Aviation Industry

The Gulfstream G650 is the world’s fastest ultra-long-range business jet. 

With an around-the-world speed record, and capabilities of flying from New York to Shanghai or London to Los Angeles, the G650 is the new standard in business aviation.

A business jet, private jet, or bizjet, or simply B.J., is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by public bodies, government officials or the armed forces.

The aviation industry involves many airlines that carry passengers and cargo to many parts of the world. Sydney Airport in Australia, is served by about 30 different airlines.

Flying Doctor Service - brings medical supplies and medical help to people in the Australian outback.

Early aeroplane factories - such as this French plant of 1908, produced only a few planes at a time—and almost entirely by hand. Mass pro­duction began with the manu­facture of warplanes during World War I (1914-19181. Be­fore the war, aeroplanes were used mainly for sport.

Planes raced against cars in the early days of aviation. This 1914 race at Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. was between the racer Barney Oldfield and daredevil pilot Lincoln Beachey. The finish was so close that no one knows who won.

Post office planes began flying U.S. mail in 1918. This one is being loaded for the flight that began regular transcontinental service in 1923. Private lines began flying the U.S. mail in 1926.

Early airliners like the Ford trimotor, carried about 10 passengers, who bundled up in coats to keep warm. This trimotor was flown by National Air Transport (NAT), one of the first successful U.S. airlines. Flights were short and sometimes un­comfortable. For the passengers, flying was an adventure.

Huge flying boats began carrying passengers on ocean flights during the 1930's. In 1939, Pan American World Airways used a Boeing 314 Clipper, above, to start regular transatlantic service.

Air travel of the 1990's gives passengers spacious, com­fortable surroundings, with cabin staff to provide refresh­ments.

Aviation is a term that includes all the activities in­volved in building and flying aircraft, including aero­planes, airships, balloons, helicopters, and gliders. These craft, especially aeroplanes, affect the lives of people almost everywhere in the world. Giant airliners carry passengers and cargo between the world's major cities in a matter of hours. Planes and helicopters rush medicine and other supplies to the farthest islands and deepest jungles. Farmers use aeroplanes to seed fields, count livestock, and spray crops. Aviation has also changed the way nations make war. Modern warfare de­pends on the instant striking power of jet fighters and bombers and the rapid supply capabilities of jet trans­ports. Helicopters and other special aircraft have also been important in military aviation over the last 40 years.

Thousands of aeroplanes are used throughout the world. They range from small planes with room for only a pilot to enormous jumbo jets, which can carry hun­dreds of passengers. To produce and operate all these aeroplanes requires the skills of hundreds of thousands of workers—from the engineers who design the planes to the mechanics and pilots who service and fly them. Many government agencies also work to make flying safer and more dependable. All these activities make up the aviation industry.

The aviation industry's two major branches are the manufacture of aircraft and aircraft components, such as engines, and the operation of these aircraft, for example by airlines. The manufacture of aircraft, together with the manufacture of spacecraft, missiles, and related electronic equipment, is often called the aerospace in­dustry.

Aviation as an activity began with the first successful balloon ascent by the Montgolfier brothers of France in 1783. But the aviation industry was born on Dec. 17, 1903, near Kitty Flawk, North Carolina, in the United States. That day, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the world's first successful aeroplane flights. They had built their aeroplane after studying the writings of other avia­tion pioneers and after experimenting with gliders, kites, and wind tunnels.

Within a few years, several small factories in Europe and the United States were producing aeroplanes. Dare­devil fliers bought many of these planes and used them to put on thrilling air shows. Governments also began to buy aeroplanes to build small air forces.

Airships, invented 50 years before aeroplanes, began to be developed for civil and military use in the early 1900's. These vehicles, originally filled with flammable hydrogen, proved highly dangerous. Although helium- filled airships are today used for leisure-flying and ad­vertising, the airship failed as a means of mass passen­ger transportation.

Since the 1930's, the aeroplane has been very impor­tant in long-distance transportation. By the 196CTs, the world's airlines carried about 100 million passengers a year. Today, the airlines of the world carry more than 1 billion passengers a year.

Although aviation includes all types of aircraft, this ar­ticle deals chiefly with aeroplanes. To learn about the two other main types of heavier-than-air craft, see the World Book articles on Glider and Helicopter. The Aeroplane article traces the history of human efforts to fly and the development of the aeroplane. It also describes how a plane flies, how pilots navigate, and how planes are built. For a discussion of flight in outer space, see Space exploration. See also Airship; Balloon.

