MSNBC (JimO) on value of 'big door' on ISS

"Reunite Gondwanaland (Mary Shafer)" wrote in
message ...
I agree that the Airbus design process was well-done (although they've
just announced that they have had to beef up the 380 empennage
substantially, so it's obviously not flawless), but I do have to point
out that all aircraft are designed by committee any more. The lone
designer taking a blank sheet of paper and creating an airplane,
romantic though it sounds, is working on a homebuilt, not an airplane
to bet the company on. That doesn't really vitiate your point,
though.

I thought of mentioning Soviet aircraft, which are governmental to the
core, but thought we'd end up chasing off down the byways of
authoritarian versus democratic decision making. Not that this
newsgroup ever wanders off-topic without my help, of course, but
still....

Yes, but was the Sperry Ball Turret designed by a committee?



Incidentally, I believe the Minister of Planes was formerly the
Minister of Silly Walks until he got switched over in a governmental
shakeup. That may account for certain oddities in aircraft design
philosophy.

Mary "How do you say 'Ministry of Silly Walks' in French?"


retraite


--
Mary Shafer Retired aerospace research engineer
We didn't just do weird stuff at Dryden, we wrote reports about it.
or