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The Development of Aviation
Progress in aviation has been a dynamic proof of the Chaos
theory. Government in all its forms as perceived by the individual
as a financial source, a leading force, or negatively regulation
entity has played a major role in the growth of aviation. The
higher education has been primarily directed toward practical
engineering. The great leaps forward have been by the dreamers
who have scorned the limits of the universities. Radical innovations
have been resisted mostly because of cost. Individuals with limited
resources have initiated innovation. Once initiated, then and
only then, do the financing, time and facilities become available.
More often than not the originator gets little recognition as
the second or third facilitator wins all the marbles.
Innovation has pauses, spurts failures and successes. Innovation
requires considerable luck, faith, persistence, patience and
leadership. Major aeronautical achievements very often had to
wait while a related field played catch-up. The Wrights had to
wait for an engine, engines had to wait for anti-knock fuel,
communications had to wait for vacuum tubes, radar had to wait
for the magnetron, navigation had to wait for the chronometer
and GPS. Materials were improved and made possible better reciprocating
engines and eventually via turbo-charging the jet engines as
we know them.
The irrationality of government and military to resist change
often resulted in blockages that took twenty years to remove.
The Congress passed a bill in 1926 that prevented the funds of
the government to be used for airport improvements. It was not
until 1938 with the threat of universal war that the law was
revoked. The antagonism between the major divisions of the U.S.
military would prevent development that might benefit another
service. That improvements were made often required interpersonal
alliances between disparate personalities, institutional alliances
between traditional opponents, and invisible infrastructure of
materials and testing.
Of the visible infrastructure the most evident would be airports.
The creation of airports in the U.S. is a mix of all the best
and worst in what is America. As mentioned before Congress withheld
federal funds. Little by little local communities found space
near town that could be used. 1923 Pittsburgh wanted an airport
but the selected area brought the very first resistance group
of an Academy and a Country Club. The post office wanted to institute
airmail service and were prepared to pay for it if only the cities
would create airports. Cities, anxious to get into the game bent
the rules to buy or lease airport space. Any field could be called
an airport.
The military and postal service wanted airports throughout
the U.S. It was Lindbergh who did for aviation what Tiger Woods
has done for golf. When Lindbergh made a tour of the country
every city wanted to have an airport for him to visit. An entire
memorabilia industry grew up around Lindbergh. I recently visited
a private home in Illinois that had an entire study made up such
memorabilia. Museum quality and quantity. States passed enabling
acts that allowed cities to build and support airports. Evasions
around congressional restrictions made reclamation funds available
to build airports where water existed. Lawsuits against city
owned and built airports failed to halt development. The use
of federal funds gave the power to regulate. Depression fed WPA
projects built bridges and airports. By 1939 airports were a
war preparation priority. Today, all major airports are owned
and operated by cities.
Written by Gene Whitt
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