On 3 Feb 2003 at 1:08, Damon wrote: > > >Nevertheless, aerospace continues to make strides in propulsion, > >avionics, materials, and the design process itself. > > I would agree with this. One of the industries that pushes the > envelope in terms of aircraft technology is obviously the military. 50 > years ago having the fastest performing fighter in terms of raw speed > was a significant advantage (you can dictate the control of a dogfight > since a faster warbird can pull away out of gun range...or not bother > with a dogfight at all and perform flyby attacks), but with the heavy > use of guided missile technology, having the hottest bird is less > important than having one that is lightweight, maneuverable, > handle-able (not neccessarily the same thing), more combat worthy and > having a larger/more diverse mission payload. > > So I think the technology is still there to make mach 3+ screamers, > but no one wants them because they're not practical.
At one time, spinoffs from the space program even benefited the aerospace industry as a whole. Ah well. Andy Dawn Falcon _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
