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Boeing XB-20What was the four engined one near the front with the elliptical wings?
I think somebody left out a decimal point. Logical successor to B2.0 would be B2.1. Typo, anyone? It looks the part.The question is what haapened to B-3 through B-20.
Hey, you left out the C117, a Navy version of the super DC3. NADF Warminster was still flying one of these when I was in the Nav in the the 1970s.the DC-3 in USAAF service was designated, variously, as the C-41, C-47, C-48, C-49, C-50, C-51, C-52, C-53, C-68, and C-84
The numerical designation may be a result of FY funding, more about budget semantics. As far as it being a waste of money, very debatable. 77 units were cut after the cold war, production was already underway it it would have been more expensive to bring everything to a halt. Lastly, it did perform well in the missions it was called to complete.
Holy boomerangs, Batman, they stole our plane!It also looks so cool! Stops people in their tracks when it arrives...
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You were the guy who raised the issue? It's really kind of cool to meet people who actually were involved in matters.I did earlier
This was a known fact throughout the program and it's usually that way when a production line ramps up and aircraft are starting to be delivered. I quit Boeing the week Bush made the cuts (yes, Boeing - at the beginning of the program most of the assembly workers were employed by Boeing.) It was just shear luck that I got another job as I probably would have been laid off within 30 days of the announcement. Many of my friends were able to stay on until the end of production, eventually being absorbed by Northrop.You were the guy who raised the issue? It's really kind of cool to meet people who actually were involved in matters.
"TQM" was widely pushed during the late 80s and early 90s and then rolled into the ISO 9000 craze. But be advised however that there was a time when there were plans to build over 100 B-2s (I worked on the production line). After witnessing TQM and even ISO being introduced to some companies I worked at with disastrous results, I think the whole concept is a scam to a point. MIL-Q-9858A and and MIL-I-45208 were great programs that worked for many years until overthinkers and bean counters got into the fray.I recall that during the GHW Bush Admin some idiot who was Asst Sectry of Defense for Left Handed Widgets on Alternate Wednesdays went to the B-2 production lines and then said that he was appalled that Demming's Statistical Quality Control was not being used.
The man should not be filling a job even as complex and demanding as asking, "Do you want fries with that?" Demming's ideas were from the automotive industry where you are building millions of nearly identical units and doing individual quality control inspections are not feasible. Applying those concepts to a unique aircraft that you are building only 20 of is insane. I would not want anyone that stupid even cutting my grass.
"TQM" was widely pushed during the late 80s and early 90s and then rolled into the ISO 9000 craze. But be advised however that there was a time when there were plans to build over 100 B-2s (I worked on the production line). After witnessing TQM and even ISO being introduced to some companies I worked at with disastrous results, I think the whole concept is a scam to a point. MIL-Q-9858A and and MIL-I-45208 were great programs that worked for many years until overthinkers and bean counters got into the fray.
Two XP-87s built.I think the XP-87 and XB-39 made it to prototype stage and flight test