Pioneers of Aviation
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Aviation Legislation

November 01, 2013

Abstract Man has always wanted to soar with the birds and take flight. A few great men and women have accomplished this task with great strides. Once heavier than air flight was proved to be a valid means of transportation, the technology accelerated at an astonishing rate. Every time we get onto an airplane, helicopter, or hot air balloon we have the pioneers of aviation to thank. These great people proved to the world that nothing was out of reach for the human race. Some gave their life in pursuit of this dream while others funded and supported those who were developing the technology. No matter what the role each of these played, we have to appreciate everyone. We would not be where we are today in aviation if it weren’t for these pioneers.

Pioneers of Aviation
Introduction
From the very first flight of the balloon to the flight of the powered airplane, our early pioneers always looked to make changes for the better. Many of these ideas simply built upon ideas of individuals of the past. These great pioneers were from every part of the world, United States, England, France, Germany, and so many other places. They did not look at aviation as a reason to disagree but rather found that flight would help everyone equally.
Balloons
Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier are the brothers who invented and flew the first hot air balloon. Born in Annonay, France, they had a passion and drive in science. In 1782 they constructed a balloon that was filled by burning paper to heat the air and lift the balloon off the ground (Montgolfier, 2011). This first flight wasn’t until 1783 when Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis d’Arlandes went 7.5 miles in less than a half hour at a height of 3,000 feet (Montgolfier, 2011). This marked the first balloon flight as well as the beginning of passenger travel by aviation. The French Army began using balloons for observation in 1794 (Considine, 2008). In 1843 a commercial balloon transportation company was established in London, but failed shortly after (Considine, 2008). Even though the transportation company was a failure, it did recognize the market for air transportation to compete with traditional means.
Gliders
Sir George Cayley is recognized as being the first person to fly a glider and prove that heavier-than-air flight was indeed possible. Born in Scarborough, Yorkshire he learned from George Walker to become a scientist and skilled mechanic (Cayley, 2011). For the next 45 years Cayley conducted thousands of tests and flights. Over the course of these tests he realized a need for power to fly that must come from a light engine and efficient airscrew, or propeller (Cayley, 2011). Not only did he focus on elements of flight, but also worked with many different organizations to invent new objects that would help us to learn about the world we live in.
As a German inventor, Otto Lilienthal used the past research of Leonardo da Vinci to construct and attempt the flights da Vinci drew up. His first design was a simply pair of wings that allowed him to glide by jumping off a boat. As his gliders became more refined, he eventually achieved a height of 1,150 feet (Lilienthal, 2004). His time with developing gliders was not an easy journey. He focused his attention on the wing design to mimic that of a kite. Lilienthal then began to study the flight of birds, namely the seagull with its broad wing strokes and ability to soar through the sea breezes (Lilienthal, 2004). In 1894, his “no. 11” model glider went into serial production, but only about eight of these were actually built (Lilienthal, 2004). Lilienthal believed that learning how to glide would be fundamental to continued sustained flight. In 1896 Otto Lilienthal died after crashing from a height of 50 feet when his glider stalled and a recovery effort could not be made (Lilienthal, 2004). His work was not forgotten but rather gets built upon in later years.
A French railway engineer, who realized he may be too old to fly, simply partnered with many great pioneers including the Wright Brothers. Mr. Chanute wrote many letters to the Wright Brothers from 1900-1910, providing constant encouragement as well as helping them to make their invention public (O. Chanute, personal communication, January 23, 1910). In a letter to the Wright Brothers, Octave explained the warping of wing tips for purpose of balance as well as recognized they were doing this along with the turning of the rudder (O. Chanute personal communication, January 23, 1910).
