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ASA GNRL - Cap1 - Intrd To Aviation
ASA GNRL - Cap1 - Intrd To Aviation
TO AVIATION 1
Aviation History 3
1903- 1918 3
19L9-1926 3
1927- 1939 4
1940-1949 5
1950- 1959 5
1960-1969 6
1970-1979 6
L980-1989 6
1990- 7
1903-1918
The airplane evolved from a machine that could barely support itself in the air,
into the pursuit planes, bombers, and observation airplanes of World War I.
These aircraft were, for the most part, dangerous, undependable, and ineffi-
cient, but they did fly.
With their Flyer, the Wright brothers solved the basic problem of control which finally
allowed man to fly.
1919-1926
The government sold surplus WWI airplanes to ex-military aviators who
became barnstormers and who carried thousands of passengers on their first
airplane ride. This was the age of the flying circus when aviators flew without
government regulation.
1950-1959
This era ushered in the first commercial jet transport aircraft, and the war in
Korea brought about the acceptance of the helicopter as a practical aircraft.
Aerospace activity began with the launching of the first satellite.
The long-range jet transport airplane made it possible for people and things to cross oceans in hours
rather than weeks.
1970- 1979
The "Cold War" caused most aviation development to center around high-
speed, high-performance military aircraft, and it was during this time that
computerized systems became of extreme importance in aviation technology.
1980-1989
During these years the skyrocketing costs of ownership and maintenance of
private planes caused most general aviation manufacturers to stop producing
them. Deregulation of commercial airlines and the increase in carriage of mai I
and express-by-air multiplied the demand for transport aircraft. The increased
number of flight hours for these aircraft has expanded the importance of
aviation maintenance.
The widebodied Boeing 747, with its large seating capacity and long range, has made air
travel the most efficient way for the public to travel.
The highly complex systems in our modern aircraft are impossible to trouble-
shoot using the methods that were used in the past. These systems use BITE
(B uilt-In Test Equipment), and such systems as ECAM (Electronic Central-
ized Aircraft Monitor), EICAS (Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting Sys-
tem), FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control , and FMCS (Flight
Management Computer System) are all computer controlled and do much of
their own troubleshooting. It is the responsibility of the AMT to interpret the
output from these systems and make intelligent decisions regarding which
components to replace when a system malfunctions.