MODULE: ONE: AIRPLANE
This module one will be reflecting upon a past historical development in technology that i have chosen and observed at MOTOT and it will identify the impact on society. However, the chosen technology is AIRPLANE or AIRCRAFT.
Introduction:
Air travel is continuing to experience the fastest growth among all modes of transport, averaging 5 to 6% per year.
Increasing total aviation emissions from aircraft engines and their potential impacts on the global atmosphere have drawn the attention of the aviation industry, the scientific community, and international governments.
Aircraft engines emit a wide range of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrogen oxides hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides and particulates. The radioactive forcing from these aircraft emissions discharged directly at altitude is estimated to be 2 to 4 times higher than that due to aircraft carbon dioxide emissions alone, whereas the overall radioactive forcing from the sum of all anthropogenic activities is estimated to be a factor of 1.5 times that of carbon dioxide emissions at the ground level (Refer to IPCC, 1999).
- What is Airplane?
Most of us only have to look up into the sky to see an airplane, and many of us have traveled by airplane to places that would have taken much longer by any other means of transportation(About.com, 2012). Furthermore, an airplane by definition is an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets(About.com, 2012).
There many different types of airplanes such as airplanes for agriculture or airplane (aircraft ) that are used in military for defense and cargo carrier for transportation, and the most important is the commercial Airplanes which transports people and cargo’s to one destination to another(History of the Airplane,2010).
History
Ever since man first saw a bird fly, man has wanted to fly. The first attempts were efforts to fly like a bird by attaching feathers to their arms and flapping. Those attempts were unsuccessful (airplanes.htm, 2011).
However, before the first airplane was invented by the Wright Brothers, inventors made numerous attempts to make like the birds and fly. These early inventions included kites, hot air balloons, airships, gliders, and other devices.
This figure below shows the draw of Glider design that was designed by Cayley, Sir George.
( Source: http://www.britannica.com )
English aeronautic pioneer George Cayley established the modern notion of a fixed-wing aircraft in 1799, and he designed a glider (shown in the drawing) that was safely flown by his reluctant servant in 1853 in the first recorded successful manned flight.
Furthermore, the first airplane itself was born in 1903, when the Wright brothers succeeded in taking flight to a sort of glider with an engine of 16 horsepower at Kill Devil Hill at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina, USA. This first flight lasted 12 seconds, reaching a height of 120ft (40 meters), was little more than a leap that probably did not survive the down force.
the designer of dirigibles and airplanes, it is sometimes considered the father of the two flying machines, since its first flights were the first to take place on closed circuits in the presence of large audience. In particular, the flight of 14-Bis, 12 November 1906, the first officially recognized in Europe AEROCLUBE flight to France of a heavier than air machine capable of taking off by themselves, unlike the first catapulted Wright, is considered the first public demonstration of an airplane.
The Military Aircraft In The Postwar Period
Between 1914 and 1918 were born many models of biplanes intended initially to the tasks of reconnaissance, in which the new medium excelled on all the previous ones. Later, the pilots began to throw hand grenades at the enemy in what may be called the ancestor of the bombing tactics. The natural response was to equip its pilots with guns to shoot at enemy aircraft to prevent it from attacking its own lines, giving rise to the fighter aircraft.
At the end of World War I, the airplane came out much improved, despite the double wing and generally maintained the entire structure was not particularly changed at first sight. They were much more powerful engines were developed that allowed benefits unaffordable to the conflict and its predecessors were also added many features which allow a more accurate navigation.
Revolutionary
The use of modern computer technology has revolutionized the avionics, so that the cockpit of a modern airliner looks like very little to that of an airplane designed in the seventies.
The use of computer systems on board aircraft has also allowed the removal of the third component of the flight crew, the flight engineer or flight engineer, who was first deputy managing aircraft systems today largely responsible computer.
The development of computer technology has also led to the deployment of flight fly-by-wire, through which the pilot does not directly control the control surfaces dell'areomobile, but its controls are first filtered and processed by a series of redundant computer that ensures that the aircraft does not exceed the certification.
As Airbus A320 and, even more, with the Boeing 777, the aircraft design is now fully implemented on the computer, both to reduce costs, both to ensure adequate safety and efficiency.
Since the last generation of aircraft (Boeing 787 and Airbus A350) composite materials which were used only for certain aircraft components, replace the aluminum in the construction of the fuselage, which involves both a reduction in weight is increased resistance especially corrosion(Refer here for more info)
Trends in Aircraft
- Performance and Cost
Historically, air-traffic growth has outpaced both operational and technological improvements in the efficiency of energy use, a common trend seen across many industries. After airlines started there were more job opportunities came around the world for those people who are good at their own specialisation.