The aviation industry consists of six branches: (1) air­craft manufacturing, (2) general aviation activities, (3) air­line operations, (4) airport operations, (5) aviation sup­port activities, and (6) military aviation activities. For general information about military aviation, see Air force.

The aviation industry

Aircraft manufacturing. Aircraft production compa­nies build chiefly aeroplanes, but many of the larger ones also produce helicopters and gliders. Often, one large company controls the building programme and subcontracts parts of it to other companies. Thus, com­panies big and small supply engines, on-board comput­ers, electronic components, furniture, and other items for all types of aircraft, as well as equipment for space­craft. Some of these suppliers are independent. Others are subsidiary companies—that is, companies owned or controlled by larger companies or corporations.

Large corporations such as Boeing, Lockheed, and McDonnell Douglas in the United States (U.S.), British Aerospace in the United Kingdom (UK), and Societe Nationale Industrielle Aerospace in France, have tradition­ally dominated the manufacture of aeroplanes in the Western world. These corporations continue to function but their relationship to each other is changing. Prior to 1991, the production of aeroplanes in Eastern Europe and other Communist countries was under the control of the Soviet Union, a federation of socialist republics dominated by Russia.

In the early 1990's, two factors helped change this world situation dramatically. First, worldwide economic recession limited demand for new aircraft. Second, fol­lowing the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, several newly independent Eastern European states became free to purchase aircraft engines and components from the West. They could also sell aircraft, especially light planes and helicopters, to Western operators.

As the economic climate has improved toward the mid-1990's a larger international demand for aircraft, es­pecially in the Asia-Pacific region, has led to greater competition in aircraft sales. But many manufacturers are also cooperating in large consortia (partnerships) to share the very high costs of aircraft development and benefit from the special skills and experience of individ­ual companies. Such consortia include Airbus Indus­tries, Eurofighter, and Panavia—European partnerships, variously involving companies from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK. Countries in Asia, such as China and Indonesia, manufacture compo­nents for U.S. and European aircraft. They are collaborat­ing more and more on the development of new aircraft with firms in established aircraft-building nations. Japanese companies have long teamed up with U.S. firms on various projects.

Most manufacturing companies are privately owned. However, a few in Russia, Ukraine, and other Eastern Eu­ropean countries continue to be government-owned. Many major companies are multinational (see Multina­tional corporation). Some Canadian-owned firms, for example, have factories in the U.S.A. and the UK.

Australia has a few factories capable of producing a wide range of small aircraft and components and as­semblies for large ones. There are two major plants, with principal facilities in Sydney and Melbourne. Most aircraft manufactured in Australia are made under licence— that is, assembled from a design and parts pro­duced elsewhere.

Manufacturers produce three main types of aero­planes: (1) general aviation planes, (2) commercial trans­port planes, and (3) military planes. General aviation air­craft include single- and two-seater planes used for pleasure flying or training, mailplanes, business or cor­poration jets, and aircraft used by rescue services and the police. Most general aviation planes are small aero­planes with one or two engines. Some have jet engines, but most are propeller driven. Commercial transport planes are used to carry both passengers and cargo or cargo only. Airlines operate these planes. The smallest commercial transports carry from 20 to 100 passengers and increasingly play a role as commuter aircraft carry­ing people to work. The largest carry several hundred passengers. Most commercial transports are jet planes with two, three, or four engines. Military planes include bombers, fighters, and military transports owned by the governments of various countries and operated by their armed forces. See Aeroplane (Aeroplanes of today).

General aviation activities include pleasure flying, land surveying, giving flying instructions, inspecting telephone lines, monitoring traffic, and scattering seed and spraying crops. Many businesses have their own light planes, and some large corporations run advanced jets to carry executives quickly to wherever they need to go. Light planes are also used to carry cargo and pas­sengers in areas of the world that lack roads or railways.

