How did America make so many classic planes during WWII and the 1950’s but can’t seem to make a good plane now?
Kelly Johnson died.
Well, the tech was a millionth as complicated. But I take your point.
It’s simply a reflection of the level of corruption in our political system and in our officer corps today.
Unions
Too many pentagon “studies groups” wantign a “perfect airplane” ... (That cost 2 billion dollars per airplane, but can’t carry any more bombs any faster nor further than the 1952 era B-52.
“Best and perfect” means the latest bomber costs more than an entire cruiser. And we aren’t making any more of those either. The cruiser’s are the size of what used to be a destroyer. And we are no longer making more merchants, oilers, ammo carriers and UNREP stores, repair docks, nor amphib’s - because those will be lost as well.
government acquisition managers trained in their own acquisition schools.
We could build a monster plane in Mobile, Al....but it won’t be union so we have to rely on France to keep us employed....Boeing in Washington State will get the deal...UNION!
“How did America make so many classic planes during WWII and the 1950’s but can’t seem to make a good plane now?”
I’m guessing the bottom line if one digs deep enough; would be lawyers in some way.
Too many procedures and red tape in place. Too much caution.
The A-10 Warthog is the one aircraft that should be rolling off the assembly lines RIGHT NOW, and supplied to the US Marines, the Israelis, and to Jordan’s King Abdullah II, as close air support to the ground troops.
The Warthog is for all practical purposes, a cannon with wings, a virtual flying tank, that can with a very short burst, take out most armored vehicles, and raise havoc with ground troops and convoys. It can sustain what for another airframe would be catastrophic damage, and still limp home, it can work out of forward bases with only limited runways, and it has redundancy built into virtually every control surface of the airplane.
How did America make so many classic planes during WWII and the 1950’s but can’t seem to make a good plane now?
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Roman Aqueducts,
Brooklyn Bridge. for an example.
Any bridge built after 1960(??) with all the modern technology, regulations etc etc.
Are all the NEW methods just another way for people to line their pockets?
Look at all the ‘old houses’ from the 17 and 1800s, still standing - yes updates and improving amenities but the basic structure and frame still ‘good’.
Remember, it used to be called “Old World Craftsmanship” when people were actually PROUD of a job accomplished, of course people were ‘reconditioned’ that rather than have someone learn a trade and follow in ones elders footsteps, we need to put everyone behind a desk.
Now ‘they’ have figured out that the desk can be located in Bumf... Whereever.
People would seemingly accept being unemployed or class themselves unemployable than learn a trade that will benefit them forever...plumber, brick/concrete mason, etc etc etc.
How come people who deem themselves too good to drive a delivery truck, cab, work in construction, pick up $hiite with the chickens etc are NOT so good as to let the Govt ‘pay’ them out of the wages of those that will do the aforementioned ‘menial labor’ jobs?
Like a ‘great man’ once opined - “Maybe we should have picked our own GD cotton” he was probably on the right path.
How many days/years/centuries/milleniums has it been since a wag figured out that a ‘Democracy - as such’ can only last a couple of hundred years as it usually takes about that long for the havenots to figure they actually vastly outnumber the haves and if they band together, EVERYONE can go ‘down in flames’ together.
Hope someone got the name etc of those Germans ‘cheering’ the arrival of the latest batch of ‘refugees’ so we can ask them at a later date how ‘they’ enjoy supporting about 90 percent (I am being nice here) of them AFTER the lower rung of Germans citizens have been ‘knocked out of jobs, wages etc etc’ and the citizenry has to absorb BOTH groups.
Because they were classic. Low-tech, all mechanical, all analog.
And in today's battlefield, THEY WOULD DIE.
Immediately.
That, and the requirements were kept simple and narrowly defined.
The Aliens haven't been back for a while? I mean how else do you explain the SR-71 8^)