Powered Flight All of the work accomplished in history up until the point of powered flight is what everyone was trying to do. Each pioneer before powered flight was dreaming of the day they could soar with the birds. Many of the engineers of powered flight took the designs of the past, modified them to what they thought would work, and flew an airplane. These trials did not come without failure as I will discuss later. Mr. Samuel Pierpont Langley is among the first to discover powered flight. Even though his beginnings were not in aviation but rather a professor of mathematics, it didn’t stop him from wanting to be among the first to fly. Langley worked at the Allegheny Observatory where he conducted experiments on life and drag on a moving aircraft, these studies would give explanation to how birds are able to soar and glide with minimal wing movement ("Langley, Samuel P.," 2008). His first series of experimental flights took place in 1896 in an aircraft called the “aerodrome” where he became the first to build heavier-than-air machines capable of flight although it was uncontrolled ("Langley, Samuel P.," 2008). These aircraft were powered by steam engines which proved to be heavy and cumbersome to operate. His first manned flight used a five-cylinder gasoline engine designed by the man who would pilot the aircraft, Charles M. Manly ("Langley, Samuel P.," 2008). Just nine days before the Wright Brothers historic flight, Langley’s plane crashed due to snagging upon launch and crashed into the Potomac River, many authorities believe if this crash wouldn’t have happened, Mr. Langley would hold the title of first to fly a heavier-than-air machine ("Langley, Samuel P.," 2008). Although the public was aware of these crashes, many men continued to believe that heavier-than-air flight was possible and we have these brave souls to thank for what we have today. Wilbur and Orville Wright are considered to be the first to fly a heavier than air, controllable, powered machine in sustained flight. There are a few arguments about who was the first to obtain such flight depending on what your definition of the word is. They discovered that warping the wings would allow them to have three-axis control, what we know today as pitch, yaw, and roll ("Breakthrough Concept," n.d.). By using this concept the Wright Brothers could further develop their airplanes because now they have an accurate way to control it. The first flight on December 17, 1903 was marked in history of the first flight of man. This would become the start of the race for people from all over the world to achieve flight in heavier than air machines.
Airmail
The government recognized the airplane as a valid means of transportation to carry mail throughout the United States. The first official airmail pilot was Earle L. Ovington in 1911 with a duty to drop off mail pouches the postmaster could retrieve (Keogh, 1927). It wasn’t until after World War 1 that Congress recognized the need for a dedicated airmail service and granted $100,000 in 1918 to be used in establishment of an airmail route (Keogh, 1927). Since the military had a surplus of airplanes after the war, most were commissioned to be used in the airmail department. These airmail pilots were some of the most courageous pilots of their time, most took off without knowing what the weather was, flying through rain hitting them in the face, and engine failure that would cause them to crash (Butler, 2010). When Roosevelt ordered the Army Air Corps to fly mail in 1934 after he cancelled contracts with commercial airlines, the military soon realize they were not ready to accomplish such a task (Butler, 2010). The aircraft used for the airmail service were very outdated as the pilots did not have the training to fly into the conditions they were asked to. The early airmail service had plenty of problems in its early stages stemming from lack of experience, outdated equipment, and unreliable equipment. Nonetheless these brave men took to the skies in order to deliver mail to the American people, leaving their safety out of the equation.
Commercial Aviation By this time in history, the American people loved the idea of flying to destinations that normally would have taken them a very long time to reach. They could simply get onto an airplane, depart one airport and within a few hours arrive at their destination. The first ever-commercial flight was from St. Petersburg to Tampa Bay Florida. A journey by land would take hours while an airplane did it in twenty-three minutes. Thus was born commercial aviation since it could not be a profitable business. The major boost for the airline industry came when Boeing introduced the 747, McDonnell Douglas with the DC-10, and Lockheed the L-1011. All of this didn’t come until the 1970s when the government began to deregulate the companies to allow more competition. The Deregulation Act caused many major airlines to merge in order to avoid going out of business. Resulting from deregulation airfares became cheaper and more people could fly. Since the government no longer regulated the price airlines could charge, many looked for other ways to make their flights more efficient. One way is to install what we know as “winglets”. Winglets increase fuel burn by 3.5-4% over a 1,000-mile journey as well as increase the payload capacity (World-Wide Aviation, 2012). Another way is to increase the volume of seats on a plane that is already in service. By adding more seats, more passengers can fit into an already pre-determined amount of space, with less room. Although this causes a cramped cabin it does in fact increase the amount of revenue for the airline. More room is made in the cabin by decreasing the seatback thickness, smaller tray tables, and physically moving the seats closer together ("New seats," 2013). Some passengers never notice a difference while other frequent fliers can expect to feel more cramped and have less personal space on their flight.