An example of a specialized aviation service is Aus­tralia's Royal Flying Doctor Service, which supplies med­ical treatment and services to people living in remote outback regions. The service was founded in 1928 by john Flynn and the radio engineer Alfred Traeger. The first base was at Cloncurry in Queensland, and K. St. Vin­cent Welch became the first flying doctor. In case of ill­ness, or the need to seek medical advice, people use radio to contact the doctor at the nearest base. The doc­tor either advises the caller by radio, or arranges for an aeroplane to pick up the patient. There are air ambu­lance services in other parts of the world, which provide specially equipped aeroplanes to fly patients to hospital.

Airline operations. Almost every country has at least one airline. Most airlines are privately owned, but some are state-owned.

There are two main types of passenger airline service—scheduled flights and nonscheduled flights. Scheduled flights are made over certain routes accord­ing to a timetable. Nonscheduled flights are mainly char­ter flights for customers who want to hire a plane to fly to a particular place at a particular time. Each year mil lions of European holidaymakers travel to resorts on charter flights.

Most airlines carry both passengers and cargo. Airlin­ers usually carry a certain amount of freight on passen­ger flights. Many passenger airlines also operate trans­port planes that carry only cargo. A few certificated airlines specialize in carrying cargo and do not make any passenger flights.

Another important activity is the use of light planes to provide transportation. Most commuter airlines use flight planes to carry passengers—usually fewer than 20—on short flights. They serve many small communities and provide connecting flights to large airports. Most such services are operated by small companies that op­erate a few light planes, but some have planes large enough to carry more than 20 passengers.

Airlines have often had financial problems. In the 1970's, the U.S. government relaxed some of the controls on airlines and set a trend that spread throughout the world. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, many airlines reduced fares or operated various cheap ticket schemes to attract more passengers. But in the early 1990's, eco­nomic recession reduced the number of airline passen­gers. High operating costs, such as expensive jet fuel, and fierce competition among airlines, including those of the former Soviet Union, shook the industry. With too many airlines chasing too few passengers, some famous operators had to close. One such airline, Pan Am, went out of business in 1992. It had traded as a major U.S. air­line since 1927.

Airport operations. Airports provide the runways, navigation aids, and other ground facilities needed for air travel. Only a few of a country's airports have the fa­cilities to handle very large planes. The rest are small airfields that are only able to handle light planes. Cities or public corporations own many large airports. Some small airports are also publicly owned, but most of them are private airfields owned by organizations or individu­als. See Airport.

Aviation support industries provide a wide variety of supplies and services to airlines, airports, pilots, and passengers. Some companies furnish repair services or fuel for aeroplanes. Freight forwarders make arrange­ments for carrying air cargo. Various food services pre­pare meals to be served on passenger flights. Some in­surance brokers specialize in flight insurance, and some lawyers specialize in air law. Private weather bureaus supply pilots with weather information not provided by government weather services.

Future of the industry. In the 1970^rs, aircraft build­ers in the U.S.A. and Europe reacted to predicted in­creases in passenger numbers by producing large multi-engined jet transports such as the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. These planes were capable of carrying hun­dreds of people. But in the early 1990's, economic reces­sion compelled aircraft operators to demand planes with lower running costs and better fuel economy. The modern trend is for manufacturers to build larger aero­planes with fewer but larger engines.

Crowded flying conditions mean that many large air­ports have more air traffic than they can handle effi­ciently. At certain busy times, aircraft sometimes have to wait for long periods before they can take off or land. Arranging time slots for aircraft, improving the flow of air traffic, and using improved navigational aids are among proposed measures that may help reduce de­lays.

To avoid environmental problems, especially noise pollution, airports are built far outside major cities. This means that people have to travel long distances to get to them. Engineers have tried developing quiet, medium­sized planes that need short runways or no runways at all. These STOL (Short Take-Off and landing) or VTOL (Vertical take-0ff and landing) aircraft could use special airports built close to cities. This could relieve conges­tion and delays at major airports. But the development and operation of city airports have so far proved expen­sive. In addition, few people are ready to support the building of such airports because they fear environmen­tal problems. London City Airport is a rare example of a successful airport of this kind. See also V/STOL

Manufacturers continually try to develop faster air­craft. In the 1960's, French and UK manufacturers coop­erated in building Concorde, the first supersonic trans­port (SST), capable of carrying passengers and cargo at speeds much faster than that of sound. Concorde proved to be a successful aeroplane, but the cost of its development was very high. Although U.S. and UK air­craft builders continue to study the idea of more ad­vanced SSTs, these vehicles are no longer high on the list of priorities. Some form of spaceplane, called a sub- orbital transport [SOD is likely to be more important in future development. The SOT will take off like an aero­plane but will be able to make part of its flight through space. Thus, a flight aboard an SOT from London to Syd­ney could take as little as 90 minutes.

