Wright.

During their experiments in inventing an airplane, they gave numerous interviews and wrote notes, the quotes from which have been famous over the years. Some of the most known Wright Brothers quotes are:

• “It is possible to fly without motors, but not without knowledge and skill.”
• “The fact that the great scientist believed in flying machines was the one thing that encouraged us to begin our studies.”

There are also Wright brothers quotes about success, for example:

• “Men become wise just as they become rich, more by what they save than by what they receive.”
• “The airplane stays up because it doesn’t have the time to fall.”

All these quotes are used by people to motivate others persuading that regardless of the challenges we face, with the right amount of persistence and diligence, we will be triumphant.

Their career began in printing and later they opened a shop that repaired bicycles. Running a shop, they became excellent mechanics. Later on, the Wright Brothers construction began from this passion, and they built a printing press. Orville was the pilot of the first powered airplane that covered 120 feet. Orville Wright’s first flight lasted 12 seconds; his brother Wilbur flew what they called their flying machine the same day and covered 852 feet in 59 seconds. The Wright Brothers answered the question about the possibility of flying by their own example and their airplane flights.

The Wright Brothers first flight was made in Kill Devil Hills which is a group of sand dunes in close proximity to the town of Kitty Hawk. It is located in Dare County in North Carolina. Alberto Santos-Dumont is the person who invented aeroplane before Wright Brothers as claimed by some researches. The analysis of Santos-Dumont and Wright Brothers’ projects explains the differences between the characteristics of the planes they invented. According to Brazil, Santos-Dumont constructed the first plane which had wheels while the Wright Brothers launched that plane on the rail.

The Wright Brothers family consisted of their father Milton Wright, who was a bishop in the United Brethren Church, and their mother Susan Catherine Koerner. The parents were supportive of their children from a tender age and encouraged their both academic research and practical experiments. The Wright Brothers’ sister was called Katharine Wright.

Some facts about the Wright Brothers say that they enjoyed outdoor activities, playing with kites, and going in for sports when they were young. They started experimenting with kites and later were offered a helicopter which was powered by a rubber band. This is when their interest in flying began. Why did the Wright Brothers invent the airplane? In 1896, there were many accounts of flying machines published in the newspapers. The two brothers became aware of the lack of appropriate controls for the advertised aircrafts. They wondered how a pilot would be able to balance an aeroplane in the air and then decided to make the first flight in 1899.

Wilbur Wright is the eldest brother and was born on April 16, 1867 in Indiana. He was the intellectual in the family at the same time being calm, stern, deliberate, and controlled. On the other hand, Orville Wright was born in Ohio on August 19, 1871. He was an extrovert, self-driven, self-assured, inquisitive, lively, and optimistic. The traits of the Wright Brothers complemented each other, and this is the main reason why they were able to achieve their goals despite the challenges they faced. Wright Brothers inventions show the importance of collaboration.

They did not marry and thus had no families. Wright Brothers’ school life is not interesting as none of them received high school diploma. The Wright Brothers timeline indicates the events that took place since the birth of Wilbur until the time of their death. Wilbur Wright died on May 30, 1912 of typhoid fever and Orville Wright died on January 30, 1948 of a heart attack.

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The Invention Of The Airplane Essay

As technology has developed throughout the years, many forms of transportation have been invented and thoroughly advanced. The airplane is one of the inventions in transportation. The invention of the airplane is credited to Wilbur and Orville Wright, brothers from Dayton, Ohio. The Wright brothers were the first to successfully fly a sustained, controlled, powered, and manned airplane, which took place on December 17, 1903 (Crouch & Jakab, 2003, p.131). Throughout World War I , the demand for airplanes grew; consequently, production and engineering rapidly improved (Crouch, 2003, p. 198). With the development of airplanes, airplanes went from a sport for the wealthy to a functional, efficient aircraft for carrying mail and passengers. Today, airplanes are used throughout the world for business and commercial purposes, as well as in the medical world (Woolford & Warner, 2015, pp. 150-255). The invention of the airplane has been a benefit to society. Airplanes are a benefit to society because they have increased businesses opportunities by a significant amount. The first sources of airplane business were through airmail . According to Dick and Patterson (2003), a quote from the first few pilots to send mail on September 9th, 1911 reads, “We believe this important event will become historical, and its development will lead to a revolution in the present modes of conveying communications between the peoples of the world.” This quote illustrates that from a very early

