People have dreamed of flying since ancient times. The Legend about Daedalus and Icarus, images of Egyptian, Roman, and Assyrian gods, and extant writings about different experiments and scientific thoughts reflect the desire of humans to become closer to the sky. In the United States, history of aviation starts with the day when brothers Wright built a plane and made in it the first flight ever. That happened at the beginning of the twentieth century, and since then, the American aviation had undergone significant changes and had become one of the most developed in the world. How did the history of the American aviation start? And how did it reach its modern level? The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the aviation history in the USA, its origins, and development, and to analyze the major events that led to its raise.
Before 1903, the world had already had some inventions that preceded the invention of a plane. Those were lighter-than-air crafts, gliders without engines, powerful suitable for aeronautics engines, Langley’s Great Aerodrome project, etc. However, Wilbur and Orville Wright were the first who achieved success in the construction of a real working plane. They definitely were “the most prominent pioneers of U.S. aviation history.” Tom D. Crouch, the leading historian on the Wright brothers, says, “Wilbur and Orville Wright hold an almost unique position in the history of technology. It is impossible to overemphasize the magnitude of their achievement. Their own brilliant insight and inspired research strategy, perseverance and determination enabled them to move beyond their contemporaries with amazing rapidity.” The Wright brothers followed ideas of Langley and Chanute, two great aviation researchers of those times. The Wrights’ achievement required years of preparation, and they had several unsuccessful attempts before they could build a glider able to control the air. After designing suitable glider, they could not find suitable engine and details for propellers and, as the result, designed their own ones. The Wright brothers had their first flight test on December 14, 1903, but it was unsuccessful and had lasted only for three seconds. On December 17, 1903, they tried again; Orville’s flight had lasted for twelve seconds and he landed more than 120 feet from the end of the track. That was a success; that day, the Wright brothers made three more flights, and it became the official date of the first human flight ever. The last flight made that day was the longest one; Wilbur flew 852 feet in 59 seconds. In 1904-1905, the Wrights continued flying and at the same time tried to improve their plane. In 1904, they designed the Flyer II, and one year later introduced the Flyer III. After the crash of the Flyer III, they improved and redesigned it; the new Flyer III was able to fly for half an hour and became the first practical aircraft flying under the full control of its pilot.
The 1906-1914 years in America may be called “the period of the inventors in the history of aviation.” After the Wrights invented the flying machine, their main competitor became Glenn Curtiss. Glenn Curtiss designed lightweight powerful engines for motorcycle races. After the flight of the Wright brothers and the beginnings of the aviation, he started to make engines suitable for air vehicles and joined the Aerial Experimental Association (AEA). Together with Bell, Selfridge, Baldwin, and McCurdy, Curtiss tried to design a flying machine that could compete with the invention of the Wright brothers. In 1909, AEA members offered the Wrights to take part in the competitions for the Scientific American trophy, “the first American reward ever offered in the aviation community.” However, the Wrights neglected the invitation having no interest “in competing with latecomers who were infringing on their patents.” Curtiss and other AEA members won the trophy on their most successful aircraft, the Silver Dart. In 1909, Curtiss and former associate of Octave Chanute, Augustus M. Herring, formed the Herring-Curtiss company that became known for the two “firsts” in the aviation history: the first manufacturing firm of airplanes and the first sale of the airplane to a civil owner.
Curtiss’ success pushed the Wrights “to consummate deals for their flying machine in the winter of 1907-08.” In France, they had met Frank P. Lahm, a lieutenant with the U.S. Army Signal Corps’ new Aeronautical Division. Lahm was in charge of military balloons and air machines, and he highly appreciated the possible role of the Wrights’ invention for the American Army. In December 1907, Wilbur Wright met with the Board of Ordnance and Fortification and explained the major advantages of their air vehicle. After the meeting, the U.S. War Department issued “Specification No. 486 for a heavier-than-air flying machine . . . capable of carrying two men for 125 miles at no less than 40 miles per hour . . . remain aloft for one hour . . . capable of landing in an unprepared field, and land safely in the event of motor failure.” In 1909, the Wrights invented the first Military Flyer, the Signal Corpse Airplane No. 1. One year later, Glenn Curtis introduced his 50-horsepower land-plane for the U.S. Navy. However, the full development of the naval aviation started only in 1911-1912 after Curtiss “flew from the water at his San Diego base, landed alongside the U. S. S. Pennsylvania, was hoisted aboard ship, subsequently hoisted out again, and flew back to his camp.”