Advancements of Commercial Aviation Although the technology in aviation is constantly moving forward, there are many things that already happened without our knowledge. The typical engine found on a commercial jet is called a turbo fan and works under the principle that a moving a large amount of air a small amount produces a lot of thrust. This type of engine is more efficient than the older turbojet which works on the opposite principle. Advancements of everything from active flight controls that help with stability to the type of materials the aircraft is made from all help it to become more efficient (Kroo, n.d.). By using lightweight composites we can add more cargo and passengers while still keeping the plane below its maximum weights. The active flight control system on a typical Boeing 747 is used for limiting the aircraft as well as keeping everyone inside as comfortable as possible with stability management (Kroo, n.d.). By changing the way the air flows over the wings can also increase stability as stated previously with winglets but also with manipulation of aerodynamics by use of vortex generators (Kroo, n.d.). From the days of the supersonic Concorde, we have continually been experimenting with supersonic flight as well as completely different plane designs. One of those designs is called the “flying wing” because it looks just like a big wing. This design theoretically has lower drag and is more structurally efficient due to being one single piece (Kroo, n.d.).
Conclusion
From the days of Leonardo da Vinci up to present day the human race has made many bounds of technological advancement in the realm of flight. Because of these men and women we will continue to produce and fly more efficient and cost effective aircraft for generations to come. New technology such as the NexGen navigation system will decrease the need for personal communication with the tower, allowing pilots to have more control over what is going on in the air. I believe this will not stop until going to space is a regular occurrence. To look back and realize we came from no official means of airplane transport in the late 1800s to commercial aviation in the 1950s makes me very confident about regular space travel. By constantly putting more aircraft in the skies we will stress the boundaries of technology and human ingenuity to its maximum. The pioneers of the past would not believe what we have accomplished this far in our search for something bigger, faster, and better.
References
Butler, A. K. (2010). Airmail in the U.S. Military [Peer commentary on the journal article “” by]. Hilltop Times, http://dx.doi.org/http://www.hilltoptimes.com/content/airmail-us-military
Cayley, S. (2011). . In Chambers Biographical Dictionary. http://dx.doi.org/http://ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/login?url=http://www.credoreference.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/entry/chambbd/cayley_sir_george
Considine, G. D. (2008). Balloon. In Van Nostrand’s Scientific Encyclopedia (10th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 549-552). http://dx.doi.org/http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3228301059&v=2.1&u=embry&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=2956b61b1f621401b7c8b94ec1edd914
Inventing a Flying Machine - The Breakthrough Concept. (n.d., ). The Wright Brothers Invention of the Aerial Age. Retrieved from http://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/wright-brothers/online/fly/1899/breakthrough.cfm
Keogh, E. A. (1927). A Brief History of the Air Mail Service of the U.S. Post Office Department. . Retrieved from http://www.airmailpioneers.org/history/Sagahistory.htm
Kroo, I. (n.d.). [Peer commentary on the journal article “Future Technology and Aircraft Types” by ]. Reinventing the Airplane: New Concepts for Flight in the 21st Century, . http://dx.doi.org/http://adg.stanford.edu/aa241/intro/futureac.html
Langley, Samuel Pierpont. (2008). In G. D. Considine (Ed.), Van Nostrand’s Scientific Encyclopedia (10th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 2924-2925).Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Interscience
Lilienthal, O. (2004). Otto Lilienthal. In Encyclopedia of World Biography. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404707843.html
Montgolfier, J. M. (2011). In Chambers Biographical Dictionary. http://dx.doi.org/http://ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/login?url=http://www.credoreference.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/entry/chambbd/montgolfier_joseph_michel
New seats let airlines squeeze in more passengers. (2013, October 15). Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2013/10/15/new-seats-let-airlines-squeeze-in-more-passengers/
World-Wide Aviation. (2012). Winglets. Retrieved from http://www.worldwide-aviation.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=130:why-airlines-install-winglets&catid=34:airilnes&Itemid=61