Arming Pilots Essay

Airplanes are massive and very complex pieces of machinery, and they help us get to places more efficiently and cheaper than traditional ways. Although we have seen that if

How Did The Wright Brothers Change The World

Did the invention of the airplane by the Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, make an impact in the world? Through the years many inventions have been made, but in the early twentieth century an invention was made which created a great impact in history, the airplane. In one hundred years the airplane has been modified and used to create new ways of transportation, but the most important thing is its history. The two brothers which are considered the fathers of modern aviation changed the way people viewed them and the world. Many people did not recognize that they could do such a thing, but after a few years many saw what they could do.

Who Is Charles Lindbergh A Hero

The 1920s was a decade of prosperity and prelude to the diverse introduction of new technologies. At the same time the automobile became popular, aircraft began to develop. Although during the World War II, aircraft is widely used to attack into enemy lines, prior to this, aircraft was used to deliver mail and compete for the distance it could fly without making any stop. One such aviator, Charles A. Lindbergh challenged to the first solo transatlantic flight and in a moment, he became one of the America’s most beloved hero.

Transportation in the 1800s

Let us not forget a huge transportation invention that came during the 19th century, the airplane. The airplane was invented by Orville and Wilbur Wright on December of 1903. The founders were also brothers, and they invented the first successful object which a machine carried a man rose by its own power. It had speed, descended without damage and flew naturally. As time passed the

WW1 Airplanes

The first flight occurred in 1903 when the Wright brothers famously took their airplane for a final test flight in December. In the years after this historic flight many people start to see the potential for airplanes in war, transportation, and shipping. Other builders disregarded previous doubt about flying and began to replicate the ideas of the Wright brothers in creating planes with three axes. In addition, the approach of WWI prompted military personnel to pursue uses of airplanes as a war machine. The airplane influenced many aspects of American culture after it’s invention including civilian life, war technology, and individual possibility.

The Rise Of The Tragic Galveston Hurricane

“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end,” said Robin Sharman. Advancements and progress that came from innovational minds took time and there were many obstacles and hardships. During the 1900s the world gave birth of the bright minds of the Wright Brothers that gave the world’s first successful airplane, also the modifications of the corset gave way to new fashion styles and trends and finally the tragic Galveston Hurricane paved the pathway of new mechanics and progressive ideas. Before, the thought of people being in the air and flying seemed impossible and dangerous, but the 1900s was a decade of advancement and many innovative minds such as Orville and Wilbur Wright, tried to build a “flying machine”. Unlike

The Invention Of Airplanes : The United States Of America And Great Britain

For many people, it is hard to think of the current world without airplanes. This simple fact is what makes them so important to talk about in society. They might be overlooked sometimes, but they have added a lot to history and should not be taken for granted for what they achieve. To focus on a few countries, the United States of America and Great Britain, the invention of airplanes had some of its largest impact on them. Whether that be in terms of travel or warfare, these countries benefited more than the average. Planes made a whole new empire and became a necessity for everyday people, while also creating more jobs through the business of creating airlines. Something very robust for the time was how planes introduced a profession

Wright Brothers Essay

The brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, possibly the two most renowned representatives of American aeronautics, were the first to experience controlled, continuous flight of a powered airplane in history. Despite being autodidactic in the area of engineering, the duo proved to be extraordinarily successful, testing and refining their strategies to overcome successive challenges that arose with the building of a plane (Crouch 226). The two were so far ahead in the race for flight that they even anticipated and found solutions to problems that more learned scientists could not have even begun to predict. Successful, man-controlled, powered flight was a fundamental turning point in history; it transformed the methods of how the United States

