AEROPLANES IN THE LAST 120 YEARS - NATIONAL HISTORY CHALLENGE 2023
AEROPLANES IN THE LAST 120 YEARS - NATIONAL HISTORY CHALLENGE 2023
Changes of Commercial
Although military aircrafts were in high demand during the war, many aviators began experimenting with the possibility of planes that could bring passengers to the other side of the world, in short, commercial flights. A large change in aviation was the wings on the plane which, as experimented during and after WW1 & 2, became majority populated by swept and delta wings. The reason for these wing was because of one of the main problems forming was the resistance airfoils provided. Airfoils on the wings helped the air travel faster over the wing than below, however, at high speeds, they provided resistance as well. Another change that commercial airliners had was pressurised cabins. At increasing altitudes, passengers would begin to feel sick and nauseous, the common symptoms of air sickness. As altitudes would increase, passengers and pilots alike would die from the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere. This, of course, was extremely problematic to airliners as they could only fly at certain altitudes, which were very close to the ground, and this brought the arrival of pressurised cabin which would keep the same pressure inside the plane as being at low altitudes (on land) while being at high altitudes. Air sickness on planes also cased another change which was the appearance of nurses and medical stewardess on the flights.
Additionally, one of the main changes to planes was the jet engines. Jet engines revolutionized aeroplanes and even caused the 'Jet Age' because of the longer, higher, more durable and comfortable flights these modernizing engines provided. They were much larger and more powerful that the old engines planes had used and, because of these engines, planes could fly international and even intercontinential flights. During the Jet Era, flights on jet planes were a luxury compared to past planes, especially on the comfort and relaxation scale . On past planes, it was loud, scratchy, overwhelming and uncomfortable, however, not only did the jet engine modernize the lengths, heights and duration, it also created a much more hospitable environment for passengers and crew onboard.
A model/prototype of the Boeing 307 aeroplane
"To be absolutely alone for the first time in the cockpit of a plane hundreds of feet above the ground is an experience never to be forgotten." - Charles Lindenberg
Continuity of Commercial
Image of Concorde aeroplane
One of the most visible examples of continuity is that from, for example the Douglas DC-3 (one of the first commercial aeroplanes) to modern airliners today, the main, basic shapes of majority of the plane eg. cabin, cockpit, tail and wings has remained untouched except for minor alterations. Another example of continuity is commercial planes are flight attendants. Around 1930, some women led by Ellen Church began protesting that aeroplanes need flight attendants, specifically, nurses, to treat unwell passengers onboard due to the lack of pressurised cabins. Since then, flight attendants have been trained to treat many medical emergencies as well as providing a safe and enjoyable flight.
The invention of the jet engine also has continued up to our current commercial airliners. The jet engine was created around the 1950s, which is almost 70 years ago, has same engine that is in our current airliners today. Although other factors of commercial planes have changed after the Jet Age, the engine did not. Another large continuity example is how the principle of flight had stayed the same. Back to one of the first commercial planes made, none of the principles were changed of proven wrong. This also explains why majority of the outer structure of commercial planes has stayed fairly similar.