Aviation has generated some of the most remarkable figures that ever lived throughout its history, including those brave men and women pilots who made the first flights into the air and who courageously pushed the bounds of their wings in ways previously unimaginable. At the same time, aviation has produced a number of people whose heroism rises above the job description of pilot, if that’s even a main or a side job. These influential people touched those in aviation and, in many cases, people far beyond the flying world by their extraordinary deeds, talents or accomplishments.

Here’s a look at the men and women who altered the aviation landscape and, in many cases, the course of human history through their remarkable achievements.

Bessie Coleman

Bessie soared across the sky as the first African American, and the first Native American woman pilot. Known for performing flying tricks, Bessie’s nicknames were; “Brave Bessie,” “Queen Bess,” and “The Only Race Aviatrix in the World.” Her goal was to encourage women and African Americans to reach their dreams. Unfortunately, her career ended with a tragic plane crash, but her life continues to inspire people around the world.

Amelia Earhart

Amelia Earhart, fondly known as “Lady Lindy,” was an American aviator who mysteriously disappeared in 1937 while trying to circumnavigate the globe from the equator. Amelia was the 16th woman to be issued a pilot’s license. She had several notable flights, including becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, as well as the first person to fly over both the Atlantic and Pacific. Amelia Earhart was legally declared dead in 1939.

Chuck Yeager

U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. Yeager was a combat fighter during World War II and flew 64 missions over Europe. He shot down 13 German planes and was himself shot down over France, but he escaped capture with the assistance of the French Underground. After the war, he was among several volunteers chosen to test-fly the experimental X-1 rocket plane, built by the Bell Aircraft Company to explore the possibility of supersonic flight. For years, many aviators believed that man was not meant to fly faster than the speed of sound, theorizing that transonic drag rise would tear any aircraft apart. All that changed on October 14, 1947, when Yeager flew the X-1 over Rogers Dry Lake in Southern California and sealed his fate in the annals of history.

Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong first served as a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952, before joining the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1955. Over the next 17 years, he was an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator for NACA and its successor agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He has flown over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders. After transferring to astronaut status in 1962, he was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission that launched in 1966, and Armstrong performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space. As spacecraft commander for Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing mission, Armstrong gained the distinction of being the first man to land a craft on the moon and first to step on its surface.

Sally Ride

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space. She made her journey into history in 1983 when she became the youngest American woman in space. Throughout her life, Dr. Ride broke barriers and worked to ensure that girls and women were encouraged to do the same. During the mission, Sally was the flight engineer, and she launched two communication satellites and operated the shuttle’s mechanical arm as well as conducted experiments.

Harrison Ford

While he’s known more as Hans Solo or Star Wars fame, or Indiana Jones on the adventurous celebrity circuit, Harrison Ford advocacy for the aviation community has been nothing short of extraordinary. This Hollywood A-lister has lent his star power to nearly every facet of the industry, making regular trips to Washington to fight for pilots’ rights, encouraging tomorrow’s generation of aviators through his involvement with Young Eagles, and taking an active part in a number of charitable organizations like the Citation Special Olympics.

The Wright Brothers

Wilbur and Orville Wright were American inventors and pioneers of aviation. In 1903 the Wright brothers achieved the first powered, sustained and controlled airplane flight; they surpassed their own milestone two years later when they built and flew the first fully practical airplane. Determined to develop their own successful design, Wilbur and Orville headed to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and got to work trying to figure out how to design wings for flight. They observed that birds angled their wings for balance and control, and tried to emulate this, developing a concept called “wing warping.” When they added a moveable rudder, the Wright brothers found they had the magic formula in 1903, as they succeeded in flying the first free, controlled flight of a power-driven, heavier than air plane. They flew their plane for 59 seconds, over a distance of 852 feet, which was an extraordinary achievement.

William E. Boeing

Under William Boeing’s guidance, a tiny airplane manufacturing company grew into a huge corporation of related industries. When post-Depression legislation in 1934 mandated the dispersion of the corporation, Boeing sold his interests in the Boeing Airplane Co. but continued to work on other business ventures, as he became one of America’s most successful breeders of thoroughbred horses. Boeing never lost his interest in aviation, and during World War II he volunteered as a consultant to the company, living just long enough to see the company he started enter the jet age.

Conclusion

While the aviation pioneer list goes on and on, beyond the scope of pages in chapters, it’s important to understand that each one of the world’s most significant pilots began with a dream and ended with innovation in action. Some are still alive today, while others have been placed in history books alongside some of the greatest people in ancient or modern history. The aviation industry lives on through these brave and courageous men and women, and our discoveries and explorations are all the better for it.