Planes During World War 1 Essay

At a time where traveling long distances were extremely tough, using planes were a solid way of transporting necessities such as, food, medical supplies and weaponry. Not as common in WWI, but was still used occasionally to assist troops in fighting and if there were things needed. At that time planes were one of the best ways since there was no direct option in sending items from other places. The last way to illustrate purposes of planes during WWI is air support. As planes advanced in technology it became a weapon used often. From the role of observer to the duty of military aggression, the plane had gained mounted guns and other attacking forces like bombs. Flying across the battlefield would be the perfect position on releasing bombs. Mounted guns would serve as destroying other enemy observers and planes. Having air support would greatly aid ground units. At the peak of top airplanes in WWI the British had constructed a plane that could carry a bomb load of up to 900 kg with top speed at 97 mph. Assistance from above was superior and caused the turn of some battles. Development was increasing and made countries expand production of

History of the Faa

During the course of World War I, airplanes proved to be a useful tool for the military. With the introduction of airmail planes were now utilized for commercial purposes. The Air Mail Act of 1925 gave birth to the airlines and passenger

Aircraft In World War One Essay

At the start of World War One, aircraft were very basic and crude. By the time World War One had ended, aircraft had become far more sophisticated and had differentiated into fighters, bombers and long-range bombers. The development of aircraft was stimulated by the war’s requirements, as was the way aircraft were actually used. At the start of the war in August 1914, British airmen were part of the British Army and commissioned officers had army ranks. By the end of the war in November 1918, the Royal Flying Corps no longer existed and was absorbed into the newly created Royal Air Force. This had its own command structure away from the army and introduced its own ranks.

Aerodynamics of Planes Essay

Towards the end of the War the airplane becomes a practical device of war being able to carry weapons. Anthony Fokker and Louis Bleriot create the most successful of early modern biplanes known as the D-VII and D-VIII. Biplanes are eventually taken over by the monoplane, or one wing. This new design allowed for faster flight and better visibility for the pilot. Air-cooled engines lead the way for commercial aircraft, and Boeing introduces the first modern airliner the 247. Airplanes are effected the greatest by supply and demand of war. New styles of war begun to emerge so did new and improved types of aircraft. The population of the U.S. also begun to grow which leads to the modern most sophisticated commercial airliner the 777. Most aircraft improvements are found in the military and intelligence field. The most high tech aircraft known today for such things as spying are the SR-71 Blackbird, and the U-2 Spy plane. The most complicated and best aircraft performance is still held by the space shuttle and probably always will be. The last 200 years have seen incredible changes in aircraft from the man with wings to heavier than air flying machines that can travel at supersonic speeds.

Airplanes; The Invention of and How They Fly Essay

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A pilot does not have to be an aeronautical engineer to learn to fly an airplane. However, it is a good idea to have good knowledge of aerodynamics and flight theory to be able to fly safely. There are four basic components in making an airplane fly, lift, drag, thrust, and weight. All of these work in unison to make a plane stay in the air. If one of the first three is taken out of the equation, gravity and weight will take over and cause the plane to descend. It is up to the pilot to understand how to make them equal in order to keep the airplane in flight or descend at an acceptable rate, in order to safely land the airplane. Before staring work to get a pilot’s license it would be a good idea to understand several aspects before the

A Short Note On Engine Aircraft And Its Impact On The United States Essay

The B707 was the first aircraft developed by Boeing in 1958, it is a narrow body , mid-size and a four turbo-fan engine aircraft ( Pratt & Whitney ) . Some people call it ( seven oh seven ) and it has different modules ( series ) that contains different capacity from 140-189 passengers .The Boeing 787 was produced in 2007 , it is a long-range , wide-body , twin turbo-fan engine ( GEnx or Rolls Royce ) aircraft . Passenger’s seat varies from 242-335 dependant on the series of the aircraft. Of course both aircrafts varies from the internal structures ,but almost the same design for the outer structure (body shape ) , and I’ll demonstrate the differences and similarities between both aircrafts , from structure design to the innovations made to the B787 , that surely made us look at the Boeing industry in a different perspectives.

The Great Invention of the Airplane

The airplane is a very normal word today. But it is a new word at least a hundred years. Then I want to talk about airplanes’ history, airplanes’ companies, personal business, global trade, and the benefit for international students and traveling. In my view, those parts are very important about airplanes has changed people’s lives. A lot of people believe that airplanes bring many benefits to our life. I agree with this idea because airplanes are one of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century. So this article will talk about the airplanes.

