Innovation of Air Technologies - Essay Example

Introduction: Aircrafts is an epitome of success of the dream which mankind had seen. It is also symbolizes power of innovation and technique. The story of invention of aircraft and then its further development in design and capacity is an example to learn. After several years of trial and error, eventually man learned to fly. First time when man flew using a balloon, it was a remarkable milestone in the history of aircrafts (Claxton, 2007: 9-10). However, the story does not stop there. In the later years the focus gradually shifted from invention to innovation. Several designs were made to increase efficiency and power of an aircraft. It gradually has transformed in to a major economic activity from a mere pleasure ride that it was when it was initially invented. This essay would explore the entire transition of aircraft, from the time it was invented to the modifications it went through and the existing challenges it is facing as a result of globalization and other political and socio economic factors. History and Innovation: It has been quite some time since man flew for the very first time (in the year 1903). What an eventful journey it has been! Man had always wanted to fly and he made numerous attempts to achieve this objective. Alas! All his attempts went into vain, until one day when two brothers had actually built a prototype that could actually fly. The Wright brothers (Oliver Wright and Wilbur Right) observed the flight pattern of birds and they concluded that the air flowing over the surface of the wings created lift (Bernoulli’s Principle), and this helped the birds to fly. Now, if birds could fly, so could a structure that quite resembled a bird. This is how the initial work started. However, the only problem that posed a hindrance was “controlling the structure”. There were problems pertaining to imparting direction (left and right) and (up and down) to the aircraft. There were quite a few people who tried designing a solution to this particular problem. But the Wright brothers came up with an idea that was known as ‘Wing-Warping’. (Claxton, 2007: Pg. 97-100) The design was based on the theory that if one wanted to navigate the aircraft towards the left; the wings had to be ‘warped’ or twisted to create a slightly greater lift on the right wing. Similarly, when one had to turn right, the left wings could be ‘warped’. The brothers managed to devise something that is called the ‘3 axis control’. The concept of ‘3 axis control’ is still being used in the modern day aircrafts. The brothers devised this system by working with kites and for the next two years, they worked with gliders to find the theory behind the lift. They managed to prove of couple of scientific theories wrong and by the end of two years, the first prototype was ready. Invention of airplane involved lot of research and insight. In the initial phase, most of the people who had started the initial trial failed again and again. However, each trial brought a new learning experience. The structure and design changed with each trial and the designs of the planes improved with the passage of time. The period of 1790 to 1900s can be said to one of the most crucial period for innovation in the domain of innovation in Airplanes. There were major structural changes in the areas of flight control and propeller design. The first prototype was essentially a biplane. It was powered by an engine. Using an engine to power the aircraft was not an easy task. But the Wright brothers adopted a fairly simple concept of breaking down the given problem into smaller sub-parts, understanding theories and conduct suitable number of experiments to deduce the final results. The main component in engine powered bi-plane was the propeller. Unlike ships, the main job of propellers was to lift the bi-plane forward. Hence they conducted a lot of propeller oriented experiments to achieve the desired objective. The propeller was driven by some specific variety of engines those were hand crafted by somebody called Charles Taylor. The construction of the engine that was used in the first bi-plane was quite crude. It had a provision of advancing or retarding the spark to vary the speed of the bi-plane. Finally, the Wright brothers filed a patent for this design and it was not until May22, 1906 that the patent was filed. Heavier than air aircrafts work on the principle of dynamic thrust or upward thrust, as some might call it. There are two ways to produce dynamic up thrust: Aero dynamic lift and powered lift. For the aircraft to fly successfully, the air must flow over the wings and generate some amount of lift. This ensures the smooth take off of the flight. Civilian and Military aircrafts: Civilian aircrafts are of two types: Scheduled air transport and General aviation. Scheduled air transport includes passenger flights and cargo flights that fly on scheduled routes. On the other hand, general aviation includes all charter flights and other commercial flights (Jenkinson et all., 1999: Pg. 15). However, the case is very different for military aircrafts. Because of the high speed of air travel, aircrafts were soon started to be used for warfare. Aircrafts were used for numerous reasons by the armies. With the speed air travel offered, one could actually travel across continents at a greater speed. Thus, accessibility was one of the prime reasons. Jobs like supplying food, army personnel, rescuing and evacuating people from the war-torn areas are still being carried out by aircrafts. Aircrafts were used in World War-I for ground attacks too. This is why military aircrafts were named fighters. The aircrafts used in World War I were very small and lightly loaded with arms. Aerial warfare became important because of the potential it had in terms of accuracy and speed. Within minutes a well- fledged settlement could turn desolate. People, countries and continents realized the potential of aircrafts and every country aspired to have a strong fleet of fighter planes. By the end of the World War II, a lot of advancements had been made in terms of the design of the aircraft and the quantity of arms it could carry. For example, turbojet engines replaced the traditional piston engines. Since then, a lot of changes have taken place in the design of aircrafts (Brady 2001: Pg.151-160) In the present day aircrafts, there are numerous features that enhance the potential of the aircraft. Integrated warfare system, advanced communications, better avionics technology, better maintenance systems, fiber optics data transmission systems and stealth technology are some of the features that have been incorporated into the modern day military aircraft. Modern day aircrafts operate in a network-centric combat environment. For example, the F- 22 has some excellent features that make it one of the very best military aircrafts in the world. Some of the features are listed here. Great care is taken to design the aircraft and special attention is paid to the internal layout of the aircraft. Interception of broader range of radar frequencies is also one of the primary concerns in the designing of the modern day aircraft. The F-22 employs the AESA radar for this purpose. These radars have high bandwidth and lesser chances of intercept data transmission capabilities. There are infrared sensors which