Growing Up Flying

Aviation, at its core, relies on continuous connection between the pilot and the ground as to ensure a safe environment for flight. Turkle, whom was analyzed in class, argues that children form addictions to communication if they live a 'tethered' life. In aviation, however, these 'addictions' turn into chores for most, continuously having to communicate between one-another so there are no mid-air collisions. Indeed both aviation and Turkle touch on different aspects of technology but it's worthwhile to note that on one hand communication is an essential tenet to an industry and communication is a commodity for individuals.

Putnam and Aviation

Putnam's ideas on human capital, physical capital, and social capital all play a key role in aviation. If you are trying to learn how to fly, it is much easier if you have a plane of your own, i.e. physical capital. This saves the trouble of having to rent a plane when you begin to charter flight lessons. Next, in order to make a career in flight, you must know individuals who are already in the system. This social capital can make or break your career in aviation. On a more fundamental note, individuals must have the capacity to grasp, understand, and learn aviation. This human capital aspect is vital for the industry to take flight.

Although Putnam's ideas focus primarily on how the internet acts on these different forms of capital, the aviation industry also requires these different factors in order for someone to pursue a career.

The Social Network

If anybody has seen the movie The Social Network, they would know the intricacies (or lack thereof) behind a company such as Facebook. Indeed the aviation industry works in similarly. In the movie, individuals sought to be connected via Facebook because it was popular. The same can be said for the aviation industry in the 1960s. It was considered 'cool' to be a pilot, and this holds true even to this day. Ever since the movie Top Gun came out, more and more people look at aviation and consider it to be popular and interesting.

The Matrix and the Future of Aviation

It's no secret that companies have been experimenting with AIs (artificial intelligence) controlling airplanes, and the movie The Matrix only emphasizes what can possibly happen. If, theoretically, The Matrix was created by humans with a set a given laws: how can The Matrix evolve to what was seen in the movie? All fantasies and hypotheticals aside, giving direct and full control of something to a machine can have consequences. As seen in the video embedded, there can be costly consequences for having a machine control everything in aviation. Although the motives for designing such a device are to negate human error: there still poses a much greater risk if the machine malfunctions when the plane is full of people.

In addition, it begs the question as to what is the future of autopilot. Autopilot is nothing more than a computer program that will control the aircraft's heading, pitch, altitude, and speed based on the pilot's settings. If this program malfunctions, what are the consequences? Although the consequences in this day and age wouldn't be alarming, imagine what would happen when the autopilot system began to actually control the plane fully and not just to hold a heading.

Barlow and Aviation

It might be hard to imagine, but aviation can be related to Barlow's ideas. Barlow's ideas mostly stem toward blogging, yet there are subtle similarities that can be paralleled to the aviation industry. For example, the primary point that can be paralleled to aviation would be that of intertextuality.

Intertextuality, by definition, means that authors talk to one another for the editing of their works. Indeed this can be applied to aviation when pilots talk to each other about their technique. The ultimate textbook example of this would be Operation: Red Flag, held every year.

 

Operation: Red Flag allows for pilots and grounds crews from all over the world to critique their work during a simulated war-time scenario. This opportunity is unique due to the fact that it allows for pilots and ground crews to obtain valuable training experience in a simulated environment close to the real thing.

Technology and Aviation

A frequent topic for discussion in class would be that of technology. Many would argue that aviation is lacking in technology when they observe a cockpit of some commercial, yet this isn't the case. Indeed some of the instruments in an MD-80 look out-dated, but they still preform their job.

Garmin, a leading company in aircraft instrumentation, has been making a new line of MFDs (Multi-Functional Displays) for aviation. As seen in the picture above, the new MFD glossy screens replace a lot of analog instrumentation with that of digital readouts. However, these displays aren't limited to military aviation. As seen in the PC-12 cockpit (below), these new displays are making their way into the civilian market.

The reason why I bring up technology in aviation is because technology has made great strides over the last decade. Furthermore, technology allows people to connect in new ways such as text messaging. It's interesting to note that the technological strides which connect people on the ground don't necessarily connect people in the air. What I mean by this is that ever since the dawn of aviation, pilots and ground crews established all the connection they would ever need to coordinate a safe takeoff, flight, and landing, and technological advances only make this process easier. I'd like to finish with an interesting video, which utilizes civilian technology with aviation:

A Glimpse Into the World

 As with all turbine engines, you have to start the engine manually before it can self-sustain. This tenet of aeronautical engineering applies both to aviation and the Internet. In the movie, The Social Network, constant advertising about Facebook as well as social word-of-mouth advertising led to Facebook being able to start up and self-sustain without the further need to advertise. This moot point is only a glimpse of the similarities that aviation shares with the Internet, and within this blog I aim to draw more of these connections, thereby projecting a new view of aviation that not many have seen before. So, here it goes, throwing everything down and hoping it will catch on, much like an air force pilot will hope for when he lands on an aircraft carrier.

What is the first thing that strikes you about Aviation? For me, it's the freedom. The freedom to do whatever you would like in the air (with restrictions, of course). With this freedom comes responsibility, whether that is the responsibility to look out for traffic, keep in contact with Boston TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control), or adjust your NDB (Non-directional Beacon) for the next heading. These responsibilities ensure that each pilot remains safe, in control, and connected to society.

Although freedom in aviation is leaving the earth for a few hours, it does not encompass becoming disconnected from society. Much like the Internet, pilots require constant connection to the ground with respect to air traffic controllers in control towers and TRACON stations. Often individuals might not think that aviation and the Internet are similar, but surprisingly, they are very much alike.

Now, I must ask, what is the purpose of the internet? Answers will vary from individual to individual, but for me, I believe the internet is a basis of communication from one area of the world to the next whilst allowing for experiences that an individual using the internet might not have had otherwise. Within this boundary is where aviation has played an imperative role for the last one hundred plus years.

Aviation has connected continents together by allowing for the fast travel between places in the world. Indeed 12 hour plane trips seem tedious and lengthy, but back when the pioneers of aviation flew people to the other side of the world, the length of time meant nothing due to the experience that these people would have. Aviation has connected the world long before the Internet was even fathomed, and aviation continues to do so today. Although the Internet allows for connections to other people around the world in a heartbeat, nothing can replace the feeling of actually meeting a person face to face and seeing a whole other world that was only represented through pictures.

The destination in aviation isn't the most exciting part though, it's the process in which you travel. Personally, I love the start up sequence of most aircraft, especially those that run on turbine engines such as the MD500 Helicopter. There is something elemental about listening to the machine that you will trust your life with spring to life. Here is where the Internet and aviation diverge, the immersion of activity.

In aviation, you can feel the plane reacting to your input and you can visually see the resultants of your actions. Online, it's very difficult to simulate feedback, whether it be from video games or Second Life, there is always a sense of disconnection from the world. The immersion in aviation is immense, and it has to be. When you want to fly, you're entrusting a machine with your life, and you must be thorough with every checklist. It's tedious and takes time, but it's well worth it in the end when you take flight.