Evolution of Aircraft

Technologies
By: Danny Canale, Michael Stetzler, & Sam Souther

History of flight and older technologies

Early History
What are we looking at?
Gliders have been around for at least half a
century previously to the plane. They required
effort for takeoff.
Airplanes use an engine to overcome gravity.
The big idea behind an airplane is powered
flight.

Fig 1. Lilienthal's Glider in Flight.

Source: History of Flight.
www.grc.nasa.gov

Samuel P. Langley
Samuel Langley worked on some of
the earliest flying vehicles,
including a finished helicopter
machine in 1887.
Fig 2. Langleys Aerodrome. Langley. Flying
Machines.org

He also completed a prototype

airplane called the Aerodrome,
which failed to fly in 1903.

Earliest Planes
The wright brothers continued to work on
building planes after their famous flight.

Alberto Santos-Dumont created the first

airplane outside of the U.S.
Fig 3. Alberto Santos-Dumont. Source: Alberto Sontos
Dumont onboard. wikimedia.com

Antoinnette was among the first airplane

companies to form.

Early War Aircraft

The Wright Brothers created a model plane
called the Collier, which was used in
surveillance to secure american borders
with Mexico.
In the Italian-Turkish War (around 1911),
planes were used to drop bombs on the
battlefield below.
The French equipped planes with machine
guns.

Fig. 4. Bleriot, one of the first planes used

for bombing. Source: Bierrot XI
Wikipedia.org

World War 1 and 1920s

In 1918, the airplane industries incorporated
the same techniques used in the car
market for mass production.
Water Takeoff and Landing Planes started to
show up about this time.

Fig 5. De Havilland D.H. 16 Source: Airco

DH16. historylink101.com

Military bombers called the D.H. 4s and D.H.

16s were converted into 2-seater
passenger planes.

1930s to World War 2

A water boat called the Submarine
S.6B earns a land record at 407
mph, equipped with a 2,600
horsepower engine.
Planes move towards metal bodies for
strength and safety. This feature is
equiped on the S-23 Flying Boat and
the Handley Page H.P. 42
Robert Watt also developed the radar,
which used sound waves to see
oncoming vehicles.

Fig 6. Flying Boats.

Source: British vintage
posters. pinterest.com

Transition from Biplane to Monoplane

In 1935, the Hawker
Hurricane came out. It
was a monoplane. Other
planes, including a
military plane called the
Spitfire, incorperated the
design.
By 1941, the Heyford Nightbomber came out as the
last bi-plane
The switch was made due
to a monoplane having a
higher wing load and a
smaller cross sectional
area.

Fig 7. Hawker Hurricane. Source: Restored World W

Hurricane goes up for auction dailymail.co.uk.

Fig 8. Heyford Night Bomber. Source: One of the final

surviving Battle of Britain pilots dies aged 98 dailymail.co.uk

The First Jet Engines

Low Bypass Engine

Blue Arrows = Cold Air

Red Arrows = Hot Air

Fig 9. Low Bypass Engine. Source: Turbojet Operation-Axial Flow.

Wikimedia

The old cockpits

The analog cockpits used
many dial instruments to
measure all types of flight
data.
Some instruments, in this
configuration, are run on
electricity, while others were
run on steam.

Fig 10. Boeing 737-200 Cockpit. Source: Boeing 737-200 Cockpit

Wikimedia.

Fly-by-wire System
In 1972 the NASA F-8 Crusader was
the first aircraft that the fly-by-wire
system was used on. This relatively
simple technology would
eventually make it from a research
project to a device in every
commercial plane.

Fig 11. Source: NASA armstrong fact sheet: F-8 DFBW aircraft
NASA.gov

In simplest terms a fly-by-wire system takes the pilots yoke

movement and processes it with a computer then directs the plane
to perform the task.
This system reduces pilot error, improves safety features and is much
lighter inside of the aircraft.

Fig 12. Fly-by-wire.

source: spinview

Setbacks of Fly-by-wire
In some earlier Fly-by-wire
systems flaws were discovered
and solutions to complex problems
were discovered.
Fig 13. Air France flight 296 Air show crash. Source:
ZeroSixRight.com

Over the 20 year

Accident Trend From 1964 to 1986
period, the
number of
accidents fell.
Most accidents in
the earlier time
period occurred
due to
mechanical
issues whereas
those later on
where due to
pilot error.
Fig. 14. year trend of aviation mishaps. Source: "Human Factors--Pilot Error, Langley Flying School." Human Factors--Pilot Error,
Langley Flying School.

Present Day

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The Dreamliner is one of Boeings newest creations and it includes
many new unforeseen changes than seen in conventional aircraft
Fig 15. Boeing 787
Wingflex. Source
youtube.com

Fig 16. Airplane

Takeoff simulation.
Source: play.google

Supersonic Jets
The airline companies
Aerion and Airbus have
announced they plan to
work together on
building a commercial
airplane with a
whopping top speed of
1.5 mach. Other
companies are planning
similarly.
Fig 17. Aerion and Airbus To
Build a Commercial
Supersonic Jet. Source:
Aerion Corporation

Heads up Display

Fig 18. Heads Up Display HUD.

