Initially, there were two design ethos for fighter aircraft during World War 2: A heavy fighter that turned slowly at low speeds, but retained its energy well; and a light fighter that had opposite features. For years, I’ve pondered the six years of evolution these aircraft went through that ended with the culling of lighter fighters. Every aircraft had to be designed to account for many variables including weight, drag coefficient, and performance at different altitudes. So why did fighter planes become so stilted to the “heavy” ethos. By inspecting the history behind the aircraft, I found that pilots learned to wield the energy of a plane to keep their speed, a factor that was then catered by engineers. My interest in engineering, however, …show more content…
Inside informatics class, I worked in a four-man group to design theoretical product over the course of a quarter. At first, I had trouble getting the cooperation of my classmates. We all came from very different walks of life and developed different views of approach. None of us, however, were incompetent. I learned several lessons from working in that group. First, sacrifice works well to create unity in a group. By spending a night working on the first group assignment by myself when nobody else could, I built loyalty in my team. Second, I have to work on my leadership. I didn’t have a strong enough vision to guide my team through a few checkpoints. In hindsight, the engineering method pairs well with informatics. Finally, I have to improve my speaking ability. My social anxiety has to come under further control so that I can speak with more conviction. When I combine the engineering aspect of my interest onto the aeronautical history part of it, it develops into an interest in the AA department. From the lessons I learned in Informatics, I built experience in team based projects and came to an understanding of my shortcomings that I plan to work on in the AA department. If I’m able to get accepted into the department, then I hope that when I leave, I’ll to be able to improve what I work on in a similar way that World War 2 engineers did: finding the better
In today’s world, the use of airplanes in wars or in everyday life has become a part of how we live as human beings. Removing the air forces of the world is like taking a step back in time when wars were only fought on land or sea. WWI began only eleven short years after the Wright brothers achieved powered flight in 19031 and yet aircrafts were being used for surveillance and eventually combat purposes. It is understood that these aircrafts were primitive, but they laid down the foundation for what we know today as fighter jets. The Fokker Eindecker “revolutionized air combat by successfully employing a synchronized forward -firing machine gun mounted on the engine cowling”2. Because this airplane became the first to successfully use a synchronized machine gun, it allowed its pilots to become the first aerial combat tactitions3.
Major Ted Tolman’s F-105 Thud fighter/bomber streaked through the air at just under the speed of sound. His aircraft performed modestly at best, struggling to maintain its speed and altitude under the heavy load of ordinance and fuel it carried under its wings (Patrick).
The First World War was monumental in history because of all the new technology that was introduced. One particular area that developed during the Great War was the use of airplanes by the German and Allied militaries. In comparison, they both had different mentalities towards an invention that was only made successful less than a decade before the outbreak of war in 1914 by the Wright Brothers in North Carolina, United States. The German Military welcomed the idea with open arms, investing in its potential for military uses, whereas the Allies remained reserved and hesitant, claiming that aircraft could not be used for anything more offensive than reconnaissance missions. These differences in opinions later affected the development of each air force. The German military kept making consistent improvements to their equipment whereas the allied pilots were slow in their respective air force evolution. However, there was a common progression that both militaries had which was the slow phasing out of the cavalry on either side due to the effectiveness of the aircrafts reconnaissance and battle capabilities. During the World War One, the German military took advantage of the new technology available to them, which gave significant results, whereas the Allies had a more traditional mindset and followed behind at a slower pace.
In the years WW2 was being fought plane designs progressed in leaps and bounds. From the old and obsolete designs of biplanes and triplanes the planes turned into worlds first Jet fighter, from ugly twin engine
World War II was one of the deadliest military conflicts in history. There were many different battles that took place within this war; some more important than others. World War II began once Germany’s new dictator, Adolf Hitler, decided that he wanted to gain power for Germany and for himself. One of Hitler’s first moves in power was invading Poland on September 1, 1939. Many other countries became involved in this war because of the alliance system. The two sides during this war were the Allies and Axis powers. German, Italy and Japan were on the Axis powers; France, Britain, and the United States were on the Allies. Germany first began with the Blitzkrieg tactic meaning “lightning war”. This tactic is based on speed, surprise and was the most popular tactic. It is set up with military forces based around tanks which are supported by planes and infantry. The Blitzkrieg tactic lead to air wars with airplanes between countries. All of the countries were allowed to participate in the air wars but the four main countries were United States, Japan, Britain, and Germany. During the 1920’s and 1930’s airplanes grew in size and structure giving them more power, and making planes more effective. Planes made it easier to drop bombs, or plan attacks. All of these countries fought over air superiority. Air superiority is the position in which the air force has control over all of the air warfare and air power of the opposing forces. Germany began with air superiority but they lost it when Britain defeated them at the Battle of Britain. Gaining control over the air is a very big advantage because it is easier to plan an attack on an opposing country. All of the countries relied on their aircrafts during this war. The issue about the use of...
