I would say if you looked at what happened with fixed-wing transportation, the Second World War was really what kick-started that. In the Second World War thousands of guys were trained as pilots; the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan built airfields from coast to coast in this country, and essentially you went from Sopwith Camels to jet transportation and long-range bombers within about a five-year time span. When the war ended, those problems were all solved and government investment did that.
On May 10th, 2012. See this statement in context.