Source: Aviation Photos.
Airliners.net

First Used by the

military, This
technology has greatly
increased awareness in
pilots and ability to
perform in low visibility
conditions.

The Glass Cockpit

Fig. 19. Airbus a380 Cockpit. Source:

Airbus a380 Cockpit Wikimedia.

The glass cockpit has

significantly reduced a pilot's
workload by creating a
display that is user-friendly
and capable of showing a
multitude of instrument
readings in one location.
It is also environmentally
friendly, cutting back on paper
used in the cockpits.

High Bypass Engine

Fig. 20. High Bypass Jet Engine.
Source : "High Bypass Engines."
Metabunk.

Red Arrows = Hot Air

Blue Arrows = Cold Air

VTOL

Special engines were equipped

on a military prototype called
the Hawker P.1127. It moved
the jet flames towards the
ground, allowing for Vertical
Take Off and Landing.

Tilt rotors were applied on V-22

Ospreys, allowing the blades to
rotate 90o.
Fig 21. Harrier AV-8B With Detail. Source: Harriers. zarcomacross.wikidot.com/

Aircraft Materials

Fun Fact:
The Boeing 787 was the
first large airliner to be
made with more than 50%
composite materials in
both the fuselage and the
wings.

Fig. 22. Present day materials of aircraft. Source: "What Materials Make up Most of the Weight of an
Aircraft?" Aviation Stack Exchange.

Aircraft Materials Continued

This light general aviation aircraft
frame is made up entirely of
carbon composite materials.

Fig 23. Aircraft Composite Materials. Source: Algie Composite

Aircraft AirPigz Love To Fly

Future of Aircraft

The Microlattice
Lightest metal ever created
Currently under testing

Fig. 24. Microlattice. Source: Innovation;

Lightest Metal Ever. Boeing Industries

New Engines
Aircraft testbeds are
basically aircraft with
parts being tested
placed on the aircraft
and monitored for
performance.

Fig. 25. Test Aircraft. Source: Rolls-Royce testing new aircraft

engine over Tucson. Tucson Sentinel

New Engines Cont.

Fig. 26. Test Aircraft.

Source: Honeywell B757
Test Bed Aircraft. Aero
News Network
Fig. 26. Test Aircraft.
Source: Flying Test Bed.
The Aviationist
Fig. 27. Test Aircraft.
Source: Test Flights Start
for Titanium-Blade Engine
Design News

As funny as these airplanes look, they are like

this for a purpose.

Tracking Technology
Airline companies around the world are looking for way to improve the
tracking of their planes, its has been one year since the missing of flight
MH370 and companies are still trying to find ways to locate their planes
more effectively.
Fig. 28. malaysia
airlines flight 370.
cbsnews1

A Total Re-Design
New revolutionary
technologies have the
ability to change the
aviation industry as a
whole.

Fig. 29. Halo

Autonomous Air Vehicle
for Communication
Services. stanford

Goals, such as space tourism

or hypersonic travel, may
require unconventional
ideas and designs in the
future.

Predictions and Possibilities

There is a movement in research and predictions to a future of aircrafts
with a much smoother surface and build and without a tail altogether.

Fig. 30. Future of

commercial
aircraft. iflscience

Progress as a Whole
Analysis techniques in the
future may be improved
allowing engineers and
designers to build more
efficient airplanes.
Progress will require
unprecedented
communication and
understanding between
many individuals of different
backgrounds and fields.

Fig. 31. Future of

supersonic travel.
iflscience

Works Cited
"Aviation Statistics." National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
Bennett, Jay. "Aerion and Airbus To Build a Commercial Supersonic Jet." Popular Mechanics. N.p., 2 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
"Boeing." : The Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

Bonney, Walter. The Heritage of Kitty Hawk. New York: Norman and Company, 1962. Print.
Cox, John. "Ask the Captain: What Does 'fly by Wire' Mean?" USA Today. Gannett, 30 Mar. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
Dunbar, Brian. "NASA Armstrong Fact Sheet: F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire Aircraft." NASA. NASA, 28 Feb. 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.
"Future Technology and Aircraft Types." Http://adg.stanford.edu. Standford University, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Martindell, Richard. "Glass vs. Steam." Wild Blue Yonder. Wild Blue Yonder, 18 Mar. 2012. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

Works Cited
"Materials | How Things Fly." Materials | How Things Fly. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
"Multi-Utility Technology Testbed Aircraft On the Runway." NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
Plautz, Jessica. "A Year after MH370, Has Plane Tracking Technology Improved?" Mashable. N.p., 8 Mar. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.
Richardson, Kevin. Vectored Thrust Jet Engines. Reports On How Things Work. MIT, 1998. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

The Flying Years. Dir. William Woolard. DigiComTV, 2015. Film.

"Timeline of Flight. The Dream of Flight. Library of Congress, 2010. Web. 22 Nov 2015.
"Turbofan Thrust." Turbofan Thrust. NASA, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
"What Is a HUD and How Does It Work?" Airline Ratings. The West Australian, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.