The day when the Wright brothers delivered the first Military Flyer to the Army and promised to design even more planes for military purposes is often considered to be “the founding date of the American aircraft industry.” Within the next years, the American aviation was developed and popularized. Airshows and flying exhibitors became the favorite entertainment of the American public. The U.S. Army also started to concentrate on its new aerial side and training pilots. Wilbur Wright as well as Glenn Curtiss trained pilots for the army and navy. However, before the United States entered the First World War, the aircrafts had not be seen as a potential weapon, and aerial components of the American military arsenals had not been enough developed.
When the United States of America declared war on Germany, the country’s military aviation was inferior to aerial military weapons of both its European enemies and allies. Most part of prewar flights occurred due to civilian pilots, military officers and mechanicals could only pilot the aircraft “without particular attention to the requirements of aerial combat or other warlike operations,” American military organizations such as the Aircraft Production Board and the Joint Army-Navy Technical Board acted separately from each other, and the United States had not got enough industrial aircraft manufacture for quick increase of its aircraft park. During 1917, Congress expeditiously appropriated about $1,5 billion for building aircraft infrastructure and manufacture. The times of the First World War started to be known for the number of innovations in the aircraft industry: the Liberty engine that became a standardized engine for air vehicles, the foundation of the first military aviation research and development center, the opening of the Naval Aircraft Factory, new training flying fields, etc. One of the greatest contributions to the development of the American aircraft was made by General William Mitchell who successfully used the combo attack of about 1,500 planes armada proving that “military airplanes should be used in overwhelming strength at specific points rather than being spread out along the Front.” Considering the time the United States entered the First World War, American aerial records were impressive. By the end of the war, the level of the American aircraft industry and its organization significantly increased. The understanding of the importance of the control over skies resulted in the recognition of aircrafts as an essential part of the battlefield.
After the First World War, the interest towards further development of the aircraft increased even more. Post-war times were known for the creation of the airmail that also offered transcontinental service, lighted airways, and the development of the airports. The 1920s pioneered transcontinental passenger flights. The 1926-1939 years became “The Golden Age” of American aviation. They were marked with the development of lighted airways and aids to navigation, ground-to-air communications, low-frequency radio range, air traffic control, the creation of a national network of the air routes, manufacturing of the new models of planes, and further progress in military, naval, and passenger aviation.
At the beginning of the Second World War, the United States had already had a big aircraft park, but Roosevelt announced the goal of “building 50,000 planes per year” that meant a fivefold increase of the previous plan. Taking into account the results of the First World War, the American government responsibly approached the issue of training pilots and aircrew. The developments of the Golden Age required completely new training programs. Naval and military training expanded to including Afro-American and female pilots, navigators and bombardiers. Times of the Second World War were known for the development of the cold-weather flying, rotary flights and helicopters, radars, and a foundation of the Wendover Field, the world’s largest military base. The results of the Second World War showed that “neither an Army nor a Navy could either survive or achieve an objective in war without first achieving superiority in the air.”
During the Cold War, the United States continued the development of its aircraft park. The propeller-powered fighters were replaced by the jet fighters. The post-war era was marked with the creation of supersonic fighters, and jet airliners. Sixty-five years after the Wright brothers’ first flight, “the golden age of military aviation had arrived.” The invention of the nuclear bomb led to designing of the long-ranged bombers suitable for both nuclear and conventional wars. A major contribution to the development of tactics for air attacks, to use of new systems, and the new roles of aircraft was made during the War in Vietnam. At the same time, the further escalation of tensions between the USA and the USSR gave rise to the new generation of military jets, faster, lighter, and more powerful.
As McMillan states, “In the recent years, flying has become banal, a necessary evil, something to be endured in the quest to reach a destination more quickly.” Indeed, it is hard to believe that the history of the American aviation started a bit more than a century ago. The twentieth century was the era of technological progress, wars, and escalation of conflicts between different countries. Under such conditions, the Wright brothers’ invention was necessary for the demonstration of power and securing military victories. The understanding of the aviation’s importance led to its quick development and growth both in military and civil life areas. Nowadays, aviation is an essential part of American life, and it is difficult to imagine how the one could live without it.
Works Cited
Clarke, Michael A. “The Evolution of Military Aviation.” The Bridge 34.1 (2004): 29-36. PDF.
McMillan, H. J. V. Taking Off: The Politics and Culture of American Aviation, 1920-1939. PhD Diss. University of Tennessee, 2011.
Sitz, W. H. U.S. Navy Department. Technical Note No. 18, Series of 1930. A History of U.S. Naval Aviation. Washington, DC: GPO, 1930. PDF.
United States. U.S. Department of the Interior. American Aviation Heritage. Identifying and Evaluating Nationally Significant Properties in U.S. Aviation History. Washington, DC: National Park Service, 2011. PDF.
