www.theflyingchange.com

Most people assume that flight began with the Wright brothers and their airplane in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. While this was one of the great moments in flight, it was actually not what started it all. The first type of flight was through the use of hot air balloons, and this occurred in 1783. Two French brothers created the contraption and it was the first one in which people were able to get into the air.

The Wright brothers did have one of the greatest moments in flight when their airplane was able to take off in Kitty Hawk. It was a flight that lasted a mere 12 seconds, but it was the first airplane flight in history and was still a very important moment in flight.

A St. Petersberg to Tampa flight was the first commercial flight that was available. Although this was only a 20 minute way to travel, it beat taking an hour to get there via the train. This took place in 1914, and it was very important to getting us to the flight systems that we have these days.

Breaking the sound barrier and other accomplishments are just more examples of ways in which aerodynamics has made an impact on our lives.

As a young RAF engineer officer working without military support, Frank Whittle patented the first gas turbine engine intended for aircraft in 1930. Since that time, modern turbine engines have evolved from his basic design. While Frank’s engine had a single centrifugal compressor, current engines employ as many as 10 or more axial flow compressor sections. Turbine sections, the turbine blades aft of the combustion chamber, employ multiple low and high-pressure sections to drive the engine. Although not an actual engine component, one of the greatest improvements has been the introduction of FADEC.Additional information can be found at http://gcaptain.com/billion-yearly-fuel-bill-navy/. Full Authority Digital Engine Control receives inputs from aircraft sensors for power lever position, air density and engine indications. With that information, FADEC can optimize engine operation. It does that by adjusting turbine blade angle, opening or closing bleed valves and ensuring proper fuel metering. Computerized control, along with composite blades and a high bypass turbofan design, make the modern turbine engine much more powerful and fuel-efficient.
Although the modern turbine engine looks nothing like it did in 1930, if Frank Whittle were to inspect a brand new engine comprised of a compressor, combustion and turbine section, he would find it merely evolutionary not revolutionary.

There are many different components on an aircraft that works together to get the craft into the air and help to keep it there. The horizontal and vertical stabilizers are two of these components. Stabilizers have been used since the first aircraft created by the Wright Brothers.

The tail houses both the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. They are fixed pieces which work to keep the aircraft stable in the air. The vertical stabilizer is responsible for ensuring the nose of the plane from moving side to side. This movement is called yaw.Additional information can be found at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903374004576582411580023254.html. The horizontal stabilizer is responsible for the up and down movement of the nose of an aircraft. This movement is called the pitch. Too much movement in any of these directions can have a detrimental effect on any aircraft.

The Wright Brothers created their first aircraft with the horizontal stabilizer in front of the wings. This was, of course, effective as evidenced by their successful flight. When the horizontal stabilizer is located in front of the wings it is called a canard. Canard is a French word that means "duck.'

Stabilizers are an integral part of an airplane that helps to keep the craft stable when in the air. Without horizontal and vertical stabilizers, a plane would have no control over the nose of the craft which would result in a crash.

All airplanes resemble one another, with good reason. The external parts of airplanes play a vital role in lifting the plane off the ground, keeping it in the air and lowering it to the ground when it-s time. Slats, flaps, ailerons and spoilers are all parts of an aircraft that are responsible for various aspects of flight.

A slat is responsible for increasing or decreasing the lift of a plane. They are movable parts located on the front of each wing and are attached with a metal hinge which allows for free movement.Additional information can be found at http://stevebeckow.com/2011/09/lumir-g-janku-ancient-aircraft/. The flaps are located on the rear of each wing and are attached in the same manner. The flaps also help control lift of the plane. Both of these parts together affect drag as well. These moveable parts are used to get the plane off the ground and to lower the plane and then keep it on the ground when landing.

Ailerons are used to bank, or turn, the airplane. They are connected to the lateral edge of the wing by hinges. Normally you see one aileron pointed downward and the other pointed upward to keep the plane flying in a straight and level direction.

The spoiler is one more part that-s located on the wing of aircraft. The spoiler is between the slat and flap and affects lift. Spoilers are used to turn the aircraft just as ailerons are but spoilers act faster than ailerons. The trade off is when spoilers are used to turn the craft, the plane loses altitude.

The cockpit of a modern jet airliner is the control and information hub of the entire aircraft. Many new features -- of both the safety and comfort variety -- have been put into place in recent years. Virtually all cockpits are located at the front of the aircraft, primarily for visibility purposes.

The events of September 11, 2001 had an extremely pronounced impact on many things, airline cockpit design and safety implementations were greatly effected as well. The cockpits in most airlines have now been fortified in such manner that breaking into them using traditional means would be impossible.

While an airline's cockpit may look like an endless sea of gauges and switches to most, to a pilot every single knob and switch serves an extremely valuable purpose in properly piloting an airliner. Many of the modern instruments in an airliner cockpit have been calibrated in finely tuned ways, more so than was possible even as little as 20 years ago.

In an effort to reduce the dependency of the flight crew on one set of controls and flight information, there is often a second set of controls in a lesser used space of the cockpit. This redundancy is in place in case the first set fails.More info here: Cockpit Chronicles: A 'new' pilot's first trip on the line

Perhaps no modern warplane has received more accolades than the P-51 Mustang. The aircraft's success as a fighter and fighter-bomber endured through two wars and many versions are still flying today. The aircraft was born of desperation as Britain faced an onslaught from the Luftwaffe and the RAF was seeking to purchase aircraft. At the time the most advanced fighter in production in the United States was the Curtis P-40. North American Aviation was contracted with to build the P-40 and it was then that the P-51 was born.'Dutch' Kindelberger, an engineer, knew something better was possible and it was. Edgar Schmued designed a new fighter, equipped with an Allison engine that the British used as a fighter bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft had excellent low altitude performance and the Army Air Force ordered the plane as the A-36 Apache. Tests with the Rolls Royce Merlin engine delivered astounding performance and a new long range escort fighter took to the air.

The P-51 served in the European and Pacific theatres of war and finished the campaign as B-29 escorts to Japan. The Mustang served in Korea, almost eliminating the North Korean Yak's until MiG 15's arrived. Today there are still many P-51's flying and the distinctive sound of the Merlin is still heard as the silver fighters amaze another generation.