Air+Travel

media type="youtube" key="6u8Trx6qZa4" height="344" width="425" 20th Century Air Travel By Kelton Have you ever wondered how we went from propellers to jets? Have you ever wondered how 20th century air travel affected air travel today? If so, then this is the kind of piece for you.

Propellers to Jet Propeller planes were the main way of air travel in the early and mid 20th century. During WWII, they were very important. The American P51 Mustang was the Americans’ most prized plane. They had heavy armament which gave them a great advantage in battle. They were the best fighter in WWII until the German Me 262 Messerschmitt came along. The Messerschmitt was the world’s first jet propelled aircraft. It could out-climb and out-dive every other plane in the war. It had four, 30 mm cannons so it could also out-gun the P51. The Me 262 Messerschmitt has led to many, many different types of aircraft. Helicopters Helicopters are rotary-winged aircraft that can hover above the ground in one place. The first working helicopter was made by Igor Sikorsky. He was born in Russia and is known as the father of the modern helicopter. One of the most important helicopters is Bell H1 Huey. It was made as a multi-purpose helicopter. It was used as a troop transport, gunship, medical transport, and many more. It also came in handy during the Vietnam War when planes couldn’t land in the thick jungle.

Important People We would never be where we are in air travel with out some important people. Amelia Earhart was on of the worlds most famous pilots. She was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean solo. She set many world records. But her most famous journey was a disaster. In 1937 she set out on her journey around the world. She was on her final stretch across the Pacific when she mysteriously disappeared. Charles Lindberg was also very important. He was the first ever person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean solo. He flew for many days and nights in a silver plane called the Spirit of Saint Lewis. But unfortunately he became deaf from the continuous noise of the engine. There are many more important people in air travel history like Chuck Yeager, who was the first person to fly at the speed of sound, or Manfred Von Richthofen, AKA the Red Barron. They all contributed to the air travel today.

So, how was America to day influenced by 20th century air travel? Turns out there are many different ways. Amelia Earhart encouraged woman to become pilots and Chuck Yeager encouraged scientists to keep building new test aircraft. And now, thanks to them, most of the worlds long-distance travel is air travel, unlike the early 20th century travel where people drove a horse and buggy.

. Works Cited Publishing, DK. __Eyewitness Flying Machine (Eyewitness Books)__. New York: DK CHILDREN, 2000. Rinard, Judith E. __Book of flight__. Willowdale, Ont: Firefly Books, 2001.