International travel has slowed down due to the COVID pandemic. But now that vaccines and more regulations are in place, it is interesting to see how the aviation industry will integrate. I think this can actually drive innovation in terms of aviation and protocols in the industry. What kind of progress has the aviation or aviation industry made over the years? I think it's fascinating and would quickly go over the progress we've made since the Wright brothers' first flight or plane.
The first successful aircraft
On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright successfully flew their first plane, which they made for 12 seconds over dunes in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They were the first to fly heavier than an airplane that was in flight. From 1900 to 1902, they performed several experiments with a dragon-like aircraft to test aerodynamic performance. Not coincidentally, Wright Brothers loved flying kites. Before the success, they tested over 200 different models that tested wing types and flyer models to improve performance while collecting data. During testing and manning of the practice tests on these models, Wright Brothers was then considered the best pilots in the world! They began making improvements to the engines after 1903 and based the engine's design on the car's internal combustion engine. Between 1903 and 1913, engine power improved drastically from 12 to 75 horsepower.
Modern aircraft for international travel
I came across this really cool article by National Geographic titled These 9 Planes Transformed the Plane over the last century that goes over some historical transformation models as well as some futuristic ones. It seems that NASA has made some cool designs, and Boeing and JetBlue Airways are working on a start-up for a hybrid electric 12-passenger aircraft.
Another site gives you a list of the US commercial aircraft fleet and the different types of popular aircraft today, but it's a shame you can not click on them for more information.
The most popular international travel aircraft is the Boeing 747. Three types of commercial aircraft used by Major Airlines provide a good overview of each of the popular aircraft.
The Boeing 747 "Jumbo Jet" tops the list of most popular aircraft, both for cargo and commercial flights, and the Boeing 747-400 model boasts widespread use among commercial airlines worldwide, including Delta Air Lines, United Continental and British Airways. (the latter is the world's largest operator of the Boeing 747.) The 747-400 jet has a broad body and characteristic upper deck shape, giving the aircraft a sort of "humpback" appearance.
The 747-400 is one of the fastest commercial jets in existence, not to mention the most reliable. Nevertheless, after more than a decade of operating these models, large airlines began retiring Boeing 747s in late 2017. Delta and United arranged dedicated farewell flights for their 747s, marking the four-engine aircraft's latest passenger flights with US airlines. Some non-US airlines still operate Boeing 747-400 aircraft, but not for very long - Qantas, for example, is scheduled to withdraw its aging jets by 2021. "
In a side note, the Boeing 737 MAX was cleared by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 20 months after the fleet was founded globally after two fatal accidents.
I'm quite interested in seeing what the aerospace and aviation industry has in store for us in the coming years and the effects on international travel, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Steve Dobbs