Aviation History

1903- 1918
19L9-1926
1927- 1939
1940-1949
1950- 1959
1960-1969
1970-1979
L980-1989
1990-
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AN INTRODUCTION
TO AVIATION
The Importance of Aviation to Our World History 7
Your Future in Aviation Maintenance 7
The ASA Aviation Maintenance Technician Series 9
~ h TRODL'CTIO'>; TO A\ JATJON Chapter 1
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Aviation History
AN INTRODUCTION
TO AVIATION
In only 100 years, aviation has progressed from just the dream of flight to the
reality of thousands of people traveling by air each day. All first-class mail
now travels by air, and air express is becoming one of the most popular ways
of shipping. Aviation has evolved through a number of key eras, each with
their own advancements in the way airplanes connect people and places of the
world. Let's look at some of the most outstanding happenings in each of
these eras.
1903-1918
The airplane evolved from a machine that could barely support itself in the air,
into the pursuit planes, bombers, and observation airplanes of World War I.
These aircraft were, for the most part, dangerous, undependable, and ineffi -
cient, but they did fly.
With their Flyer, the Wright brothers solved the basic problem of control which finally
allowed man to fly.
1919-1926
The government sold surplus WWI airplanes to ex-military aviators who
became barnstormers and who carried thousands of passengers on their first
airplane ride. This was the age of the flying circus when aviators flew without
government regulation.
AN lNTRODUCTIO:'\ TO A VIATION
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Chapter 1
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1927-1939
During this period the federal government began to control aviation by
licensing airplanes and airmen, and by hel ping to develop airports and
airways. This period includes the "Golden Age of Aviation" in which surplus
WW I airplanes were disappearing and the aviation manufacturing industry
began to come into its own. The Wright Whirlwind engine proved reliable
enough for trans-Atlantic flights, and the worl d became aware of the airplane
as a means of serious transportation.
Hundreds of aircraft manufacturers operated during thi s era, and the
National Air Races attracted thousands of onlookers each year. Heroes and
heroines in the persons of Charles Lindbergh, Wi ley Post, Jimmy Doolittle,
and Amelia Earhart, and names such as Lockheed, Travelair, Waco, and
Stinson were as fami liar to the average person as Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler,
and Honda are to us today.
!til-metal construction replaced wood &fabric, as the state-of-the-
art technology in the early 1930s.
The fasr all-metal, low-wing, cantilever monoplane replaced the
slower and more clumsy trimotor airplane for regular
airline service.
AVIA liON M ,\1\;TF.:\A'\CE TECHNICIA)- SERIES GENERAL
1940-1949
World War II dominated this era. High-performance fighters and high-
altitude, long-range bombers were designed and built by the thousands.
During this period, the jet engine and the helicopter were developed, but the
war ended before either was perfected. Flight by instruments was common in
the military, but was not generally used by civilian pilots.
After the war, the GI Bill provided f1ight training for thousands who had
wanted to fly during the war but who served on the land or the sea. These new
pilots, along with the thousands of returning military pilots, caused the
industry to anti cipate "an airplane for everyone." Airplane manufacturers,
flight schools, fixed-base operators, and nonscheduled airlines flourished,
but many soon fell by the wayside.
1950-1959
This era ushered in the first commercial jet transport aircraft, and the war in
Korea brought about the acceptance of the helicopter as a practical aircraft.
Aerospace activity began with the launching of the first satellite.
The long-range jet transport airplane made it possible for people and things to cross oceans in hours
rather than weeks.
A :-; I NTRODUCTION TO A VIATION
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1960- 1969
This was a time of accelerated development of aerospace and high-speed
aircraft. During this time, both the Concorde supersonic transport and the
widebodied Boeing 747 made their first fli ghts.
1970- 1979
The "Cold War" caused most aviation development to center around high-
speed, high-performance military aircraft, and it was during this time that
computerized systems became of extreme importance in aviation technology.
1980-1989
During these years the skyrocketing costs of ownership and maintenance of
private planes caused most general aviation manufacturers to stop producing
them. Deregulation of commercial airlines and the increase in carriage of mai I
and express-by-air multiplied the demand for transport aircraft. The increased
number of flight hours for these aircraft has expanded the importance of
aviation maintenance.
The widebodied Boeing 747, with its large seating capacity and long range, has made air
travel the most efficient way for the public to travel.
