And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
Most likely in St Louis. Been on that floor many times working various projects for the AF. It was a sad day when the MacD sign got changed out to Boeing.
I was working for McDonnell Douglas at the time of the Boeing 'merge'. Sad day indeed; Stonecipher and Condit really took a toll on my pension benefits. Boeing treated my division as an unwanted step-child going forward.
Been on quite a few lines, most are long gone, the overall corporate move to reduce skilled labor costs had its effect. Though how they where going to make that happen then similarly maintain cutting edge high quality aerospace was a mystery. The real detrimental aspects was no new blood was coming up through the ranks, poor payrates, diminishing benefits, longer working weeks, decline in morale, watched it and experienced it. Now nobody remains to carry on the incredible tribal knowledge which is critical to skilled craft work, so much has to be re-invented. Very expensive in the minimal sense. Some like SpaceX threw the whole aerospace ASM Qual and PPP book in the dumpster, lit it on fire, 60-75 years, adios. Only way really, but they had to, and they produced just spectacular results, still are, sky is the limit. Hopefully engineering and manufacturing within remain the controlling elements, the driving factors. Good on them, and they blew open space access, only just breached the surface really in relative terms.
Most likely in St Louis. Been on that floor many times working various projects for the AF. It was a sad day when the MacD sign got changed out to Boeing.
ReplyDeleteIt was the end of both companies.
DeleteDave
I was working for McDonnell Douglas at the time of the Boeing 'merge'. Sad day indeed; Stonecipher and Condit really took a toll on my pension benefits. Boeing treated my division as an unwanted step-child going forward.
DeleteImagine just the tooling up costs.
ReplyDeleteGuys who knew what they were doing and not sticking coke cans in the door panels.
ReplyDeleteProof that, if you put enough power behind it, even a rock could fly.
ReplyDeleteQuite possibly my favorite aircraft, ever. I'm supremely grateful that I was able to work with them.
Gasman (GM) AC1 CVN-69
Been on quite a few lines, most are long gone, the overall corporate move to reduce skilled labor costs had its effect. Though how they where going to make that happen then similarly maintain cutting edge high quality aerospace was a mystery. The real detrimental aspects was no new blood was coming up through the ranks, poor payrates, diminishing benefits, longer working weeks, decline in morale, watched it and experienced it. Now nobody remains to carry on the incredible tribal knowledge which is critical to skilled craft work, so much has to be re-invented. Very expensive in the minimal sense. Some like SpaceX threw the whole aerospace ASM Qual and PPP book in the dumpster, lit it on fire, 60-75 years, adios.
ReplyDeleteOnly way really, but they had to, and they produced just spectacular results, still are, sky is the limit. Hopefully engineering and manufacturing within remain the controlling elements, the driving factors. Good on them, and they blew open space access, only just breached the surface really in relative terms.