Is the aeroplane the greatest invention ever made by human beings? It is a fair question to ask, as it is the only invention that has put human beings and their physical bodies into our skies. Rockets may have superseded that achievement by going into space, but they grew out of the aeronautical industry in many ways and can be seen as the aeroplane’s direct descendant. Plus, not that many people have travelled by rocket into space at this juncture in time; that may soon change of course. The aeroplane, and the jet air liner in particular, has transported a huge number of people across the globe through the twenty and twenty first centuries.
Wings Which Span a Great Achievement
Birds fly across our skies and they had almost exclusive access to these sphere for much of the Earth’s history, especially the upper reaches of the skies. It was interesting to note, whilst watching the new Clint Eastwood directed film, Sully, that it was bird strikes that brought down the jet air passenger liner over the Hudson River. Perhaps it was payback time for us invading their space. The aeroplanes have multiplied over the decades and now criss cross the skies over the planet. It is quite amazing that we have so few airplane disasters.
The digital revolution that we are currently experiencing is making physical air travel obsolete really. When you think about it, how often do you really need to be physically somewhere else. Of course, tourism and recreational travel will always have an allure; but in terms of working with others who are elsewhere, we can communicate online pretty effectively. Our ideas and concepts can travel without the bodies and minds that thought of them. Life is becoming ever more sedentary in the modern age.
The aeroplane will always have a place in the hearts of adventurers and explorers. It is still the fastest way to reach exotic locations in far flung places. People will always remember the pioneers of the aeronautical industry, those brave souls who risked life and limb to reach some distant shore. These wings which span a great achievement, whether propelled by prop or jet engine, are our chance to soar above in the skies like birds. Humankind does not look up so often anymore, the skies and the stars are not so out of reach to many. Many of us look down now into the glowing screen of our phones.