Airplanes
By: Ashlyn Beech
Purpose of Airplanes
Airplanes are a fast, easy, and fairly safe form of transportation. An airplane is a aircraft driven by propellers or jet engines.
Inventors
The original airplane was invented and flown by the Wright brothers in 1903. It was the first successful heavier-than-air aircraft. They flew the plane four times and its now located in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C
Differences Between the First Airplane and Modern Day Planes
The Wright Flyer, the first successful heavier-than-air aircraft, was barley controllable and very unstable. It was flown only a couple times before breaking beyond repair. It wasn't able to turn, had to start from certain grounds, and only flew for a few seconds (first trial lasted 3 seconds before crashing and the last trial lasted 59 seconds).
Modern day planes are flown around the world daily. People use airplanes all the time now for transportation of people and air cargo.
Innovations
Airplanes now can hold hundreds of people. We can now easily transport goods faster. The original airplane could only fly for a few seconds, but now we can fly for several hours.
1903- the first aircraft was made and tested... it crashed
1905- the aircraft was remodeled and was successfully flown in substancial periods
1906- an aircraft was the first launched without a catapult
1908/1909- a new, better aircraft was made
Positive/Negative Impact
Positive:
- Made transportation easier
- Made transportation faster
- Made transportation safer
- Creates job opertunities
- They crash sometimes
- People have hijacked them before
- They have been a weapon of terrorism
STEM
Science: Discovery of propellers and how they can be used to power a machine.
Technology: Creating a machine to make a person fly.
Engineering: Designing a machine with propellers for power, wings for balance and for flight, and wheels for a safe take off/landing.
Math: What is the perfect size, shape, and materials for a successful flight?
Changing the Product
If I were to change anything about airplanes, I would change the structure for safety reasons. Many people have died in plane crashes and I would remodel them to decrease the probability. I would create a type of technology to reduce the chances of hijacking. Also I would recreate the structure so that if it were to crash, people have a better chance of surviving. I would make it floatable and I would create something to soften the blow if it were to crash on a solid surface.