The Impact of Aviation on American Culture History of Aviation in America 04D4 Professor J. Hines September 21, 2009
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From the Wright Brothers historical takeoff on Kitty Hawk beach in 1903 to the Modern day F-22 Raptor aviation has influenced and helped shape the American Culture. Modern day military is centered around, and greatly relies upon the strengths and mobility that aviation ensures. The economy depends upon aviation to transport people and goods as well as provide millions of jobs worldwide. Society as a whole relies on aviation to connect distant places that would take months to travel to if not for the power of aircraft. Aviation enables us to do things we never imagined possible otherwise. Military aviation stretches back nearly as far as aviation itself. Bilstein (2001) noted that in 1914, at the start of WWI, Germany had 230 airplanes, and Great Britain and France combined only had 240 airplanes. These aircraft were mainly used as reconnaissance and to observe troop and artillery positions. Bilstein (2001) stated that the opposing forces actually waved while passing each other in flight since "dogfighting" still hadn 't taken off yet. Germans were the first ones to mount guns on airplanes. By the end of WWI the British had an astounding 22,000 aircraft. WWI was in a time that Times remarked as aviation being "on the threshold of a new age whose developments the most imaginative can hardly imagine". Bilstein (2001) When World War II broke out in 1939 many advancements in Military Aviation were unveiled. Long range bombers were now in service, as well as the first jet aircraft. World War II made many jobs in the aviation field available including, factory workers,
The Impact of Aviation on American Culture 3 pilots, and ground crews. As noted in Bilstein (2001) World War II was the first large scale war that involved the use of aircraft carriers. This is a