Unit 1

• Covid showed that the aviation industry employees a lot of jobs. (Air Transport Action Group, 2018).

• Leonardo da Vinci developed the first flying machine in the late 15th century.

• Otto Lilienthal developed the first flying machine that was heavier than air.

• Ottos device was made out of wood and fabrics, and could glide 250m at speed 50km/h.

• 1903 Orville and Willbur Wright conducted a controlled flight with pilot, using a powered heavier than air machine (National Air and Space Museum).

• The Wright flight lasted 12 seconds and was 55 meters (Space Center Houston, 2019).

World War I

Airplanes were used for reconnaissance flights.

Engines were placed at the front of the aircraft so weapons could not be carried.

1918 came the first airmail service between France and its oversea area of land, then NYC and Washington.

They could only fly during day light, because the runway with light was not created yet until 1923.

They made a lighted airway and emergency landing fields equipped with lights.

1923 was the first postal night flight between Cheyenne and Chicago.

The US Postal Service used whatever aircrafts they could get (low price)

1920 the demand exceeded and they got more airplane options that were able to carry 500 pounds with faster speed (Wensveen, 2015).

1919 the airspace became a natural resource that could be traded or protected (paris convention).

Civil aviation developed in 1920s, a ticket from paris to berlin cost a monthly salary.

Dornier Werke GmbH (german) developed the Dornier J and X to land everywhere (on water ect..).

Dornier X had 12 engines with 169 passenger capacity.

Late 1920 and early 1930 the manufacturere created their own airlines for passengers and postal services:

Boeing and United Airlines (UA)

Avco and American Airlines (AA)

North American and Trans World Airlines (TWA)

General Motors and Eastern Air Lines and Western Airlines (Wensveen, 2015).

1930 Airlines focused more on flying passengers and air mails.

In Europe every major country has their own manufacturer:

Germany = Junkers / United Kingdom =Vickers and De Havilland.