help in air to air combat as well as for delivery of air to ground weapons. The present day technology has become quite advanced. This is evident as the F 22 employs something that is known as IRST that keeps a track of the targets that are of interest. Multi sensor data fusion has been incorporated for improved situational awareness. Much has been done to reduce the work-load of the pilot. “Very high speed integrated circuits” and high speed data buses serve this purpose. Lot of emphasis is given on “maneuver performance” and this objective is achieved by the help of thrust vectoring. The modern day aircraft is able to fly at supersonic speeds without the assistance of an after burner. This ensures that the aircraft does not leave any trail that makes it susceptible to air attacks. Therefore, better stealth technology could be employed without degradation in the aero-dynamic design. This ensures that the aircraft is built up of low observable materials and the susceptibility of the aircraft towards attacks by enemy airplanes is also reduced. Also, it becomes very difficult for the enemy systems to track the presence of the aircraft on radar frequencies. Also, usage of structurally and technically advanced materials is also emphasized upon. Advanced composite materials, materials which have good thermal resistance properties are used to build military aircrafts. However, the cost of developing such aircrafts goes fairly up. The pricing is directly proportional to the features incorporated in the aircraft (Fielding, 1999: Pg 55-60) Globalization and other political and socio economic factors impacting aviation: Under fierce competition and increasing cost, the airline companies are looking at ways to prosper and reduce cost in order to be competitive. Politically aviation industry has always been under a strict vigil. Aircraft designing has been impacted by political factors to a great extent. Not only for increasing economic growth but a well developed aviation industry depicts the political status and power of a country. Apart from this, this industry is also impacted by the military requirement and sophistication that the country aspires for. On a socio-economic front, well developed nations have a wider number of people traveling by air. Hence, the development and research in this area is also quite rewarding in these countries, unlike the less developed countries. However, globalization has thrown various challenges to the aviation industry. Not only it has become over crowded, but at the same time the competition is immense. The rising cost of labour and fuel, has forced the industry players to seek for ways so as to meet the economies of scale. Many air craft manufacturers are investing a huge sum in research and development in this domain. They are also going for strategic methods to reduce costs like joining up and alliances (Aharoni and Nachum, 2000: Pg. 264). These initiatives and challenges would certainly pave the way for further growth in this sector. Conclusion: Hence, we can very clearly see that an aero plane is an example of technical innovation based on incremental development of pre-existing technologies. It is amazing how so much can be incorporated to make it such a potent machine. Aviation technology is not technologically determined. A lot depends on the social factors and the political environment. For example, if a country is relatively at peace with its neighbors, it will not invest much in defense and warfare. Under these circumstances, the design of aircrafts will be socially dependent. That is why we can say that innovation in aviation is determined by social factors. Sometimes, inter city travel is very frequently done by the citizens of the country by aircrafts. Under these circumstances, the design of the air crafts may vary. Hence, we can say that social, economic, political factors play a very important part in determining the type of innovation that takes place in aviation technology. Bibliography Claxton , William J. (2007) The Mastery of the Air: Echo Library This book written is written by Claxton and can be classified under history of aircrafts. It deals with the stages of innovation in the aircraft development and design. This book lucidly discusses the various stages man covered while he tries to fly. The first inspiration was animals which could fly and then how he took the first leap to fly using a balloon and then gradual transformation of creating planes. This entire book can be treated as a good reading for any one who wants to understand the ascent of aircrafts. Brady, Tim. (2001) The American Aviation Experience: A History: SIU Press This book can be termed as aeronautics history and deals with main developments that took place in America in this field. It takes us through a chronology of events in American aviation and covers other topics in the aerodynamics like balloons and dirigibles, the role of government especially in the aviation industry, and air wars and military aspects of aviation. Jenkinson, Lloyd R., Simpkin, Paul and Rhodes, Darren (1999) Civil jet aircraft design‎ : Arnold There has been a rise in the emphasis in aeronautical engineering on design and concept. This book mainly focuses on large commercial jet aircraft and the scope of development in this domain. This is one of the most important books because it deals in the jet aircraft design in the modern era. It explains the various facets that are involved in the jet aircraft designing. After thoroughly studying this book as well as other titles in this field, such as Torenbeek,Roskam,Raymers aircraft design conceptual approach,Denis Howes aircraft conceptual design synthesis,etc, it can be termed as a good reading material for an overall understanding. Fielding, John P.(1999) Introduction to aircraft design. London: Cambridge University Press This book is quite informative and revolves around Aeronautics design. It also talks about various theoretical dimensions, from various aspects related to aerodynamics, plane structures, its steadiness and firmness, thrust, and compressible flows, which can be utilized while producing an altogether new aircraft design. The book not only covers the theoretical aspects, but also stresses the interplay of different aspects of the design which often require compromises. Aharoni, Yair and Nachum, Lilach (2000) Globalization of services: some implications for theory and practice: Routledge In the changing times and globalization, it is becoming more and more difficult for the airline industry players to survive. This book mainly revolves around the subject of International economics. This important book explores the global impact of this economic phenomenon from both empirical and theoretical perspectives. This book covers in details the challenges that face most of the airline companies. It speaks about various strategies that the airline companies are adopting for enhancing their performance and sustain in this competitive industry. Pieterse, J. (2000) Global Futures, Shaping Globalization, New York: Zed Books. This book written by Pieterse, bring the readers out of euphoria of globalization to a reality check. In a series of closely knitted essays, they suggest a variety of new perspectives, metamorphosis in policies, and requirement for reforms that needs to be addressed in various industries. Read More