*Aerovision does not own the rights to any of these images.

I want to start with the obligatory section on COVID.  Before COVID, the aviation industry was poised to ‘take off’. Since COVID, however, the entire aviation industry has been suffering drastically. Low passenger numbers have reduced airline revenue, which has all-but-ceased demand for new planes, which further reduces demand for new airplane parts. But while 2020 and early 2021 painted a grim picture, the future can only look brighter as COVID vaccines roll-out, quarantine restrictions relax, and the general public’s travel anxieties reduce. As these COVID restrictions and fears abate, experts predict that people will want to make up for lost travel time. The airline industry is already seeing dramatic increases in future bookings. Although the world lost a year of travel, the aviation industry is poised for a strong rebound.

As we continue towards the light at the end of the tunnel, what areas should we be looking at over the next 10 years. What changes will we see and what will influence them? Take a look at our top 9 industry movers!

Technology

Technology in all sectors has never moved faster than right now, and this is no exception in the aviation industry. As lighter, stronger, and less costly materials continue to be developed, we will see improvements and changes to airplane design, fuel consumption and fuel types. We could see the adoption of drone style designs, now mostly being used for videography and delivery services, to the transportation side of aviation.

Artificial intelligence

In line with technology, artificial intelligence will continue to help manage flights both on the ground and in the air. With more people flying, this technology will be paramount to increasing efficiencies and improving safety. AI will also help us design better aerodynamic and fuel-efficient planes. Much like AI is being studied to help control traffic congestion in large cities, this same technology will be used as more and more planes are in the air.

Green Energy

If there is one thing for certain, green energy is becoming mainstream. As research continues to be done to create more powerful electric motors, as batteries become better and more efficient, and governments encourage more environmentally friendly options, we could see a real push to introduce commercially viable planes utilizing energy from sources other than petroleum. Whether these planes get their energy from solar, wind, water, or geothermal sources, their carbon footprint will continue to shrink. Although this may seem far off, the idea is not new and the speed with which technology is moving sees us hitting this target even sooner.

Space

Space travel is the next big move for aviation. These trips will most likely just be suborbital. There are a number of big players in this space, including Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla and SpaceX), Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon and Blue Origin), and Sir Richard Branson (Founder of Virgin Group and Virgin Galactic), investing considerable sums of money. The commercial technologies developed for space travel should have extensive impacts on aviation.

BRICS and Other Emerging Economies

As the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) economies continue to expand and travel becomes increasingly accessible to their citizens, we are going to see even more growth in travel from these markets than we did in the previous decade. As the college aged populations of these countries begin their own careers, we will see increases in travel from this demographic as well.

Experiences

If the trend of buying ‘experiences’ as opposed to ‘stuff’ continues, we will see increases in aviation needs as people travel to the locations offering the most popular experiences. Space travel will likely become one of these experiences as well.

Virtual Meetings

As we learned during the pandemic, many jobs can be done from home. Business meetings can be done virtually, as many of us were forced to familiarize ourselves with various programs such as Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. This could have a lasting impact on business travel, if we see businesses decide to cut costs on air travel in lieu of virtual meetings with clients.

Population

Despite slowing fertility rates in many parts of the globe, the population is still expected to move on its growth trajectory towards 9+ billion people by 2050. A larger population will require more planes, more airports, and more industry experts to support it- benefiting the aviation industry at every level.

Developing Countries 

A major goal for the years to come will be to make air travel more accessible to the currently underserved areas of the world, in areas such as central Africa and many parts of India. Providing access to these areas, in conjunction with economic growth in these areas, will result in increased aviation needs.

We live in robust and fast-moving times, where technological advances are made daily. The world is changing and aviation is positioned to be a fundamental part of that change. To do this though, the aviation industry will need to continue being a leader in innovation and not be hampered by the past. If there is one industry that embodies resilience and perseverance, it’s aviation. The success of the aviation industry is fundamental in our interconnected world.

AeroVision is proud to serve this robust industry and is your regional aviation specialist. Serving clients around the world, with aircraft sales and leasing, aircraft parts, and the sale of engines and engine components. AeroVision employs knowledgeable industry experts that provide real-time customer service during business hours and an inside/outside sales team that builds ongoing relationships through customer site visits, trade shows, conferences and customer appreciation events. Headquartered in Muskegon, Michigan (USA), AeroVision has offices and warehouses in the U.S. and the U.K. This international reach is foundational to providing the excellent service our global marketplace of customers and suppliers have come to expect. Contact us today for more information about how we can serve you and your aviation needs.