Although as new models are introduced, individual aircraft tend to be more fuel efficient with time, total emissions resulting from flight traffic have increased( Annu Rev. Energy Environ, 2001)
http://www.rolls-royce.com
The cost of affecting such changes under the constraints of budget pri- orities generally controls their introduction, even though efficiency improvements can be economically beneficial over the longer term. The following sections re- view the history of trends in energy intensity, the technological and operational drivers of efficiency improvements, and the development of operating costs and aircraft prices.
The aircraft manufacturers have improved their flights in order for them to attract more costumers. This urge the airline manufacturer to design and develop different kinds and models of plane to satisfy the costumer’s needs and attracted, this is also a part of business strategic for the airline manufacturers.
Airplanes Impact on Society
Certainly, it has also to be considered that with the renewal of the aircraft fleet (newer engines), the increased competition on the market and the higher operation efficiency the environmental damage per passenger kilometers flown decreased. This development would be welcome if not two negative effects would overcompensate it:
1. The more efficient aircrafts do not replace older ones but add to an increasing fleet.
2. If they replace older aircrafts the older ones are often sold to other regions of the world where they are still in use until the end of their typical lifetime of about 30 years.
Consequently, low cost carriers modernise through expansion, but not through replacement of outdated technologies. For example the German rail lost continuously clients on longer distances and that air traffic is generally unfavorable for the environment, it is obvious that the low cost airlines stimulated a behavior in the public which is not driven by urgent demands and also not welcome in the context of climate change mitigation.
The influence on transport market and the influence on economy for the commercial airlines carriers because the low cost carriers have brought forward to a firm completion on the Aviation market. The low cost commercial carriers led to a big scale of extension in number and in the density of civil airports. There are positive and also negative impacts on social and cultural. The commercial aviation made the Politic tie between all countries easy. Then another impact like trading between countries became easier, those day they have to use by ship and takes longer time but with commercial airline the trading became faster and easier, so global economy gets better then the past. Import of foreign labor in particular country because this will cost less congestion in other countries that are over populated.
Impact on the social of native is protected by rural development because of the aviation excess and this makes them to be more close to the government in term of good relation. The negative impacts are those laborer from the foreign countries may course violence in that particular country that their working, this effects the social life style of certain community. The exposure from the aviation might be able to course the rural area’s native and affects their status and also may lead to lost of heritage of theirs.
Aviation also has air pollution, sound pollution and land pollution. The sound the Airplane disturbs the community that stays around the area with high decibel of frequency which the airplane engine creates and also can damage the hearing of young children. The land pollution happen when the extension of the Airport for the airplanes when the demand is high this cause trouble for those native or the others staying around the area and also deforestation for developments will contribute to hot weather and air pollutions to.
Aircrafts have probably had more effect on the lives of people in the world, with the exception of computers, than any other invention in modern times. Air superiority in war is one of the major factors in deciding the outcome; distances to foreign countries have been shortened to the point that people with average incomes can travel abroad instead of the very rich who used to commute by large ships. This has created a broader understanding of other cultures but has also created problems with some countries would not have any kind of a tourist base without air travel, thus not allowing them to improve their economy.
Trends and future
The main concern we need to have about low cost carriers is the fact, that they turn the luxury service of fast travel with its implicit environmental damages into a day-to-day service for more and more people. People use this service because they are attracted by the low price but they widely ignore the increasing price for the environment.
In 1991 the average aircraft could go 18,825 km with one ton of kerosene, in 2004 already 27,655. This is an enormous increase in technical efficiency. But, this is easily outpaced by an even more enormous increase in air traffic than 70 percent reduction in fuel burn performance, which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the cost of air travel. The ability to exploit metropolis concepts that enable optimal use of runways at multiple airports within metropolitan areas, as a means of reducing air traffic congestion and delays
References:
Joseph Lee, Joosung. Historical and Future Trends in Aircraft Performance, Cost, and Emissions. The Department Of Aeronautics: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2000. Print.
Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Supersonics Project, Project Overview, 2011. Technical Conference, 15-17.3.2011
HQ USAF/HO, Dr. Richard P. Hallion. A SHORT HISTORY OF AIRCRAFT SURVIVABILITY. 200. Washington: Air Force Pentagon Washington, n.d. Print.
Dr.Sherry, L (2009) Aviation: History Of Commercial Aviation. Retrieved august, 2012 from Center of transportation Systems Research: http://catsr.ite.gmu.edu/SYST460/Safety%20Workbook.pdf
Uherek, E (2006). Low cost carriers in Europe. Quantifying Transport System. Retrieved September, 2012 from:
http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/Information_2/Low_cost_airlines_-_impacts_61j.html
http://www.uci.edu/features/2008/10/feature_aeronautics_081024.html