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Essay on “A Journey in An Aeroplane” Complete Essay, Paragraph, Speech for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

A Journey in An Aeroplane

Flying in an aeroplane is an experience most people consider interesting and exciting. Like everyone else, I also wondered how a huge object, several meters long, wide, and high, weighing scores of tonnes, could lift itself off the ground and fly for long periods of time with absolute grace and with seemingly no effort. My mood was, therefore quite buoyant when I flew in an aircraft for the first time, while on a journey from Mumbai to Delhi a few years ago.

The flight was scheduled for early morning, and as directed, I reported at the airport an hour before departure. After the preliminaries, like baggage check-in and security clearance, my fellow passengers and I walked up to the aircraft to board it. At the end of my climb up the ladder, I was warmly welcomed on board by an air hostess and the fight purser, flashing hospitable smiles. They were very politely guiding us, the passengers, to our respective seats.

As I entered the aircraft, I felt that my vibrant mood until then was yielding to one of steadily increasing anxiety and awe. The change in my mood was obviously due to my lack of experience in flying. Ignoring my uneasiness, I slumped into my seat and tried to relax as best as possible.

From my seat near the window, I could see one of the engines, hanging from the aircraft wing, start with a squeaking sound, which a little later developed into a deafening screech. The pilot’s voice was soon on the public address system advising us to tighten our seat belts. After the initial amble, as the aircraft picked up speed, I could see through the window the terminal building vanishing swiftly behind me. Almost immediately afterward, I experienced a gentle jerk, which indicated that the aircraft was airborne. As the aircraft was climbing up to its cruising height, I felt as though a needle was piercing my ears. In a reflex action, I cupped them with my palms. The pain lessened instantly, and in time, eased completely.

I relished the refreshments that were served after the pilot announced that the seat belts could be released. Munching sandwiches and sipping orange juice at thousands of meters above the ground had a rare thrill and excitement about them. Once the refreshments started settling in my belly, my anxiety gradually started dissipating. With a feeling of satisfaction and buoyancy, I took out the newspapers and magazines from my seat pouch to read out my time. The flight was pleasant enough to make me doze off a bit as well.

I was woken up by a request to fasten the seat belts. The plane was nearing its destination and preparing to land there. As I looked out of the window, I could see features like fields, buildings, and roads gaining clarity. After the plane had made a smooth touchdown, with a gentle thud, the sound of the engines steadily lowered until it was reduced to a feeble whimper.

When the aircraft eventually stopped, some distance from the terminal building, I heard the flight commander’s voice instructing the passengers to prepare for disembarking. I heaved a gentle sigh and thanked God for a safe flight. The air hostesses were once again at the door, bidding us goodbye and thanking us for our patronage. After experiencing an hour of tranquility, thousands of meters above the ground, I was back again in the midst of the hurly-burly of Mother Earth!

A Journey by Aeroplane

I have always longed to fly in an aeroplane. I expressed this desire to my father. He agreed to take all of us by air. I and my sister worked very hard during our exams. Soon our exams were over. We were sure that we had done our papers well. The results came and both of us secured good positions in our respective classes. My father was pleased with our results. He at once arranged for our aeroplane tickets to Bangalore.

We reached the airport an hour before the time of the flight. After checking in, we went through the security check and reached the boarding area. There we were given the boarding passes. Soon we boarded the bus that was to take us to the waiting aircraft. The bus took us to the aircraft. We got off the bus. There was in front of us the steps that were attached to the open door of the aircraft. We got into the aircraft. We were received at the door by a smiling air hostess. She directed us to our seats. I sat near the window. I could see the airport building from my window. After all the passengers had boarded the aircraft, the door of the aeroplane was closed. The air hostess made an announcement. She told us to tie our seat belts. The aircraft then moved onto the runway. There is started moving with great speed. After a few minutes, we were in the air. I could see the houses and trees grow smaller. We went higher until we were in the clouds. For a few minutes, it appeared that we were floating in the sky. We were served refreshments by the air hostess. She was very polite.

It took an hour and a half to reach the Bangalore airport. When the time came to land, we were once again told to tie our seat belt. Soon the aircraft began to lose height. It made a soft touch down on the runway where it slowed down and eventually came to a halt.

Thus my maiden journey by an aircraft came to an end. I enjoyed my journey very much.