A VIATION M AI:\TE:\ANCE TECHNICIAN SERI ES G ENERAL
1990-
The small airport has lost its economic importance, but the large airports
serviced by both major and commuter airlines are vital to our economy. The
major airlines all have their own extensive maintenance facilities, and there
are now large, well-equipped facilities that service independent operators and
operators in foreign countries. Airplanes are flying so many hours and lasting
for so many years that the "aging fleet" has become a special challenge in
aviation maintenance.
Many private pilots and aviation buffs are involved with amateur-built
aircraft that are in many instances more state-of-the-art than some of the
commercially built aircraft. Each year, the Experimental Aircraft Association
fly-in at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, gives general aviation another boost and keeps
the interest in private flying alive.
The Importance of Aviation to Our World History
The railroad opened up travel in the United States shortly after the Civil War
ended in 1865, and during the 1930s, highway development increased the
utility of buses and private automobiles. But the development of practical,
long-range, high-speed, pressurized jet airplanes has broken down greater
barriers. Airplanes can take us to any point on the earth in a matter of hours.
Air freight and air express move all but the largest bulk cargoes much faster
and more economically than ships, trucks, and trains. Today, airplanes have
almost completely replaced trains, busses, and ships for moving people over
long distances.
Research and development in the aerospace industry and military avia-
tion, both sustained by the federal government, impact all aspects of our lives.
Computer technology, new composite materials, high-strength and light-
weight metals, and new breakthroughs in turbine engine technology are ex-
amples of the way our entire economy profits from aviation.
Your Future in Aviation Maintenance
Aviation maintenance has undergone many changes over the years. In the
early days, airplanes were often designed, built, flown, and maintained by
the same person, but today's high-teen aircraft are so complex that special-
ized training and experience are needed to maintain them. Expertise with the
welding torch and dope brush, so important to the A&E (aircraft and engine)
mechanic of the 1930s and 1940s, have given way to the skills of trouble-
shooting electrical systems and turbine engines that are the stock in trade of
today's aviation maintenance technician (AMT). To these skills are being
added flight control systems analysis and composite repair that have become
of increasing importance to the AMT.
AN INTRODUCTION TO AVIATION
The space shuttle is today's state-of-the-art
flying machine. Spin-offsfrom its complex
and sophisticated systems provide chal-
lenges for the technician today and in
the future.
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Civilian aviation maintenance is different from all other types of transporta-
tion maintenance because it is so carefully controlled by the Federal A via-
tion Administration. For a person to be allowed to work on an aircraft cer-
tificated by the FAA, he or she too must also be certificated by the FAA. The
basic maintenance license is the mechanic certificate with an airframe and/or
powerplant rating.
The requirements for the mechanic certificate, along with its privileges
and limitations, are discussed in Chapter 12, begi nning on Page 698.
The highly complex systems in our modern aircraft are impossible to trouble-
shoot using the methods that were used in the past. These systems use BITE
(Built-In Test Equipment), and such systems as ECAM (Electronic Central-
ized Aircraft Monitor), EICAS (Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting Sys-
tem), FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control , and FMCS (Flight
Management Computer System) are all computer controlled and do much of
their own troubleshooting. It is the responsibility of the AMT to interpret the
output from these systems and make intelligent decisions regarding which
components to replace when a system malfunctions.
AVIATION MAINTENANCE T ECHNICIAN SERIES G ENERAL
The ASA Aviation Maintenance Technician Series (AMTS)
This series is part of a collection of training materials produced by ASA for
aviation maintenance technicians. These include the General textbook,
Airframe textbook (in two volumes), Powerplant textbook, the Dictionary
of Aeronautical Terms, Aviation Mechanic Handbook, the General, Airframe
and Powerplant Technician Knowledge Test Guides, Inspection Authoriza-
tion Test Prep, and the Prepware for Aviation Maintenance Technician
Knowledge Exams.
ASA also reprints certain FAA publications that are of vital concern to
the AMT. These include copies of pertinent Federal Aviation Regulations,
Advisory Circulars AC 43.13-1 Band -2A Acceptable Methods, Techniques
and Practices: Aircraft Inspection, Repair, and Alterations, and the ques-
tions that are used on the General, Airframe, and Powerplant knowledge
tests. To conserve space and increase their utpization, ASA has put the
Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms and the FAA reprints on a single compact
disk (Pro-Flight Library CD).
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