Aircraft for use in hilly or island areas are specially designed for short take-off or landing distances.

Almost from the beginning of the aviation industry, the governments of most nations have been deeply in­volved in its activities. Aeroplanes have such great im­portance as weapons of war that many countries have encouraged and financed improvements in aeroplane design for military reasons. Most nations have also sup­ported the development of civil aviation (the operation of nonmilitary aircraft).

Governments regulate certain aspects of aviation in the interests of safety. As a result, most countries have agencies to enforce air safety regulations and to handle various economic matters relating to aviation. In addi­tion, most countries belong to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This is an agency of the United Nations (UN), to which almost every country be­longs. This agency promotes the growth of civil aviation throughout the world and encourages international flight safety. It sets common air standards among its members and seeks to increase cooperation on other aspects of international aviation.

Aviation agencies and organizations

Aviation agencies. The ICAO is one of several regu­latory agencies throughout the world. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) makes regulations concerning air safety. It establishes the rules that all planes must follow when flying in the United States. One of the agency's most important jobs is to op­erate a network of air route traffic control centres throughout the United States and its territories. Each control centre uses radar and radio communication to help aeroplanes in its vicinity follow the airways, or air routes, to which they are assigned (see Aeroplane (Flight navigation!). The FAA also issues licences to pi­lots. In addition, every newly manufactured aeroplane must have an FAA certificate of airworthiness before it may be flown. This certificate states that the aeroplane has been inspected and is in good flying condition. Sim­ilar regulatory activities are carried out by other national agencies, such as the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Almost every nation has an agency to regulate and improve aviation within its borders. These agencies han­dle airport construction, registration of aeroplanes and pilots, and other similar kinds of issues. Many local gov­ernments around the world also have aviation agencies to deal with the operation and maintenance of local air­ports.

Other aviation organizations include associations of airline operators, aeroplane manufacturers, and pi­lots. Operators of international airlines in countries throughout the world belong to the International Air Transport Association (see International Air Transport Association).

History of the aviation industry

Beginnings. The successful aeroplane flights of the Americans Orville and Wilbur Wright in 1903 marked the beginning of the practical aviation industry. After these flights, the Wright brothers tried to interest the U.S. and various European governments in buying the design for their plane. But they had made only a few public flights, and government leaders were not con­vinced that their plane could fly.

Meanwhile, a few European inventors had also built aeroplanes. In the 1890's, the German glider pioneer Otto Lilienthal had manufactured a limited production series of special gliders for experimental use. Unfortu­nately Lilienthal's aeronautical theories were wrong, and he died in an accident involving one of his own gliders. In 1905, two French fliers, the brothers Charles and Ga­briel Voisin, started making a few made-to-order planes at a small factory outside Paris. Within a few years, other European fliers also started manufacturing aeroplanes. They included Louis Bleriot and the brothers Henri and Maurice Farman in France; and Frederick Flandley Page, A. V. Roe, and T. O. M. Sopwith in the United Kingdom.

In 1908, Colin Defries claimed the first powered flight in Australia. He flew a Wright biplane at Sydney's Victo­ria Park racecourse on Dec. 18,1909. But this flight was not properly controlled. There is also no firm evidence from witnesses to support claims made on behalf of Fred Custance, a young Australian mechanic, who is said to have flown nearly 5 kilometres near Adelaide on March 17,1910. But the next day, the great magician Harry Houdini flew about 3 kilometres near Melbourne, in front of nine witnesses. John R. Duigan flew the first Australian-made aeroplane on July 16, 1910. In 1911, W. E. Flart, a Sydney dentist, became the first person in Australia to be awarded a pilot's certificate.

The world's first great aviation meeting was held near Reims, France, in 1909. Thirty-eight aeroplanes were on show, and the outstanding machine was Henri Farman's

biplane. Six of the machines on show were offered for sale to the public—a sign of growing confidence in the reliability of the aeroplane. More shows followed in both Europe and the U.S.A.