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This is essay is tremendously amazing the words are wonderful describes a lot about the journeg.This essay helped me a lot….I just want to say to the one who wrote this essay..THANK YOU A LOT

The essay was really nice.I like it very much and the second one is amazing 🤗. This essay helped very much in my board exams.

THANKS A LOT AND NOW I AM THE TOPPER OF MY CITY….

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Essay on My First Flight Experience

Students are often asked to write an essay on My First Flight Experience in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on My First Flight Experience

Excitement and anxiety.

My first flight experience was a mix of excitement and anxiety. It was a school trip to the national capital. The thought of flying above the clouds thrilled me.

At the Airport

At the airport, the hustle-bustle was overwhelming. We checked in our luggage and got our boarding passes. The security checks seemed daunting but were over soon.

Boarding the Plane

Boarding the plane was a surreal experience. The interior was cozy and welcoming. I was nervous but excited.

The Take-off

The take-off was the most exhilarating part. The plane roared to life and soon, we were in the sky, high above the ground.

The Journey

The journey was smooth. Looking out of the window, the world seemed small. It was an experience I will never forget.

250 Words Essay on My First Flight Experience

Introduction.

My first flight experience was an amalgamation of excitement, anticipation, and nervousness. It was a journey that unfolded a new perspective, making me realize the vastness of the world and our minuscule existence within it.

The Anticipation

The journey began at the bustling airport, a microcosm of the world. The mere sight of colossal aircraft evoked a sense of awe. The anticipation of the upcoming journey made my heart flutter, akin to a bird about to take its first flight.

The Takeoff

The moment of takeoff was a surreal experience. The aircraft accelerated down the runway, and within moments, we were airborne. The city below gradually turned into a miniature model, and the horizon stretched infinitely, painting a breathtaking vista.

Flying above the clouds, the world seemed serene and tranquil. The flight was smooth, and the hum of the engines was oddly comforting. The sight of the sun setting on the horizon, casting a warm orange hue over the clouds, was a spectacle to behold.

The Landing

The descent was another thrilling episode. The aircraft glided down, and as we touched the ground, a sense of accomplishment filled me. I had survived my first flight.

My first flight experience was a profound journey that taught me the insignificance of our daily worries in the grand scheme of the universe. It was a journey of self-discovery and realization, a journey that was more about the voyage than the destination.

500 Words Essay on My First Flight Experience

There is a first time for everything. The anticipation, excitement, and anxiety that accompany these moments become etched in our memories, shaping our lives in profound ways. My first flight experience is one such unforgettable incident that left an indelible mark on my consciousness.

The Build-Up

Before my first flight, I had only seen airplanes soaring high above the sky, leaving behind a trail of white clouds. The thought of being in one of these metal birds was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. As the day of the flight approached, I oscillated between anticipation and anxiety. I imagined the airplane, its massive engines, the bustling airport, and the unknown world above the clouds.

The Day of the Flight

The day finally arrived. The airport, a microcosm of the world, was a whirlwind of activity. The cacophony of voices in different languages, the intermittent announcements, and the hustle and bustle of people added to my growing excitement and anxiety.

Upon boarding the aircraft, I was taken aback by the narrow aisles, the compact seats, and the constant hum of the engines. The safety instructions, usually ignored by frequent flyers, were my lifeline. I listened attentively, absorbing every word, every gesture.

The moment of take-off was surreal. The sensation of being pushed back into the seat, the increasing speed, and the sudden lift-off were unlike anything I had ever experienced. As the plane ascended, the world below started to shrink, transforming into a miniature model of cities, roads, and rivers. The sight was breathtaking, and for a moment, I felt like a bird soaring above the world.

Once the initial excitement of the take-off subsided, the journey turned into a tranquil experience. The hum of the engines became a comforting lullaby. I spent the flight exploring the in-flight entertainment, gazing out of the window, and occasionally interacting with fellow passengers. The flight attendants, with their warm smiles and efficient service, added to the overall comfort of the journey.

The descent was as thrilling as the take-off. The feeling of the plane gently touching the ground, followed by the gradual deceleration, was a relief and a conclusion to my first flight. As I disembarked, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I had conquered my fears and embarked on a journey that was once just a dream.

