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Aviation: From Kitty Hawk to 9/11
Key Lecture Points:
• Early in the morning on May 20, 1927 Charles A. Lindbergh took off in The Spirit of St. Louis from Roosevelt Field near New York City. Flying northeast along the coast, he was sighted later in the day flying over Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. From St. Johns, Newfoundland, he headed out over the Atlantic, using only a magnetic compass, his airspeed indicator, and luck to navigate toward Ireland. The flight had captured the imagination of the American public like few events in history. Citizens waited nervously by their radios, listening for news of the flight. When Lindbergh was seen crossing the Irish coast, the world cheered and eagerly anticipated his arrival in Paris. A frenzied crowd of more than 100,000 people gathered at Le Bourget Field to greet him. When he landed, less than 34 hours after his departure from New York, Lindbergh became the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Eighty years after this historic flight, aviation still captures the popular imagination.
• Since Lindbergh’s flight, aviation has become commonplace in both commercial and military arenas. Aerial bombardment played a key role in Allied victories during WWII and in every war since, not to mention the role of planes in intelligence gathering and in the Cold War arms race. And commercial jet flights, beginning in the 1950s, enabled American-made goods and Americans themselves to travel the world over. Advances in aviation have been noted as one of the key technological developments that has spurred the process of globalization.
• Since 9/11, when four US commercial flights were hijacked, the US airline industry has struggled due to changes in security procedures, the reluctance of people to fly after the attacks, and the continued high price of fuel.
• What’s more, the airline industry has become the object of almost constant criticisms from consumers, with issues of economic efficiency, delays/cancellations, and customer service taking center stage. Since 2001, the airline industry has lost over $30 billion. The rise of French Airbus has also sent chills through the American aircraft manufacturing sector and the US government is pursuing a case at the World Trade Organization on the issue of European subsidies to Airbus.
For More Information:
• The Wright Brothers: http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/wright.html
• Charles Lindbergh: http://www.charleslindbergh.com
• Airline Customer Service: http://www.crmbuyer.com/story/56641.html
Books For Further Reading:
• Sutter, Joe and Spenser, Jay. 747: Creating the World’s First Jumbo Jet and Other Adventures from a Life in Aviation. Harper Collins, 2006. 272 pages.
Description: Written by famed engineer Joe Sutter, this book tells the story of the Boeing 747 and its impact on aviation.
Click here to order.
• Lindbergh, Charles A. The Spirit of St. Louis. Scribner Books, 1998. 576 pages.
Description: Lindbergh won the Pulitzer Prize for his autobiographical account of his barnstorming days through his historic trans-Atlantic flight.
Click here to order.
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