In the years since the end of World War II, turbojet and turbofan-powered aircraft have come to dominate an increasingly large segment of aviation. The propeller-driven aircraft, however, still remains an important part of aviation, both in this country and in various other parts of the world. The new prop-driven aircraft that have appeared since 1950 differ little from the design configuration of those of the early years.

Bert and Dick Rutan, innovative aeronautical engineers, disagreed that prop driven aircraft did need remain static. They believe that the lack of new requirements by the FAA has kept aviation, especially general aviation, from being developed to its true potential. And to some extent this is true. The Rutan brothers believe that if the government would require structural and material changes, the aviation industry and aeronautical design would change dramatically just by using the new design concepts and new composite materials that are already available today.

The Jet Age
Jets were initially applied only to military aircraft. The first real test of jet airplanes was during the Korean war. The performance of these aircraft (jet fighters) and corresponding weapons resulted in capabilities far exceeding anything imagined in World War II. Speed, rate of climb, maneuverability, range, and payloads have increased spectacularly as a result of the engine and the radical changes required in aircraft design concepts with the use of the jet engine.

Perhaps the greatest impact of the jet engine on our modern way of life has been in the area of commercial transportation. Introduction of the jet-powered airliners in 1952 heralded the beginning of a revolution in both domestic and international air transportation -- but especially on the international scene. The modern jet -- with its high speed, economy, and jumbo size -- has made global transportation available to the entire world, not just the affluent.

Jet airplanes could climb faster and fly higher, which all areas of aviation found attractive. Because they operated at much higher temperatures, and required very expensive metal alloy components, this would ultimately affect aircraft reliability and longevity. In additional, jet engines used far greater amounts of fuel and the low takeoff speeds and these bigger, heavier airplanes required longer runways. All of the factors added up to greater costs initially. However, the benefits of the use of jet aircraft outweighed the disadvantages of the greater operating, design, and acquisition costs.

Rockets
No real survey of the history of flight can ignore the rocket. Rockets were first invented by the Chinese in 3,000 BC and were used in fireworks. Rockets work by shooting out a fast jet of gas, in order to produce a force in the opposite direction. There are both solid and liquid fuels used in rockets. Liquid fueled rockets were theorized as far back as 1896.

The first rocket engine was developed by the Germans during World War II. Germany's first women pilot, Hannah Reisch, was the test pilot. When the program to send man into space began, a way had to be found to get him there. In order to achieve the great speeds needed to put something in orbit, rockets have been stacked one upon the other, each one smaller than the one that propelled it. Today, of course, almost every space rocket uses several stages, usually two, and drops off each of the empty containers after the fuel is depleted. Because of the enormous costs to build these rockets they are then retrieved to be used again.