Aviation

       For thousands of years people dreamed of having the ability

To fly. Now flying is a part of everyday life.

       Aviation has brought truly revolutionary changes, especially

Since World War II. For one thing, the aeroplane has shrunk the

World in terms of travel time. No place in the world is more than

24 hours away from any other by air. A traveler can board a plane

In New York and arrive in London in less than four hours. This trip

Would have taken several days on the fastest ocean liner before

World War II. (it took Columbus 70 days to sail from Spain to the

West Indies). It is not unusual for business executives to fly to a

Meeting several hundred kilometers away – and return home the

Same day.

        Aeroplanes also are useful to industry. They speed goods from

Factories to waiting customers in a fraction of the time it would

Take by train or truck. Aeroplanes take vaccines, antibiotics, and

Other lifesaving drugs, as well as food, to victims of earthquakes,

Floods, and other disasters. Aeroplanes are used to round up cattle

And to spray crops. The growth of aviation has led to new occupation

Calling for special skills and has created new job opportunities.

         Aviation has made other changes, too. It has made war more

Devastating than was ever imagined in the past. Supersonic bombers

And missiles can carry deadly weapons to any spot on the globe.

         Aviation is bringing the peoples of the world closer together

And helping them to understand one another better. And aviation

Makes it possible for the leaders of nations to meet quickly face to face

To settle emergencies. Finally, the aeroplane and its “child”, the space

Vehicle, have opened new areas for exploration and discovery in outer

Space.