My first flight experience was a mix of thrill, anticipation, and quiet moments of reflection. It was a journey of personal growth and a testament to human achievement. It was a reminder of how small we are in the grand scheme of things, and yet how capable we are of reaching great heights. This experience not only gave me a new perspective on travel but also on life and its endless possibilities.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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EASA launches second release of Innovative Air Mobility Hub

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COLOGNE, May 8, 2024 — The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has launched the second release of its digital space for the exchange of information on air taxis and drones with a focus on privacy concerns.

The  Innovative Air Mobility (IAM) Hub  was launched in December 2023 and enables cities, regions, national authorities, operators, and manufacturers that have a role in the introduction of these air taxi and drone services to connect. They can then share and obtain reliable information and data.

The second release contains the following new elements:

• An entire new section on privacy and how the drone industry can address citizen concerns around privacy in line with EU regulatory material. EASA is going beyond legislation and provides hands-on guidance in the form of a privacy handbook and checklists for operators.
• An upgrade to the IAM Hub Members Area with new functionalities like the Critical Area Calculator for specific operations risk assessment (SORA) approvals and a pilot test for operational declarations.

The project is funded by the European Commission and the European Parliament. It is Flagship Action Number 7 of the European Commission  Drone Strategy 2.0.  to enable a smart and sustainable EU drones market.

Innovative Air Mobility Hub

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Three men to plead guilty in the killing of Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger

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Palestinian truckers fear for safety after aid convoy for Gaza wrecked

Palestinian hauliers said on Tuesday they feared for the security of aid convoys to Gaza, a day after Israeli protesters wrecked trucks carrying humanitarian supplies bound for the enclave, which is facing a severe hunger crisis.

Infant suffocated after N.J. mom fell asleep drunk while holding him, cops say

• Updated: May. 13, 2024, 3:29 p.m. |
• Published: May. 13, 2024, 7:25 a.m.
• Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A New Jersey mom charged with manslaughter in the death of her 6-month-old son was drunk when she fell asleep with the baby in her arms, causing the infant to suffocate by getting pinned between the mattress and wall, according to charging documents.

Details about what authorities say led to the death of Christian Canty on June 25, 2023 are contained in an affidavit of probable cause outlining manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child charges against Michelle R. Stanton, 29, of Lower Township.

Stanton’s father found his grandson unresponsive and wedged between the mattress and wall at the family’s home on West Wilde Avenue in the Villas section of Lower Township, the document said. Christian was pronounced dead at an area hospital a short time later.

During an interview with Lower Township police, Stanton admitted she drank 12 to 14 “airplane” — or mini bottles of alcohol in her bedroom while caring for her baby, the court papers said.

Investigators found 99 airplane bottles of various flavored vodka in Stanton’s bedroom, authorities said. Nearly five hours after her son died, Stanton had a blood alcohol content of .148, according to toxicology results.

Attorney information for Stanton wasn’t immediately available.

Charges against her were announced by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday, a day after her arrest.

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Doctors Need a Better Way to Treat Patients Without Their Consent

By Sandeep Jauhar

Dr. Jauhar is a cardiologist in New York who writes frequently about medical care and public health.

Not long ago, I took care of a middle-aged man at my hospital who had severe heart failure requiring life support. When he was disconnected from machines after a few days of treatment, he began to display psychotic symptoms, including delusional thinking, tangential speech and paranoia. He had a long history of untreated schizophrenia, I learned, which had estranged him from family members and friends, with whom he had virtually no contact.

My patient demanded to leave the hospital. However, sending him home was going to be a problem. He could not take care of himself. There was little chance he would take his medications, including a blood thinner to dissolve a clot in his heart before it caused a stroke. He was even less likely to take psychiatric drugs that he did not believe he needed.

My colleagues and I didn’t know what to do, so we called the treating psychiatrist. The psychiatrist immediately declared that our patient lacked the capacity to discharge himself from the hospital. The patient could not grasp the implications of this choice, for instance, or properly weigh its risks and benefits. The psychiatrist said the patient should remain in the hospital to receive psychiatric treatment, even against his will.