The Wrjght brothers had made their first official pub­lic flight in 1908 and amazed the world with their aero­plane's flying ability. That same year, the U.S. Army Sig­nal Corps ordered a specially built Wright plane. This was the world's first military plane. In November 1909, a group of wealthy investors put up the money for the Wrights to start a manufacturing firm, the Wright Com­pany. The company had its factory in Dayton, Ohio, and its headquarters in New York City. In the autumn of 1909, another U.S. aviation pioneer, Glenn L. Martin, began to, manufacture aeroplanes in an abandoned church in Cal­ifornia. Within a few years, his company became a lead­ing U.S. producer of military planes.

The first flying regulations. In 1905, a group of French flying enthusiasts established the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAD in Paris. One of the FAI's main duties was to regulate the sport of flying. It also ruled on world speed, altitude, and other flying rec­ords. The FAI still has this function.

In 1908, Kissimmee, Florida, U.S.A., passed the world's first law regulating aeroplanes. The law required the registration of local aircraft and regulated their speed and altitude when flying over the town.

World War I (1914-1918). When World War I began in Europe, even the largest aeroplane factories turned out only a few planes a year. But the factories quickly in­creased their production to meet the new demands.

During World War I, the British aircraft industry pro­duced more than 55,000 aircraft, and by 1918, employed nearly 350,000 people. The United States entered the war in 1917 with about 110 military planes.

After Wilbur Wright's death in 1912, Orville sold his interest in the Wright company, which continued in pro­duction under the Wright name. Aeroplane builders used newly designed engines to put fighters and bombers into the skies. Such well-known European manufac­turers as Farman, Handley Page, and Voisin built many of these planes. Other European manufacturers also became famous for their warplanes. They included Morane-Saulnier and Nieuport in France; Fokker and Junkers in Germany; and Bristol, De Havilland, Hawker, Short, and Vickers in the United Kingdom. By 1919, de­signers had created aircraft such as the British Vickers Vimy bomber and the American Curtiss NC-4, which successfully flew across the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1916, two aeroplane companies were established on the West Coast of the United States. They were the Boeing Company, founded in Seattle by William E. Boe­ing, and the Lockheed Corporation, founded in Santa Barbara, California, by the brothers Allan and Malcolm Loughead. These companies joined the existing Curtiss and Martin companies founded before World War I. In time, Boeing and Lockheed became two of the world's leading aircraft manufacturers.

The first airlines. The Wright brothers and other early fliers occasionally took passengers for short plane rides. In 1910, a Wright aeroplane flew 32 kilograms of silk from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio—perhaps the first air freight shipment in history. The world's first regular aeroplane passenger service began in the United States in 1914, but it lasted only a few months. A pilot named Tony Jannus used a small seaplane to fly passengers across Tampa Bay in Florida. On May 15,1918, the U.S. government started the world's first permanent airmail service. Army pilots flew the mail between New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.

After World War I, thousands of military planes be­came available for civilian use. In 1919, bombers were used to start nearly 20 small passenger airlines in France, Germany, the UK, and several other European countries. One of these airlines, founded by Henri and Maurice Farman, began the world's first regular interna­tional airline service. The company used old Farman bombers to make weekly passenger flights between Paris and Brussels, Belgium. The UK's first regular inter­national airline service started in 1919, between London and Paris. In 1924, several private British airlines com­bined to form Imperial Airways. This company, with government backing, built up a large network of inter­national routes during the 1920's and 1930's.

By 1924, passenger airlines were operating in 17 Eu­ropean countries as well as in Africa, Australia, and South America. Several of these airlines are still active. They include the Netherlands' Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), Belgium's SABENA World Airlines, Germany's Lufthansa, and Australia's Queensland and Northern Ter­ritory Aerial Services (Qantas).

Internal services in Australia had begun in 1912 when the government accepted Norman Brearley's tender for a weekly service between Derby and Geraldton in West­ern Australia. Hudson Fysh and P.). McGinnesS, together with Queensland graziers, founded Qantas in 1920. In 1922, Qantas won a contract for a service between Char- leville and Cloncurry. In 1934, Qantas joined with Impe­rial Airways in opening the first air service between the UK and Australia.

Most of the early airlines were founded as private companies. But beginning in the mid-1920's, the govern­ments of many countries started to combine two or more private airlines to form a large national airline, fol­lowing the example of the UK's Imperial Airways. The United States went against this trend when, in 1926, it turned over all airline activities to the private sector.

