The aviation industry is one of the biggest industries in the entire world, and is active in most countries and territories. Aviation refers to the use, operation, production, development, and design of aircraft, in commercial, general, and military applications. While the term aviation can refer to the use of all different kinds of aircraft, its general usage refers to heavier-than-air aircraft. From the computer systems used in aircraft design and manufacture through to the navigational systems involved in aircraft and airport operation, technology is integral to modern aviation.
The aviation sector can be divided into three distinct fields; general aviation, commercial aviation, and military aviation. Every stage of aircraft design, manufacture, and operation is tied up with technology on some level, and the modern aviation industry would not exist as we know it today without the advances provided by computers and digital technology. One of the most obvious uses of technology in aviation is in air traffic control (ATC), where computers and humans interact to keep the skies safe for us all. Other technologies are involved in aircraft storage, such as the CAD programs used to design prefabricated garages (Betonfertiggaragen) and aircraft hangers.
Air traffic control is involved primarily to assist ad maintain separation in the skies, by ensuring that all manner of aircraft are sufficiently far enough apart from each other to avoid the risk of collision. Some of the technology involved in ATC include advanced radar technology, radio communication, digital navigation control, and detailed computerised mapping of the space around airports and busy centres. Some of the systems that work together with ATC include the navigational systems inside aircraft and the weather forecast divisions of government advisory bodies. While ATC may be one of the most obvious examples of technology use in aviation, it is certainly not the only one.
Along with the everyday operation of aircraft through computerised navigation and air traffic control, technology is also necessary in the earlier stages of aircraft design and manufacture. The design of modern commercial and advanced military aircraft in particular, would not be possible without technology, including computer aided design (CAD), computer aided engineering (CAE), and finite element analysis (FEA). The manufacturing stage of aircraft is equally dependent on technology, with digital tools used in practically every aspect of development, control, and testing. The modern aviation industry is heavily intertwined with technology, and would not be what it is today without the advances in computers and digitally driven automation.