The psychiatrist’s opinion made sense to me. Patients with untreated schizophrenia have a higher rate of death than those who undergo treatment. Hopefully treatment would restore my patient’s judgment to the point where he would take his medications when he went home — or even decide not to take them, but to make that risky decision in the full appreciation of the likely consequences. (If autonomy means anything, it means that patients have the right to make bad decisions, too.) Treating him, even over his objections, seemed to be in his best interests.

However, according to New York law — and the law of other states — such involuntary treatment would require a court order. As doctors, we would have to plead our case before a judge. But was a judge without medical or psychiatric expertise the best person to decide this man’s fate?

In this case and also more generally, I think the answer is no. The law ought to be changed to keep such decisions in hospitals — in the hands of doctors, medical ethicists and other relevant experts.

Doctors don’t always have to resort to the courts to treat patients without their consent. There are some notable exceptions, such as during a life-threatening emergency (if a competent patient has not previously refused such treatment) or when there is a pressing societal interest (such as requiring patients with communicable tuberculosis to take antibiotics).

But judicial review has been the cornerstone of “treatment over objection,” as it’s known, for the past four decades or so. Appellate courts in the 1980s ruled that judicial hearings in such cases are needed to safeguard patients’ rights. For example, in 1983, in Rogers v. Commissioner of Department of Mental Health, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court declared that a judge could override medical judgments favoring involuntary psychiatric treatment.

The underlying motivation behind judicial review was and remains laudable: to avoid the sort of paternalistic abuses that have characterized too much of medical history. Doctors often used to withhold bad news from patients, to cite just a small example. Involuntary treatment, even with benevolent intentions, reeks of such paternalism.

But though medical practice is by no means perfect, times have changed. The sort of abuse dramatized in the 1975 movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” with its harrowing depiction of forced electroconvulsive therapy, is far less common. Doctors today are trained in shared decision-making. Safeguards are now in place to prevent such maltreatment, including multidisciplinary teams in which nurses, social workers and bioethicists have a voice.

In addition to being less necessary to prevent abuse than they once were, courts are by nature poorly suited for making decisions about treatment over objection. For one thing, they are slow: Having to go to court often results in delays, sometimes up to a week or more, which can harm patients who need care urgently.

Moreover, judges have neither the experience nor the expertise to properly evaluate psychological states, assess decision-making capacity or determine whether a proposed treatment’s benefits outweigh its risks. It is no surprise that by some estimates 95 percent or more of requests for treatment over objection are approved by judges, who invariably haven’t met the patient and must rely on information provided by the treating medical team.

A better system for determining whether a patient should be treated over his or her objection would be a hospital hearing in which a committee of doctors, ethicists and other relevant experts — all of whom would be independent of the hospital and not involved in the care of the patient — engaged in conversation with the medical team and the patient and patient’s family. Having hearings on site would expedite decisions and minimize treatment delays. The committee would make the final decision.

Of course, such a committee would have to be granted immunity from legal liability (as with judges in our current system), so that experts would be willing to serve and speak candidly. Patients’ interests could be safeguarded by requiring the committee to publish its reasoning. Periodic audits by a regulatory body could ensure that the committee’s deliberations were meeting medical and ethical standards.

In the event that the committee could not reach a consensus on the best course of action (or if there were allegations of wrongdoing), then the parties involved could appeal to a judge. But that would be the exception rather than the rule.

In the case of my patient with heart failure, the decision ultimately didn’t have to go before a judge. Multiple discussions involving the patient, the hospital ethics and palliative care teams, social workers, nurses, psychiatrists and other doctors — discussions that in many respects served the function of a formal committee of the sort I’m proposing — yielded an agreement with the patient that his interests would be best served by sending him home with hospice care.

Capacity must be judged relative to the decision being made, and it became clear over the course of hospitalization that our patient understood the terminal nature of his condition and had the capacity to choose hospice care. Forced treatment was unlikely to significantly improve his psychiatric symptoms before the natural progression of heart failure caused his death.

So he was discharged home. It was the best decision under the circumstances, one reached by expert deliberation, not legal procedure. He passed away a few weeks later without, fortunately, ever setting foot in court.

Sandeep Jauhar ( @sjauhar ) is a doctor at Northwell Health in New York and the author, most recently, of “ My Father’s Brain : Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s.”

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