aviation history lecture 2: early aviation. types of airplane a monoplane is an aircraft with one...

AVIATION HISTORY

Lecture 2: Early Aviation

Types of Airplane

A monoplane is an aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces. Since the late 1930s it has been the "ordinary" form for a fixed wing aircraft.

A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation.

A triplane is a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with three sets of wings, each roughly the same size and mounted one above the other. The best-known triplane is Fokker Dr.I during WW1.

Types of Airplane

A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft which can only take off and landing on water.

An amphibian is an aircraft that can take off and land on either land or water.

Aviation Timeline

Contents

1903-1914: Before WW 1(11yrs) 1914-1918 (4yrs): World War 1 1919-1938 (19yrs):Golden Age 1939-1945 (6yrs): World War 2 1945-1950 (5yrs): Cold War

Aviation Before World War 1

1903-1914

Aviation Before WW 1: 1903-1914 1906: Brazilian-born Alberto Santos-Dumont makes the

first successful European airplane flight. His plane, the 14bis, flies a distance of about 200 feet in Paris.

1908: In a field near Paris, Henry Farman becomes the

first to officially fly a one-kilometer circular course, the world‘s longest distance at the time.

1908: Piloting his plane, the June Bug, Glenn Curtiss wins a silver trophy and national acclaim for becoming the first American to officially fly a distance over one kilometer. Glenn Curtiss also known as Father of Naval Aviation

Aviation Before WW 1: 1903-1914 1908: The Wright Brothers begin a series of flying

demonstrations in France which amaze audiences and bring worldwide acclaim.

1909: After several failed attempts, French aviator Louis Blériot becomes the first to fly across the English Channel. Flying his Blériot XI, he covers the 23-mile distance in 37 minutes.

1912: Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly across the English Channel.

1906: Santos-Dumont makes the first successful European airplane flight.

14-bis, the plane in which Santos-Dumont made his historic 1907 flight. His plane flies

a distance of about 200 feet in Paris.

1908: Piloting his plane, the “June Bug”, Glenn Curtiss was first American to fly a distance over one kilometer.

It took 37 minutes for him to fly across the English Channel in 1909.

1909: Louis Blériot becomes the first to fly across the English Channel.

1909: Monoplanes Era

Monoplanes developed and used for relatively short-distance flights.

1914: 1st scheduled air service in Florida By seaplane designed by Glenn

Curtiss, could take off and land in water.

WORLD WAR 1

1914-1918 (4yrs)

Aviation During WW 1: 1914-1918

1916: William Boeing's fascination with aviation leads to the creation of his own airplane manufacturing business. Over the next several decades, the company would evolve into the world's largest commercial airline manufacturer.

1918: The United States officially establishes air mail service with flights between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

WW 1 Era is the Key Developments

World War 1 saw the rise of the aircraft as a weapon system and the changing face of war.

The aircraft changed the modern battlefield

De Havilland DH-4 biplane, a British-designed two-seater bomber mass-produced for use in

World War I.

The Sopwith Camel was one of the best-known British fighter airplanes of World

War I.

WW1: The Era of Military Aircraft

Aircraft use for military . Increased demand for military aircrafts,

more powerful motors and larger aircrafts were developed.

World War One Aircrafts

During WW 1, pilots became famous for their air to air combats, the most well-known is Red Baron, who shot down 80 planes in air to air combat with several different planes.

Fokker Dr.I replica at the ILA 2006, the "Red Baron" triplane

19

World War One Aircrafts

GOLDEN AGE

1919-1938

Golden Age After WW1: (1919-1938)

Aviation focus on Airmail Services Birth of Commercial Aviation Birth of the Airlines Birth of Air Traffic Control Charles Made an Historic Flight Birth of Instrument Flying

Golden Age Between Wars Large advancement in aircraft technology.

Wood and canvas converts to aluminums.

Engine development, In-line water cooled gasoline engines convert to rotary air cooled engines (increase propulsive power).

After WWI, experienced fighter pilots were eager to show off their new skills.

Air shows sprang up around the country, with air races and acrobatic stunts.

Air mail services

It was the Post Office and airmail delivery that gave the commercial airlines their true start.

In the early part of the 20th century, the Post Office had used mostly railroads to transport mail between cities.

By 1925, only seven years after the first official airmail flight, U.S. Post Office airplanes were delivering 14 million letters and packages a year and were maintaining regular flight schedules.

1925: Contract Act of 1925 (Kelly Act) Congress passes the Air Mail Act of 1925

(also known as the Kelly Act), permitting the government to hire private air carriers to deliver the mail.

