Up,
up, and away. Do you suppose Orville
Wright had any idea of the enormity
of his invention? That the world
would be forever changed, by the
single possible opportunity of
flight?
Airlines, cell phones, and automobiles
have made possible the most mobile
society in the history of the world.
Airlines have made possible the movement
of man from one side of the continent
to the other in just a few short hours.
How did this great marvel of machine
come into existence? It all began with
a thought. The thought developed into
an idea. And because two men believed
in the possibility, the idea took shape
and form. An airplane was born.
Todays great jumbo jets have little
in common with the early mechanical
birds of flight, except the ability
to catapult man into the air. We
fly today as if it were one of the
most natural behaviors for mankind.
As if there has always been the opportunity
of flight. Past the point of invention,
the US Government was the first to
actually take flight to a commercial
level. A footnote here about the
government: If you will notice, some
of the greatest inventions of mankind
would never have gotten off the ground
were it not for the intervention
of the US government. Air mail service
was begun in the United States in
1918, and thus the commercial exploitation
of flight.
Since that point in time, the airplane
inventions and aircraft uses have
quadrupled. So have the airline companies.
Today we have Delta, Southwest, American
Airlines, TWA, United and Northwest.
These are just the national operators.
There are so many local, small airline
operators that we dont have room
to even begin. And, lets not forget
that the United States Air force
is as strong and flight ready as
ever. Boeing, perhaps the largest
manufacturer worldwide of airplanes,
sees to it that our government is
fully equipped for all sorts of airline
missions. The government has always
sponsored the advancement of flight,
whether by funding private ventures
or by allocating tax money to work
on research and development. One
more than one occasion our wonderfully
managed airlines have needed government
assistance to help bail them out
of bankruptcy proceedings. The greatest
thorn in the side of airline companies
in existence today is the inability
to operate profitably.
All airlines today offer daily services
to the major cities in the U.S.,
and most connect with the smaller
airlines in the rural areas of our
country. This is done so that service
is available to all travelers, in
the hopes of filling the aircraft
with as many paying passengers as
possible. Airlines must at some point
achieve the dream of profitable operation,
and begin to look at life in the
black, instead of the red.
Now, as you sit back in your nice,
air-conditioned flight seat, the
beautiful cloudless sky introducing
the sun, as it peeps over the horizon,
the history of the airplane and the
airline companies doesnt cross your
mind. You simply want to know what
movie theyre showing during the flight.
