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OREM — Through the haze of memories of screaming children, baggage fees and security checks, it is often easy to forget that what is now a relatively common mode of transportation — flying — was once viewed as a miracle, not a hassle.
The Utah Valley University aviation department wanted to remind students of the awe-inspiring origins of flight and chose to do so with an animated short on aviation history that has garnered nearly 110,000 views on YouTube.
The film, "Animated History of Aviation," begins in the 15th century with Leonardo da Vinci's sketches of flying machines and jumps to Henry Cavendish's discovery of the weight of hydrogen gas before moving on to 19th century aircraft, from Sir George Cayley's model glider with moveable controls through the Wright brothers' flight in Dec. 1903.
World War I brought a rapidly transforming aviation industry, which in turn transformed the way the war was fought, leaving little room for differentiation between soldier and civilian. World War II was even more of a total war due in part to advances in aviation.
The space race brought Sputnik and the Apollo moon landing, bringing about a new era of aviation technology that would eventually lead to a worldwide reliance on satellites to meet a variety of technological needs.
"It's history," said Adam Evans, the producer of the film. "I'm not a pilot and I haven't studied aviation, but I liked it. A lot of people found it worthwhile to watch."
That is because, according the Evans, at its most basic level, the film is not merely instructional — it is enjoyable.
It's history. I'm not a pilot and I haven't studied aviation, but I liked it. A lot of people found it worthwhile to watch.
–Adam Evans
"It's important to get viewers passionate about something," he said. "We tried to select music people might get an emotional response to and focused on the stories of the individuals. We just tried to pull on the heartstrings a little bit."
Evans and Dustin Berlin, the school's director of aviation online education, hope the video will serve to educate the community, as well as to potential aviation students.
"Many have flown on an airplane; it's become a common part of our lives," Berlin said. "II think seeing that compressed version, it's amazing to see how far it has come along in such a short time period. We connect it with seeing family and friends — I think there is an emotional connection for a lot of people."
It is their hope that videos like this one will pull students in and spark in them a passion for the program.
"We want to get them hooked," Evans said. "This video speaks to them on an instructional level, but it pulls them in — it shows them why it matters. Otherwise, students taper off and don't get excited about the subject matter, and we don't want that to happen. We want them to stay."
The school has 300 traditional students in the aviation program, but nearly 1,700 taking online aviation courses. Up next for the department is creating more instructional films, such as a six-minute film that was created to explain what happens to a two-engine plane when one engine fails.
