msb@lsuc.UUCP (Mark Brader) (08/09/85)
30 years ago, when the Air Force needed a large cargo plane, it put out a list of specifications that took up less than 8 pages. Lockheed responded with a proposal 3/4" thick, which resulted in a huge plane named the Hercules. In 1980, when the Air Force needed a new cargo plane, it issued specifications that took up 2,750 pages. Lockheed's proposal alone weighed 6,600 pounds. To deliver it, the company used one of the old Hercules cargo planes. -- John Tierney, in the current Science 85 Posted by Mark Brader.
sb@cosivax.UUCP (Sam Black) (08/15/85)
> 30 years ago, when the Air Force needed a large cargo plane, it > put out a list of specifications that took up less than 8 pages. > Lockheed responded with a proposal 3/4" thick, which resulted in > a huge plane named the Hercules. In 1980, when the Air Force needed > a new cargo plane, it issued specifications that took up 2,750 pages. > Lockheed's proposal alone weighed 6,600 pounds. To deliver it, the > company used one of the old Hercules cargo planes. > > -- John Tierney, in the current Science 85 > Posted by Mark Brader. That's not quite as bad as a story I heard about military contracts. It seems that the contract for the first military plane (with the Wright brothers), was a single page. The most recent contract to build a C5-A was 1.5 million pages, and weighed 25,000 pounds. This prompted one author to write: If you were to take all the governments military contracts, and stack them up in the Grand Canyon, (pause for effect) It would probably be a good idea.
gene@batman.UUCP (Gene Mutschler) (08/20/85)
> 30 years ago, when the Air Force needed a large cargo plane, it > put out a list of specifications that took up less than 8 pages. > Lockheed responded with a proposal 3/4" thick, which resulted in > a huge plane named the Hercules. In 1980, when the Air Force needed > a new cargo plane, it issued specifications that took up 2,750 pages. > Lockheed's proposal alone weighed 6,600 pounds. To deliver it, the > company used one of the old Hercules cargo planes. > > -- John Tierney, in the current Science 85 > Posted by Mark Brader. Its a good thing this is in net.politics and net.avaition. Its too bizarre for net.bizarre... -- Gene Mutschler {ihnp4 seismo ctvax}!ut-sally!batman!gene Burroughs Corp. Austin Research Center cmp.barc@utexas-20.ARPA (512) 258-2495