Positive and Negative Changes in American Aviation - Essay Example

Explain why and how the Boeing 707 Jet, the Bell X and the NASA Mercury capsule “Friendship Seven” changed aviation. Aviation has continuously evolved for more than over two thousand years from the earliest attempts of flying kites to heavier-than-air, supersonic flights to hypersonic flights. The history of aviation made tremendous feats in the development of fast, longer range, and cost-effective modes of transportation. Several researches and breakthroughs in the field of aviation have also broadened the applications of aircrafts, wherein most technological advancements defied the limits of mankind. This paper aims to explain the contributions of some innovations in the aviation industry that became cornerstones of overcoming the physical limitations of man during the early 19th century. This paper also aims to discuss the positive and negative effects of aviation in America for the past seventy years, specifically starting from 1942 to the present time. According to Lombardi (8), the Boeing 707 took its first flight in Renton, Washington on the afternoon of December 20, 1957. It tool Boeing five years to be able reach the point of being able to showcase their first jet powered aircraft, that was later referred by historians as the start of the Jet Age. At exactly 12:30 pm that afternoon that day, Boeing decided to continue their first test flight of the Boeing 707. However, the weather conditions suddenly changed against the flight and officials had to abort the initial test that lasted only for 7 long minutes in the air. It was not enough, though, to claim that their design was truly a success since they needed a test flight that would last a full 30 minutes airborne. As the weather cleared, Boeing had decided to continue the test flight and that marked a historic day in aviation history with Boeing 707 being able lift-off, remain airborne for 71 minutes, and land back safely to the tarmac. The US government gave its full support on the achievement of Boeing and this led to a massive advertising campaign directed to the public that provided them information about the comfort and safety of travelling on jet liners. Boeing 707 and its other models that are technically similar to the design and concepts applied in the pioneer prototype aircraft, the 707-80 or commonly known as the Dash 80 jet transport prototype, have been mainly utilized for two operations – commercial flights for passenger transport and military services (9). In 1958, where Boeing 707 started its early days of operation, people who could afford to travel by air flew in slow, piston-powered transportations or Propliners. This mode of transportation was limited at that to a few dozen of passengers and shorter range flights, which was very costly at that time that not all Americans had the luxury to travel to other countries and even among other states via air travel. Mostly travelled by train for interstate travel, and transatlantic travels were carried out by large shipping vessels. However, in just a short span of two years, Boeing was able to dominate passenger air transport over travel by land and sea, this occurred during the 60s and have remained the same throughout the 70s (9). The compelling factor of the success of Boeing 707 is that the design of the aircraft can carry more passengers as compared to other aircrafts during the 60s and it allowed longer range flights, this led to reduced cost for travelling by air. It also allowed transcontinental and inter-continental travels safer, faster, and easier. Within the service lifetime of Boeing 707 from 1958 to 1979, 1,010 aircrafts were built with a large percentage of it used for the military. Boeing also provided the Air Force with stronger air supremacy by developing aircrafts specifically modified to carry out a certain function for the needs of the air force. It was also used as Air Force One that transports the President of America to any point in the world (9). With the success of the Boeing 707 in changing the way of how commercial flights were done, another aircraft built by Bell Aircraft has changed aviation history by developing aircrafts that are capable of exceeding the speed of sound, faster than any aircraft that had had flown during the (NASA). This aircraft is the Bell X-1, also known as XS-1. The design of the Bell X-1 was first conceived during the early 30s and 40s. On the 14th day of October 1947, pilot Capt. Charles E. Yeager had successfully reached a speed of Mach 1.96 at a height of 43,000 feet (NASA). The success of the Bell X-1 to fly at speeds higher than the speed of sound resulted into a stimulus to further the technology in a way that it can be used primarily for military aircrafts as well as for means of faster air transportation. Concorde utilized this technology to create a commercial passenger aircraft that was able to cruise through the air at speeds that exceeded the speed of light, at first it was accepted by many as a giant leap towards a better way of air transportation. However, after a catastrophic accident that it incurred the project was terminated in 2003. As of today, modern military aircrafts are capable of flying at speeds that are twice or three times the speed of sound. Researchers and scientists did not only focus on developing jet engines and planes that surpass the speed of sound, with unending quest to explore the space that are beyond our planet. NASA along with the US military received budget allocations from the government to develop a space program for the country in response to the Soviet Union’s plan to bring a person to space, which led to the establishment of the NASA Mercury capsule or the Friendship Seven, which is part of the Project Mercury that had the primary goal of taking the first man in space (Philips 6). Project Mercury ran from 1959 through 1963, with its first mission scheduled on May 5, 1961. Apart from its goal of bringing man into space, the project also focused on investigating the functional ability of pilots in space as well as to safely recover the pilot and the spacecraft. Intensive research on technologies which are vital to achieve the set goals, advancement in technology were fast tracked due to the high funding placed into the program by the US government (7). The project successfully changed the course of aviation after it was able to launch a manned orbital mission and was able to recover both the astronaut and the spacecraft. This achievement resulted to several technological breakthroughs that greatly affected our lives over the past years. Data from the project mercury became benchmarks for further studies on space exploration (9). Nowadays, space stations and hundreds of satellites are already placed into space that supports research and also provides the current generation with telecommunication technologies and other services that allows easier exchange of information. Boeing 707, Bell X-1, and NASA Mercury capsule have contributed so much in the advancement in aviation and everything that we are capable of experiencing in the present such as safe and comfortable air travel and telecommunications would not be possible without the development of the above said aircrafts. 