World War II, the most dreadful conflict in human history, presented a new way of warfare. With new technological advancements, war was no longer fought on the ground in trenches like the previous World War had primarily done. World War II presented warfare fought immensely in the air, sea, and land as well. Throughout the European and Pacific theatres, Allied and Axis powers both utilized aircraft in bombing, supporting ground troops, and combating other enemy aircraft in air to air dogfights. As the importance of air superiority became apparent to the Allies, a need for a better, more durable aircraft engine was evident. Through the design and implementation of the Merlin engine, the allies were greatly able to turn the tides of the war,
It was made clear in our first seminar that there would be group presentations in the subsequent seminars and everybody would be given the chance to speak. This was to ensure that at the end of year, we would not be having any stuttering problems or major tension in facing the class during our presentation week. I realized along the way, that this not only helped me improve my presentation skills but it helped me get closer to the subject marketing. What I feared was so temporary; before long I enjoyed my marketing class more. I looked forward to those group activities, in which we were given time to converse, to find out about each other and also to know what exactly we were learning. It was through these activities I understood the subject more intensely.
In order to evaluate my role within the group, it is important to identify what makes a group. A group must firstly consist of more than three members, “Two members have personal relationships; with three or more there is a change in quality” of the personal relationship. (Bion 1961, p26) The group must have a common purpose or a goal in order to succeed. Having now completed my group work task, I can look back and reflect upon the process that my group went through to get to the presentation end point.
When I was seventeen I nervously traveled about 350 miles from my sleepy little home town of Freedom, Wyoming to the relatively enormous city of Boise, Idaho to go to the Military Entrance Processing Station. This wasn 't the first time I had been this far from home by myself, but it was the first time I was making adult decisions without my parents involvement. When it came time for me to choose my job in the army the counselors presented me with a long list that I qualified for. I got tired of scrolling and reading so I chose the first job that I actually understood. I returned home and excitedly told my parents that I would be an infantry soldier. My dad 's response to this might be considered a little less than heart warming “You dumb ass. Why didn 't you choose
Following the devastation of trench warfare during World War I, early airpower theorist believed strategic bombing could be the new way to win wars and reduced the number of lives lost. Theorist like, Guilio Douhet, Hugh Trenchard, and William “Billy” Mitchel became pioneers and advocates of strategic bombing. They believed striking the enemy’s troops, war-marking industry, and vital centers would produce a decisive victory. The airpower theory would be a key element to the Allies strategy in Second World War (WW2). Leaders in Britain and the United States believed Germany was a greater threat than Japan. Thus, the airpower strategy of the European theater of operation became the primary focus. Allied airpower was decisive in the European theater of WW2. The combination of strategic and tactical airpower produced the defeat of the Luftwaffe and the Third Reich.
From the beginning, where we were unfamiliar with each other and became a team, my team and I had started to learn each other name and getting to know each other. Throughout each meeting, we slowly start to feel more comfortable and open minded with each other. Not only are we getting familiar with each other, each meeting that was held we progress of becoming an effective team member, we learn our strengths and weaknesses of everyone. During the meetings, we learn many concepts from the textbook, “Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices” by Steven A. Beebe and John T. Masterson. We were able to learn different types of concept in the textbook and utilized it as a team to complete certain tasks. The three concepts that impacted my team and I are human
I have been blessed to have led a highly fulfilling career over the past 22 years. The Air Force’s standards of conduct and performance have helped me mature into an adult while creating lasting memories along the way. I have had the opportunity to make significant contributions to my country that offer a sense of pride and personal achievement. My current duties allow me to directly contribute to the Air Force and Joint arena on an almost daily basis. Joining the Air Force helped me to realize I had undertaken a task bigger than myself.
Throughout this semester I have learned so much about myself in many different aspects. I learned that I am the direction south and the color blue. For one thing I know that I want to hear what everybody’s opinion before make a decision. I have learned things about my personality that are will be benefit and things that are not a great when working in groups. For example I am a very cooperative person but I am also very dependent on others for ideas. I also learned that I am a collaborator when it comes to being a team player. I try to keep the group focused on the goals and purpose of the activity. I am also the team player that will do whatever it takes to get the team to reach the final goal. Throughout the semester I have improved my skills and realize what areas I need to improve in communication, working in groups, and organization.
In order to succeed, a group must have team members with strong, personal qualities. One of these qualities would be encouraging group members to stay on task and work more efficiently. During the “ramp lab”, which was our first formal lab, “my group members motivated me to work fast, since we were kind of behind compared to the other groups” (logbook 9/19). This trait pulled us through the lab and was the difference between a passing and failing grade. Another trait that is observed in a strong team member would be the ability to focus and stay on task without being distracted by outside influences. While working on the rubber band lab, “I kind of dr...
Realizing that a group can become a high performance team is important. Accomplishing this goal is invaluable, advantageous and profitable. Once able to operate from a group to the high performing team is a great step into preparation into the big business world. Leaders and members must also realize not only how to accomplish this but that some problems will and can arise from different demographic characteristics and cultural diversity. That is if one is in such a group, which the probability would be quite high.