Analysis of contemporary research methods and applications

Airplane

The invention of the airplane, a heavier than air craft, has had the most far-reaching effects than any other invention in the twentieth century with probably the exception of the computer. Several scientific disciplines have contributed to the rapid advances in aviation technology, but none of these are as important as the invention of the airplane itself.

The Invention:

It is quite probable that mankind has dreamt of flying since the time of existence. To fulfill this dream many inventions like the omithopters with flapping wings, and balloons which did not provide a satisfactory way to take to the air were considered. The concept of the airplane is just two centuries old. Some direction for this concept was provided at the start of this century. The credit of giving reality to the concept of a flying machine with fixed wings, a system to propel it and movable control surfaces, the airplane, goes to the Wright brothers. (History of the Airplane)

The Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville took the assistance of the Smithsonian Institution in 1899, in their quest for information on all that had taken place till then in the development of a machine to fly. They first designed a small biplane glider and by flying it as a kite used it to test their ideas on wing warping to develop a way to control the craft. Wing warping is a method by which the wing tips are slightly arched to establish control over the rolling motion and balance of an aircraft. The Wright brothers from their numerous observations of birds in flight believed that this would provide them with the necessary solution. During the next three years the brothers developed a number of gliders, which were either flown unmanned as kites or in piloted flights to find a way to control the aircraft, which they had come to realize, would be the most critical and hardest problem and needed a solution.

The success of a full-size glider flight test encouraged them to go ahead and select a suitable location for their next step and they chose Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, which provided them with suitable conditions. The years of 1900 and 1901 saw several fairly successful tests with heavier and heavier gliders at Kitty Hawk. However many problems like the lack of sufficient lifting power in the wings, the ineffectiveness of the forward elevator in controlling pitch and the wing warping solution still did not give them the control they required. All this at times made them despondent to the extent that they felt that man would not achieve flight in their lifetime. Despite these problems being faced by them, the Wright brothers reviewed their flight data and arrived at the conclusion that the calculations that they had used were not reliable. They embarked on a project of constructing a wind tunnel to assist them in testing various wing shapes and the resultant effect on lift.

These tests enabled the brothers to have a better understanding on the functioning of the airfoil or wing and now could calculate with better accuracy the possibility of success in flight of a particular wing design. They now decided to go ahead and build a new thirty two foot wing span glider with a tail to stabilize it. In 1902 the brothers used a number of test glides on this new glider to enable them to conclude that a movable tail would assist in balancing the aircraft and connected a movable tail to the wing warping wires in an effort to coordinate turns. Successful tests in the wind tunnel encouraged the brothers to plan the building of a powered aircraft. To this end they spent months studying propellers and then designed a motor and a new aircraft strong enough to take the motor's weight and the vibrations as the motor worked. This aircraft weighed seven hundred pound and was named the Flyer.

The Wright brothers next built a movable track to assist in the launching of the Flyer. This downhill track was so designed as to give the Flyer enough airspeed to fly. Two attempts were made to launch the Flyer and one led to a minor crash. Third time lucky they say and Orville Wright took the Flyer on a 12 second sustained flight on December 17, 2003, the first ever successful, powered, piloted flight in the history of man. The year 1904 saw the first flight that lasted for more than five minutes on November ninth and this time Flyer II was flown by Wilbur Wright. Thus the efforts of the Wright brothers to build an aircraft that would succeed in flying culminated in success. (the History of the Airplane: Part 3: The Wright Brothers - First Flight)

The development of the aircraft took two different angles one towards transportation and the other towards the development of a powerful air power to destroy strategic points of enemy strength in the times of war., technological advances though were complimentary to both wings of development. Airplanes were and still are a significant means of transporting from place to place people, mail, perishable goods and other cargo of logistic importance. Technological advances made faster, bigger and more durable airplanes possible. The turbojet came into existence in 1941 and ushered in the jet age. Larger and faster aircraft with the capacity to carry three hundred passengers were seen in the 1970's. The Concorde a supersonic passenger service started in 1976, but it's usage was stopped in 2003 as the aircraft was not commercially viable. The a 380 super jumbo jet is expected to go into active service in 2006. It will carry five hundred and fifty five passengers in two decks making it the largest passenger aircraft in history. (Transportation)