Aviation progress. During the early 1920's, most passenger airlines lasted only a few months because they could not attract enough customers. Most people considered flying a dangerous sport rather than a safe means of transportation. Government's main interest in aviation was to improve airmail service. To help the mail pilots fly their old, open-cockpit planes at night, beacon lights were installed at intervals at airports along the route. Each light could be seen 80 kilometres away.

Airmail and passenger services developed steadily during the later 1920's. By the end of 1926,11 companies were carrying mail between major U.S. cities. Some also carried passengers. Henry Ford, the famous American car manufacturer, made an important contribution to passenger air transport when he financed the develop­ment of the first multi-engined, all-metal aeroplane. This made passenger flight much safer.

The industry comes of age. Air transport continued to grow during the early 1930's. By 1935, the United States had four major domestic airlines—American, East­ern, Transcontinental and Western Air (today called Trans World Airlines), and United. Smaller U.S. domestic airlines included Braniff, Delta, and Northwest. The country also had a major international airline—Pan American World Airways. Aer Lingus was formed in Ire­land in 1936. The British airline Imperial Airways ex­tended its routes across India to Burma and Malaya, to Australia, and to South Africa. The German airline Luft­hansa built up an extensive network of services in Eu­rope, and also to Asia and South America. Five airlines combined to form Air France in 1933. Australia also de­veloped a successful airline network.

To meet the growing demand for faster, larger airlin­ers, manufacturers began to produce such planes as the U.S. Boeing 247 and the Douglas DC-2 and DC-3. The DC-3 appeared in 1935 and soon became the world's most popular transport plane. A number of companies, including Martin (now Martin Marietta Corporation) and Sikorsky in the United States and Short in the UK, started to make seaplanes called flying boats, in the 1930's, airlines used them to make the first passenger flights across oceans. New firms were also started or formed by merger in the 1930's, such as North American Aviation and United Aircraft (now United Technologies), which took over Sikorsky and the engine-maker Pratt and Whitney.

By the late 1930^rs, flying had become an important means of travel in almost every part of the world. In the world's airlines carried nearly 3| million pas­sengers.

Australia in particular had a successful and advanced internal airline network by the late 1930's. The Holy- mans, a family of Australian aviation pioneers, had es­tablished Australian National Airlines (ANA). In 1936, Reginald Ansett, a passenger car operator in Victoria, launched Ansett Airways.

This graph shows the growth of passenger traffic for the world and for the United States since 1930. Passenger traffic, especially the world total, has risen sharply since 1965.

World War II (1939-1945). The peace treaty that ended World War I banned the manufacture of military aircraft in Germany. Nevertheless, several German air­craft firms were founded during the 1920's. They in­cluded the famous Heinkel and Messerschmitt compa­nies. In the mid-1930's, Heinkel, Messerschmitt, and older German firms, such as Fokker and Junkers, se­cretly made bombers and fighters for the German air force. On Sept. 1,1939, German warplanes attacked Po­land, and World War II began. One European country after another fell to the Germans. Finally, the UK was left nearly alone to fight off the German air force. United Kingdom companies, such as Avro, De Havilland, Hand­ley Page, Hawker, Supermarine, and Vickers, quickly in­creased their production of warplanes.

The United States produced about 2,100 military planes in 1939. Both Germany and Japan had larger air forces. The huge Mitsubishi corporation produced many of Japan's warplanes, including the famous Zero fighter. The French, Soviet, and UK air forces were also each bigger than that of the United States. But in 1939 and 1940, the U.S. government ordered more warplanes and the construction of more factories to build them. After the United States became involved in the war at the end of 1941, U.S. aeroplane production increased greatly. More than 40 companies took part in a gigantic effort to supply the United States and its allies with mili­tary planes. By 1944, production had reached nearly transport planes, bombers, and fighters a year.

Growth of airline cargo traffic

By the end of the war, U.S. factories had built more than aircraft. Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union, and the UK had also produced many thousands of planes. During the war, aircraft production had become the world's leading manufacturing industry.

This graph shows the growth of world cargo traffic since 1945, when accurate world to­tals became available. Cargo traffic has increased sharply since 1960. The graph also shows the growth of cargo traffic in the United States, which has about a quarter of the world's total.