The government contracts that were subsequently awarded helped determine which airlines would dominate commercial aviation - airlines including United Airlines, American Airlines and TWA.

Question

Even during the initial stage, civil aircraft were used mostly to carry post materials. But the pilots dared not fly at night due to obvious reasons. What were the reasons?

How did the problems solved?

1921: Birth of Rotating Beacons In 1921, the Army

deployed rotating beacons in a line between Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, a distance of about 80 miles. The beacons, visible to pilots at 10-second intervals, made it possible to fly the route at night Rotating light

beacon

Birth of the Airlines

Building of the airways Airmail routes become Airways Lighted airway beacons—every 10 miles

(1926) Intermediate Airfields—every 50 miles Airway Communication Stations (1928)

No ATC

Intermediate Airfield

1926: Ford Tri-motor: First all-metal aircraft designed for

passengers

‘Ford Trimotor’ also called as the “Tin Goose” because of its corrugated metal skin.

Can carried 12/13 passengers and could fly up 6,000 feet (1,829 kilometre), but it’s climb to that altitude was slow, level off, bump around, and drop repeatedly before it reached its cruising altitude.

With no air conditioning and little heating, the plane was hot in summer and cold in winter,

With no circulation system, its environment was made even more unpleasant by the smell of hot oil and metal, leather seats, and disinfectant used to clean up after airsick passengers. Opening a window was the only way to escape the smell.

1926: Ford’s Trimotor

Airline Growth

1927: Long-distance passenger craft developed that had constant radio contact with the ground.

1927: The Lockheed Vega takes to the skies. Allan Lockheed finally finds success with the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation.

3,610 miles (5,815km) in 33 and 1/2 hours.

The first solo, non-stop transatlantic flight.

1927: Charles Lindbergh First flying across the Atlantic ocean

(New York-Paris) in using the Spirit of St. Louis

Question

Flying based on concept of “See and Avoid” and with no any help of flying instruments, What could be the problems faced by Lindbergh during his historic flight (33 and ½ hours)?

Challenges faced by Lindbergh

He had not slept in nearly twenty-four hours when he took off, so fighting sleep was the most difficult part of the flight. Difficult to keep awake on long flight – put his face outside the cockpit to allow air to blast his face and eyes

Susceptible to hypoxia and bad weather flying Fighting icing - cold Flying in poor visibility through fog for several hours Navigating only by the stars (when visible), using mental

dead reckoning (maintain heading , time and speed) No proper water survival gears – if ditched in the sea

might not survive.

Challenges faced by Lindbergh

The plane designed with no forward visibility and only a periscope giving the pilot any forward view at all. Difficult to fly

Difficult to fly accurately with limited instrumentations. Might be deviated by wind causing lost in transit

No proper communications – if there was an aircraft or aircrew problem no way of getting help

There was no radio, no navigator, and no co-pilot The aircraft was highly unstable, requiring constant

vigilance by the pilot. Very stressful to pilot..

Charles Lindbergh Impact

Aviation became a more established.

Aviation becomes respectable and the popular Lindbergh goes on

world tours to promote aviation and Pan-American Airways.

1934: Amelia Earhartand Lockheed Electra 10" mysteriously disappearedwhile on a "round the world flight.

1933: Boeing 247: First of the modern airliners (Boeing 247) developed. It could carry

13 passengers and travel at 155 mph.

Donald Douglas, the first - and youngest - aeronautical engineers in America

The company's first successful aircraft, the Cloudster, made its first flight on February 24, 1921. Later that year, the company would

change its name to simply The Douglas Company.

Douglas Airplane: Early Commercial Aviation (1933): DC-2,12 passengers

(1935): DC-3, 21 passengers

DC-3

In 1935, DC-3 first aircraft to make money carrying passengers rather than mail. It seated 21 passengers and its 1,000 horsepower engine made it possible to fly coast to coast in 16 hours. It proved air transport could be profitable. Ninety percent of air traffic was flying on these aircraft by 1940.

Birth of Air Traffic Control

First airport controller (1929)

Archie League at St. Louis Airport, 1929

Birth of Air Traffic Control1929-1933 Light gun Control tower First radio-equipped

control tower—Cleveland (1930)

Cleveland Airport, Ohio

Birth of Instrument Flying

Jimmy Doolittle’s first “blind flight” (September 24, 1929)

LFR Four-Course Navigation System (early 30s) First instrument airways

The end of “see and avoid”

Four-course range station

Birth of Instrument Flying New Flying Instruments developed to enable flying during night

and bad weather

Visual radio direction finder: Using vibration system to direct the aircraft. The closer the plane is to the beacon, the more intense the vibration.

