Why doesn't the sky fall down on our heads? - Aydogan Koc

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with his balloon was Gaston Tissandier. He too managed to go beyond the lines unobserved. A new age started in the transportation of messages and cargo. However, using balloons to go beyond enemy lines started to lose its initial surprise effect; the Germans started to shoot at the balloons in the sky. After a while, it was only possible to make flights at night. The world's first airlift completed more than 60 balloon flights. More than 9 tons of cargo and 155 passengers were brought to safety outside Paris. It was a huge success, although some of the balloons arrived in the Netherlands; one even landed in Norway.

       When was the first controlled flight independent of the wind direction?

      The first controlled and guidable flying machine was the glider constructed by Otto Lilienthal in 1891. He flew for more than 250 m starting from a hill in Derwitz, Berlin. He lost his life in a failed attempt in 1896, but his experience answered many questions and paved the way for future generations in aviation. Finally, Wilbur and Orville Wright performed the first powered flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in the USA on 17 December, 1903.

      After this successful experience, the excitement of powered flight spread quickly to the entire world. Governments, private entities and individuals organized big prize competitions to introduce aviation to the public and advance the technology of powered flight.

      Louis Blériot flew from France to England over the English Channel on 25 July, 1909 with the Blériot XI built by him. The aircraft had a very modern appearance; the engine and the propeller were in the front, the pilot cabin was right behind them and the flight control surfaces were at the rear. In the first aircraft built by the Wright brothers, the control surfaces were in the front, the pilot was in a horizontal position on the body and the engine was at the rear driving two propellers.

       When did aircraft begin to be used for military purposes?

      Military aircraft began service in 1911 for some countries in the world. Naturally, they were very different from today’s warplanes, the first missions executed with these aircraft were to take military photographs and replace the unreliable balloons and zeppelins being used for this purpose.

      Significant aircraft industry did not exist in any of the powerful states in Europe when World War I began. However, it soon became clear that an aircraft could be used as a powerful weapon and proved to be very effective at war. In the beginning, pilots used to fly over enemy lines and manually throw bombs from their cabins. The maneuverability and high altitude of these aircraft were enough to challenge the range of the weapons of the other side.

      Significant technical developments were made during the war years. Especially the development of lightweight and powerful aircraft engines started a new era in aviation. By the end of World War I, the total number of aircraft manufactured exceeded 200,000; 48,000 of them being made in Germany and 60,000 in France.

       When was the first passenger aircraft built?

      When World War I ended in 1918, many countries were left with thousands of aircraft and unemployed pilots. This capacity triggered the idea of cargo, passenger and mail transport. However, the aircraft and equipment available were insufficient for public transport. Limited usable area in the hold and the short range of aircraft made it clear that new solutions were required to replace former warplanes. Therefore, larger aircraft with double or triple engines were developed. The triple engine Junkers G23/24 aircraft, developed in Germany, is the first standard passenger aircraft which opened a new epoch in public transport. This was an advanced version of the Junkers F13, the first aircraft with metal structure and coverings. In previous aircraft models, the main construction material was varnished canvas, wood and hundreds of stretched wire cables.

       Who flew over the Atlantic Ocean non-stop for the first time?

      The Atlantic Ocean was crossed non-stop with an airplane for the first time in 1919. British war veterans John Alcock and Arthur Witten Brown managed to fly over the Atlantic Ocean with a Vickers Vimy type double decker aircraft on 14 - 15 May, 1919. They departed from Newfoundland and their flight ended with a crash landing in Ireland. Luckily, the pilots survived this emergency landing. They were awarded for their achievement and announced noblemen.

      Another important milestone in civil aviation is the nonstop flight of Charles Lindbergh over the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris. He crossed the Atlantic Ocean alone in a 36 hour flight with the aircraft “Spirit of St. Louis” on 20 - 21 May, 1927. The average speed of this heroic flight was around 200 km/h.

       Which passenger aircraft has been manufactured the most until now?

      When the Douglas DC-3 Dakota aircraft was put into service, airlines started to make good profits from passenger transport. 13,000 DC-3s were manufactured which is the largest number of aircraft of one type produced until now. The success of this aircraft was mainly due to the following innovations implemented in the DC-3:

       Flaps for Take-off and landing

       Retractable landing gear

       Low air resistance engine covers

       Passenger capacity for over 20 people

       Variable pitch Propellers

       Automatic 3 axis flight control system

       How did defense requirements before World War 2 affect the development of aircraft?

      Developments on aircraft gained momentum after the National Socialists came to rule in Germany in 1933. Nazis were determined to become the most powerful military power in the world by 1938. Therefore, they started to make significant investments to advance military aviation. The German Air Force was established in 1935 and, by 1939, managed to be the most powerful air force in the world.

      Many developments were achieved with bomber and fighter aircraft types during the Second World War, including:

       Increased engine power

       Advanced autopilot systems

       Pressurized cabins

       Advanced ejection seats

       Introduction of radar systems

      Another development was the first flight of a jet powered warplane, the Heinkel He-178 in 1939. It was possible to achieve much higher speeds with this engine. It was soon discovered that high speed presented many new problems. For example, as the aircraft gets close to the speed of sound, the air resistance increases significantly. The concept of the "sound barrier" started to be discussed. Aerodynamic specialists developed arrow head wings and managed to reduce the resistance when approaching the speed of sound.

       How it came to the development of large passenger aircrafts?

      Strategic needs during World War 2 led to increased dimensions of bombardment and transport aircraft. After the war, this trend continued in the USA. The six engine Boeing B-47 “Stratojet” military aircraft made its first flight in 1950 in the USA. With a speed of over 950 km/h, this aircraft reached an altitude of 12,300 m and left other fighter planes behind.

      An advanced model of this aircraft, the strategic bomber aircraft B-52 “Stratofortress” exceeded 960 km/h and rose to 16,700 m. With these speed and range capabilities, the B-52 remained the most capable and efficient bomber aircraft of the western world for a long time.

      The "Comet", the first jet powered passenger plane manufactured by British De Havilland in 1949 completed its test flights and started passenger service in 1952. This aircraft, which gained a bad reputation due to several accidents because the cabin structure was not designed for the pressures at high altitude, was completely withdrawn from service in 1954. In 1959, a brand new and safe model of the aircraft with all the problems solved was put on the market. But the opportunity to control the market was lost. In the meantime, the USA was planning military purpose jet powered transport aircraft parallel to

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