Tracing the Growth of U.S. Airpower and the Aircraft Involved

摘要

The first acknowledged flight of a manned, powered aircraft took place in the United States in 1903. However, several years went by before the airplane was recognized and accepted in the U.S. as having any practical applications. Then in 1907, the U.S. military recognized aviation with the establishment of an Aeronautical Division in the U.S.Army Signal Corps. The U.S. Navy acknowledged a role for aviation in 1910. U.S. airpower was in its infancy when World War I broke out in Europe. Following the war, however, the U.S. airpower began to grow rapidly based on the lessons learned and on new technology. This paper traces the development of some of the aircraft involved in the growth of U.S. air power over the first century of its existence. The paper will consider many of these airplanes with a view toward the relation of aerodynamic research findings and the requirements for effective airpower. The research findings will be drawn from that conducted at the NACA/NASA aeronautical laboratories since the early 1920's. The paper also draws on the experience of the author who for over 65 years was involved in aerodynamic research with the NACA/NASA.