Artificial horizon: showed at what angle the plane was flying in relation to the ground, whether and how the wings were tilted, whether the nose was up, down or level, and to what degree.

Barometric altimeter showed how far above the ground of a

particular field,. They will sensitively record the time and therefore the distance which a sound or radio impulse travels from a plane to the ground and back.

World War 2

1939-1945

Aviation During World War 2

Drastic increase in the of aircraft development and production

Aircraft faster and more maneuverable Stronger in design Weapon systems are more sophisticated Roles are dedicated:

Fighter Bomber Attack Reconnaissance

Operate with high accuracy

Aviation During World War 2

1936: Spitfires (fast maneuverable fighter airplanes) developed for use in WWII.

1943: Helicopters are mass-produced for WWII.

Focke-Wulf Fw 190, German fighter plane of World War II.A Supermarine Spitfire was a

typical World War II fighter.

1939: Boeing 314, the largest passenger transport of its time, carrying 74 passengers and included a lounge, a dining salon, and a bridal suite? The seats could convert into 40 bunks. The manufacturer sold 12 planes to Pan American Airways, which made its first transatlantic flight

WW 1(1914 - 1918)

Between the Wars

(1919 - 1938)

WW 2 Fighters(1939 - 1945)

WW 2 Bombers(1939 - 1945)

Postwar(> 1945)

Ansaldo SVAAVRO 504Fokker Dr.I

TriplaneFokker D.VIIS.E.5aSopwith CamelVoisin bomber

Civilian airplanesBoeing 247Breguet 19Curtiss FalconFokker Trimotor

AmericanF4F WildcatF4U CorsairF6F HellcatP-38 LightningP-39 AiracobraP-40 WarhawkP-47 ThunderboltP-51 MustangP-61 Black Widow

JapaneseA6M ZeroKi-43 Oscar

GermanMesserschmitt Bf

109Focke-Wulf Fw 190

SB2C HelldiverTBF/TBM AvengerB-17 Flying FortressB-24 LiberatorB-25 MitchellB-29 SuperfortressGermanJu-87 Stuka Dive

Bomber

F8F BearcatF-86 SabreX-15 Spaceplane

Question

Even though aircraft flight was discovered in early 1900s, civil

aviation did not go into the major industry until after the Second World

War in 1945.

WHY?

Cold War

1945 – 1991

1945 – 1991: The Cold War

Most ex-military aircraft were used in the business of transporting people and goods.

Many companies existed, with routes that criss-crossed North America, Europe and other parts of the world.

Heavy and super-heavy bomber airframes (e.g., B-29, Lancaster, DC-3) easily converted into commercial aircraft

By 1952, the British state airline introduced into service the first jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet (the plane suffered a series of highly public failures)

Other jet airliner designs Boeing 707 -comfortable, higher safety and meet passenger expectations.

In October of 1947, Chuck Yeager took the rocket powered Bell X-1 past the speed of sound (1st controlled, level flight to cross the sound barrier).

The Cold War (1945 – 1991)

Further barriers of distance were eliminated in 1948 and 1952 as the first jet crossing of the Atlantic occurred and the first nonstop flight to Australia occurred.

In 1967, the X-15 set the air speed record for an airplane at 4,534 mph or Mach 6.1 (7,297 km/h).

1969, Boeing came out with its vision for the future of air travel

(Boeing 747). This plane is still one of the largest aircraft ever to fly, and it carries millions of passengers each year.

Commercial aviation progressed even further in 1976 as British Airways provide supersonic service across the Atlantic (Concorde).

A few years earlier the SR-71 Blackbird had set the record for crossing the Atlantic in under 2 hours.

Lockheed SR71 Blackbird

Fastest in 1989 Now retired

In 1946, The DC-6 was the aircraft that greatly reduced traveling time with greater comfort for passengers and made air travel economically viable.

1947

1947: Airplanes fly faster than the speed of sound.

1947: Radar is developed to keep track of aircraft from the ground.

1950s

1950s: The airliner begins to replace other means of transportation as the primary

means of long-distance travel. 1968: Aircraft are developed that can take

off and land vertically, without the use of a runway (Harrier “Jump Jet.”). 1969: The Concorde is developed and

used as the first supersonic airliner. (It crosses the Atlantic Ocean in less than 3

hours.)

1981

1981: Space Shuttle is developed as a reusable space ship that can land after

reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. 1981: The Lockhead F-117A is

developed, which is virtually invisible to radar.