I love my job! I’ve flown airplanes more than 40 years in both the Air Force and for Southwest Airlines. I particularly relish the commercial aviation environment: leading-edge technology, effective management, government and private cooperation, and disciplined professionals. With its deep American roots, our aviation heritage can be source of proud reflection.
The experience began with the race to invent a flying machine in the early 1900s. Professor Samuel P. Langley, the foremost authority in aerodynamics, received a grant from the federal government to build an airplane. His grand Aerodrome experiment ended with a disappointing splash before journalists summoned to witness the spectacle in October 1903.
Meanwhile, self-financed Orville and Wilbur Wright experimented with gliders, using different wing designs they perfected in their own wind tunnel. They discovered the numerical values Dr. Langley and others were using for aerodynamic lift formulas were wrong. By working endless hours and applying the correct values, they successfully flew two months after Langley’s federally funded failure. It was a true American success story.
Their flying machine created a sensation abroad, and aviation technology took off in Europe; however, the Wrights encountered huge lawsuits that stymied development of the new industry in America. It wasn’t until 1927 that Charles Lindbergh, a young air mail pilot and college dropout, put the United States atop the aviation world by flying solo from New York to Paris.
Despite a worldwide depression in the early 1930s, the love affair with aviation continued as fledgling companies like McDonnell, Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed laid the foundations of a mighty industry. Americans were enthralled by air races and barnstormers who crisscrossed the country. In the 1940s, the national focus changed to subduing fascism, and air power played a huge role.
Following the war, commercial aviation took advantage of a wealth of military knowledge to serve an increasingly affluent American public. Although the jet engine wasn’t invented in America, it was perfected in American laboratories by American engineers and test pilots. Fast and comfortable, long distance, domestic and international travel that formerly required days was completed in hours.
To accommodate the massive expansion in air travel, our government invested millions of dollars in the Federal Aviation Administration to create a template of air traffic control. Using radar, long-range radio communication, weather forecasting, and procedures developed to manage massive aircraft movements during World War II and the Berlin Airlift, the FAA developed safe and efficient procedures still used around the world today.
The FAA also oversees the licensing and evaluation of airline pilots and companies, and it enforces regulations to ensure both pilots and their companies adhere to strict guidelines. The process required for pilots to break into the major airlines is long and difficult. Major airlines require military flight experience or many hours of flying for commuter carriers or corporate operations.
In addition to hiring experienced aviators, successful airlines generally hire smart management folks to navigate unpredictable economies, fuel prices, international opportunities and emerging technologies. Given that airlines operate on thin profit margins and that an accident can cost $1.5-$2 billion, hiring the best pilots possible, using technology effectively and providing outstanding training are critical. My former chief executive officer, Herb Kelleher, said, “We manage in the good times to prepare for the bad times.” His philosophy has yielded positive results every quarter since our founding in 1971.
Despite the success of American aviation, anytime mankind breaks “the surly bonds of earth” (from “High Flight”) there is potential of an accident. Yet, despite the sensation they create, accidents are rare. PBS.org reports your chances of being killed in an aircraft accident are one in 11 million versus one in 5,000 in an automobile.
American aviation reflects the American spirit as it rewards hard work, determination and competence. It has provided, in the words of astronaut Neil Armstrong: “One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”
Roger Smith lives in Soddy-Daisy and is a frequent contributor to the Free Press editorial page. He is the author of “American Spirit.”