2. What positive and negative aspects of aviation have been observed in America in the past seventy years? Assess a minimum of three examples of the influence of flight on American society since 1942 studied in this course. Aviation had affected the US in several ways in terms of its society, economy, and the environment. Aviation enables the economic growth of the US since it provides transportation of peoples and goods throughout the world. The economic and social benefits of the aviation industry also translate to several environmental issues. According to Burleston (20), the market changes increases the complexity of the challenges faced by the aviation industry. Projections from the FAA showed that by 2025 the demand on the air transportation industry will increase in terms of the number of passengers, with an estimate that the demand will double and reach to about 9 billion passengers a year. The complexity also arises with the shifts to smaller aircrafts of some interstate transportation that would result to an increase in the demand for more airports. Increase in demands for flights is projected to be 1.4 to 3 times the current status and passenger volume is expected to increase from a range of 1.8 to 2.4 times from 2014 to 2025 (20). Growth rate projections are consistent among developed countries. According Whitelegg (3), reports that the latest government projection for the increase in the number of passengers is 239% change from 1995 to 2015. Aviation had influenced that US economy positively through the generation of positive trade balance of the industry. It is said that the civil air transport industry plays a crucial role in stimulating trade and making any place in the world accessible. According to the FAA (4), air carriers in the US had transported 793 million passengers and over 53 billion revenue ton-mile of freight in 2009 that translates to a total of $249.2 billion on air spending for goods and services. The Freight value of domestic products transported to other countries amounts to $562.1 billion (4). In addition, due to the large number of aviation manufacturing industry in the country, the US remains as a top net exporter of aviation aircraft, parts, engines, and avionics. Data from 2009 reports that the industry had supported the US economy by providing a positive trade balance that reached over $75 billion (4). Through the years of increased demand of air transportation services, more and more jobs are generated that provides positive impacts of the society. In 2008, FAA has spent over $26.2 billion on air traffic operations, facilities and equipments, and grants to NAS. The said spending of the FAA had translated to the generation of about 218,000 jobs in the US with total earnings of $8.3 billion (4). Analysts have seen the negative effects of aviation to the environment that can have an adverse effect to the society as well. Waitz (12) have outlined the environmental issues that are directly influenced by the aviation industry namely: Noise, Local Air Quality, and Climate Change. Local residents near airports are usually those who are great at risk of the environmental effects, especially those who are within the flight path. Currently, air pollution and health effects of air pollution arose as new issues with the increasing operations of the aviation industry (Whitelegg 6). Based on the statistical data provided by Burleston (5), around 70 million people are exposed to high levels of noise such as 55 dB and 65 dB in 1975. However, the advancement in technology and policy produce gains had mandated air carriers to do the necessary measures in order to address the noise pollution from the jet engines. In 2000, the number of exposed individuals has greatly decreased to about 10 million people (5). While noise is the primary environmental constraint, local air quality concerns are already being set in equal priority with noise pollution. Since jet engines produce nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxides, unburned hydrocarbon, and particulate matter, the emissions from the aviation industry still poses a threat in the deterioration of the air quality that may lead to human and health impacts (Waitz 15). The emissions from aircrafts as well as ground transport vehicles, generators and other facilities releases excessive amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. The adverse effects of the aviation technology are continually being addressed through technological innovations in engine and fuel. Aviation will still remain an important industry in the US economy and it will provide the residents with social benefits. Works Cited Burleston, Carl. “Aviation and the Environment – Managing the challenge of Growth.” Federal Aviation Administration. 2007. Web. 26 April 2012. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “The Economical Impact of Civil Aviation on the U.S. Economy.” 2011. U.S. Department of Transportation. Web. 26 April 2012. Lombardi, Michael. “How Boeing Chartered the course for commercial jet aviation.” Boeing Frontiers. 2008. Web. 26 April 2012. NASA. “First Generation X-1.” Dryden Flight Research Center. 2009. Web. 26 April 2012. Philips, W. Hewitt. “Journey Into Space Research: Continuation of a Career at NASA.” Langley Research Center. 2005. Web. 26 April 2012. Waitz, Ian, Townsend, Jessica, Cutcher-Gershenfel, Joel, Grietzer, Edward, and Keerbrock, Jack. “Aviation and the Environment.” Partnership for Air Transportation Noise and Emission Reduction. 2004. Web. 26 April 2012. Whitelegg, John. “Aviation: the social, economic and environmental impact of flying.” Eco-Logica Ltd. 2000. Web. 26 April 2012. Read More