A new age of flight The first jet aeroplane flew in and other experimental models followed in 1941 and 1942. By the end of World War II, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States had developed operational jet aircraft for military use. After the war, American manufacturers developed large, propeller- driven transports that could fly thousands of kilometres without refuelling.

They included the Douglas DC-7, the Boeing 347, and the Lockheed Super-Constellation.

In 1952, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) started jet passenger flights with De Havilland Comets. But the flights were stopped after several Comets ex­ploded in the air. Investigators discovered serious flaws in the plane's structure. De Havilland engineers then de­signed an improved Comet. In 1958, BOAC used the new Comets to begin jet passenger service across the Atlantic. American companies also built successful jet transports in the late 1950's and these aircraft quickly dominated international air transportation. The most successful was the Boeing 707, which began services across the Atlantic and across the United States in 1959. See Aeroplane (The jet age).

The beginning of jet airline service created new chal­lenges. Large jetliners carried nearly 200 passengers, and the crash of one of these planes could cause heavy loss of life. In addition, new hazards were created along the world's air routes as aeroplanes flew faster and in greater numbers than ever before. This made it essential to set up improved regulatory bodies such as the United States' Federal Aviation Agency. It was renamed the Fed­eral Aviation Administration in 1967.

Since World War II, several modern companies have been formed through mergers. They include, for exam­ple, McDonnell Douglas Corporation (1967), Rockwell International Corporation (1973), and British Aerospace (1981) among aircraft manufacturers, and United Airlines (1961) and British Airways (1973) among airlines. A spate of mergers took place in the late 1980's and early 1990's, in which several companies were taken over by other companies. A number of famous airlines went out of business during this period.

During the 1960's, airliner hijacking, or air piracy, be­came a serious problem. In 1970, hijackers throughout the world seized more than 90 airliners and forced the pilots to fly to destinations off their routes, often to other countries, in addition, airliners increasingly be­came targets of terrorism related to international politi­cal tensions. During the late 1980's, terrorists bombed several jumbo jets in flight In one such incident in 1988, a Pan Am transport exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people aboard and 11 people on the ground. This threat to air transport brought greater se­curity measures at airports, and calls for greater cooper­ation between national law enforcement bodies to com­bat terrorism. See Hijacking; Terrorism.

By 1970, jet transports had replaced propeller-driven planes on most major airlines. In 1970, the U.S. airline Pan Am became the first airline to offer jumbo jet serv­ice, using Boeing 747's. France and the UK began pas­senger service with their SST, Concorde, in 1976.

The late 1970 s saw the introduction of modern low- fare, no-frills air travel. In 1977, the UK airline Laker Air­ways brought in its Skytrain service, but was forced out of business in 1982. However, Skytrain helped pave the way for cheap transatlantic flights by such airlines as Virgin Atlantic.

In 1978, the U.S. Congress passed the Airline De­regulation Act. Under it the U.S. Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), which had regulated the activities of U.S. airlines up until then, relaxed some of its controls in order to promote greater competition among operators. In 1984, the CAB itself was abolished. In the 198ffs and 1990's, other countries followed the United States in deregulat­ing airline activities.

Related articles. See Aeroplane with its list of Related arti­cles and the Transportation section of the various country, and continent articles. See also the following articles:

Biographies

Ansett, Sir Reginald    

Fysh, Sir Hudson

Bleriot, Louis     

Hughes, Howard R.

Curtiss, Glenn H.        

Link, Edwin A.

De Havilland, Sir Geoffrey    

Qantas

De Seversky, Alexander P.    

Sikorsky, Igor I.

Douglas, Donald W.    

Wright brothers

Fokker, Anthony H. G.

Other related articles

jet stream

Manufacturing

Radar

Test pilot

Transportation

Outline

The aviation industry

Aircraft manufacturing

General aviation activities

Airline operations

Airport operations

Aviation support industries

Future of the industry

Aviation agencies and organizations

Aviation agencies

Other aviation organizations

History of the aviation industry

Questions

What is the Flying Doctor Service?

What are the responsibilities of the International Civil Aviation

Organization?

How do scheduled airline flights differ from charter flights? When was the first international air show?

What challenges were created by the beginning of jet airline service?

Who started the world's first aeroplane-manufacturing com­pany? Where?

What is the aerospace industry?

When were the first passenger flights made across oceans? Which airline was the first to offer jumbo jet service?