Industrial Revolution and the Emergence of Aviation - Essay Example

In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers invented the first practical balloon that demonstrated the flight of hot air balloon (“Early balloon flight in Europe’). 227 years later in 2011, we use supersonic aircrafts that exceed the speed of sound. This rapidity in growth can be greatly attributed to the potential of industrial revolution. During the 18th and 19th century, aviation sector mainly depended upon manpower that included skilled and unskilled labor. As a result, labors were forced to spend long and tedious hours in manufacturing factories.

In fact, great skill are required even today in aircraft designing and flying as these processes are highly complex in nature (‘Aircraft design engineer”). However, skilled labors were not adequately available during that time in order to cater the needs of the aviation sector; this situation impeded the growth of aviation sector. The emergence of industrial revolution gave a new life to aviation sector since the manpower was largely replaced with machinery. Therefore, aircraft manufactures could effectively replace their unskilled workers with technically improved machinery which greatly assisted them to minimize production costs to a large extent.

The replacement of human labors with machinery also aided the aviation industry to complete more tasks within a short period of time. Since the aviation sector mainly depended on human labors prior to the emergence of industrial revolution, it had production limitations. Hence, the industrial revolution contributed greatly to aviation when this process enabled the aircraft manufactures to undertake mass production. Evidently mass production can offer considerable profit to aviation industry as bulk purchase of raw materials and other large scale operations would assist the aircraft companies to minimize their production costs.

Bulk production and thereby increased productivity aided the aviation sector to promote the air travel as a most effective way of transportation; and in turn, aviation sector could realize higher rates of revenues. The industrial revolution also stimulated commerce once it had significantly reduced all production barriers. According to Talloo (2007, pp. 9-10), commerce and industrial growth are closely related concepts according to which one behind is always trying to catch up with the other.

While going through aviation history timeline, it is obvious that aircraft designers initially developed simple structures since they could not even imagine making complex aircraft parts by the application of technology. The emergence of improved technologies that are attributed to industrial revolution inspired aircraft designers to initiate more and more innovations. This inspiration was further encouraged when aircraft manufactures could effectively market the broad scope of aviation. The development of rail, water transportation was another significant milestone in the history of aviation.

Canals were dug during the 18th and 19th century with intent to connect the main rivers for the easy transportation of coal and other heavy goods (‘History of industrial revolution’). Some railway lines were also built in several places where digging canals was a difficult task. These transportation systems were very beneficial to the aviation industry as it assisted the aircraft manufactures to bring heavy weighted raw materials to the production site easily. Subsequently, percentage of farmers in the total population declined as the industrial re