Computers Revolutionizes The Aviation Industry

PATUXENT, MD - APRIL 29: The V-22 Osprey, which is literally part helicopter and part airplane, is seen April 29, 2003 at Patuxent Naval Air Station in Patuxent, Maryland. Pictured here, it is being tested after a redesign and two fatal crahes in 2000, when it was grounded. Its advocates claim that it has twice the speed, three times the payload and five times the range of the helicopters it will eventually replace. The Osprey, known as a tilt-rotor, actually takes off vertically, then tilts its engines forward for winged flight. With the Wright Brothers' historic flight celebrating its centennial in 2003, the world is now poised on the threshold of a new age in aviation, one where super-sonic jets refuel in flight, unmanned aerial vehicles track objects with astonishing accuracy, and airliners are maneuvered at times with minimal human participation. The computer age is about to revolutionize aviation and the United States is unquestionably ahead of the curve in this revolution. (Photo by Joe McNally/Getty Images)