Where have all the giants gone?

[ggarland]

Hello everyone:
Here I am with my team at work and the engine in the test cell is an Orenda OT-3 Gas turbine that we just rebuilt, on its way to Mexico to provide power for a generator. It produces 9800 horsepower at sea level, was first built in 1948 and is an all Canadian
design, built and manufactured by Orenda back then. Drawing board to running prototype in 13 months, quite a feat considering the fact that they had no computers or Autocad/cam back then. When I fired this one up in the test cell today, the floor shook and paint fell from the walls, it was an awesome sight. Man, I have the best job in the world and work with the best people around, I am truly blessed.

Why do I mention all this? To bemoan the fact that back in the day, designers used their brains and imagination rather than software to do great things. Look at our Mercurys, first built in 1939 and a world leader ever since. I tore down an Mark 75 some years ago and for the first time, actually studied the details of the design, and tried to put myself back in 1956 as the engineer in charge of that project, to imagine what it was like to be him, to think his thoughts, and try to imagine who his teammates were. Where did they draw inspiration? Da Vinci? Edison? And to bring it all to life under the rule of such an autocrat as Carl K. was a feat worth of legend. What kind of men were they? What would they think of us now I wonder, if they knew how much we admired the fruits of their labors? I wonder will we ever see their likes again, or if we did would they even be allowed to let their minds run free and give us objects that would for years inspire and awe. As I snapped the light off in my workshop that night, I looked back at that tired old engine on my stand and quietly mused that I was looking at the work of giants, and I felt humbled. I pray I shall live to meet thier kind again someday.

George Garland

[BK]

Great post.

I've often thought the same things. Especially of the great boat designers. I miss the days of the 'design wars', where top manufacturers were coming up with new designs every 5 or 6 months ----- everyone was anxious to see what new rakish design would be created next.

Offshore was one area where designs were evolutionary. But things were especially tight in the Mod-VP class. Those were very exciting times.

In the mid 90's, within a few short years after the fall of Mod-VP, it all came to a crashing halt. All that was left were splashes of the old designs. There was nothing to stop pirates from making cheap, fast copies of the trick new stuff, so the real designers threw in the towel and moved on to bigger things.

Maybe the new anti-splash laws (making exact copies of a hull using the direct-molding process) for boat building will bring some of these brains back into it, knowing they now can go back to raw designs and not have it popped for pennies immediately after the debut party.

Then again, maybe giants of high perf boat designing are gone for good. Even 90% of the offshore stuff seems to be just reduced-price copies of other copies these days.

Maybe things just need to cycle and the old days of the "giants" will return again someday?

[Hooty]

I use to build and work on self-contained, pneumatically controlled machines that were first designed and built back in the '40's. I won't go into what exactly there main function was but they would do things like open a 1-1/4" valve against a 300psi head using 22" of w/c pressure, control a 1,200,000 btu burner, mix a highly volatile vapor with air in a +/- 1% ratio and dispense that at the rate of 50,000 scfh, all without any external power. All without computers! Those guys were impressive.

c/6

Hooty

[gaineso]

Not boats but a truly certifiable genius of the 50s.

Kelly Johnson of the Lockheed Skunk Works. 13 months from concept to first flight of the prototype of what became the SR71. The technology to build it didn't even exist and they had to invent it before they could use it. Of course, his greatest genius was in picking the best team and then leading them to believe that nothing was impossible.

There is not room in present day corporate America for people like that

[Hooty]

Kelly Johnson, one of the truly greats and like ya said, no room for 'um any more. He'd get bumped by the boss's nephew --- or niece.

c/6

Hooty

[lilabner]

MICROSOFT

[Dave S]

INDIA

[Bruster]

George I know your interest in the old stuff, but have you seen the "New Stuff"?<P>Detonation In Our Future?
<P>"New Stuff" (http://www.popsci.com/popsci/aviation/article/0,12543,473272-2,00.html)

[ggarland]

Bruce:

Thanks man, I LOVE that!!! I had no idea!!!

Cheers, George:eek:

[Jason Huber]

Originally posted by Bruce Hazekamp
George I know your interest in the old stuff, but have you seen the "New Stuff"?<P>Detonation In Our Future?
<P>"New Stuff" (http://www.popsci.com/popsci/aviation/article/0,12543,473272-2,00.html) George - this was a great post. :) Sadly, in the world that I work in, profoundness and originality seem like more like a myth these days... :( Bruce - some good intel there! ;) Something that I believe my company has been working on for quite some time. A very interesting dichotomy... I guess there always has to be balance. P.S.; Did I mention that I am a GE employee? ;) J

[Gordie Miller]

that's for sure. We're not worthy.Some SMART sons of bitches working on that ****.

[Bruster]

Do you have your 2- 6 sigma projects done for this year? :eek: <P>I work for GE also, found this info on the GE homepage

[Jason Huber]

I think I knew that you were GE now that you mention it - Bruce.:) I dont' get a chance to get out on the Home Page much anymore - too much doing more with less these days, & buying expensive toys for our brightest and best... :rolleyes: Years ago, I was a Green Belt - Beta "poster kid"... Was one of those first and lucky few Quality "lab rats" here @ Fleet back in the beginning of all of the 6 Sigma nonsense, before Jack left...! After all of the initial bru-haha & fanfair, all those who crawled over cut-glass initially here, and were Black Belt certified in the beginning, had to start @ ground zero again!:mad: I have to date successfully avoided jumping through these hoops again. Sadly however, my realization is that this bureaucracy-feeding quagmire of self importance that GE Culture has embraced so strongly, I.E. 6 Sigma, wont' be going away any time soon! At the end of the day, (sigh) I guess resistance is futile... CHEERS! ;)

[sho305]

I was in Vegas, and took the full hardhat tour of Hoover Dam. Just plain unreal how they did that in 1933. Only the generator guts have been upgraded to work better.

I do wonder if we can 'make stuff' anymore; since it has to be done before the next quarters profit statement comes out. Then again, you can fudge those now anyway.:)

What happened to the ramjet engines?

[Jason Huber]

[i]What happened to the ramjet engines? [/B] Sho :) Here's my take on Ramjet technology: Like every other solid, successful and proven exhisting technology/venture these days in the States, it was deemed necessary to be "reinvented" by Corporate America. Due to a "new, exciting outsourcing opportunity", and for "profitability concerns"(corporate speak for "It'll be great... Now bend over!!) - the empty suits sent this one to China to be built better, cheaper, faster... Unfortunately the concept was crippled due to material sourcing & east/west communication issues - as small, furry animals were being deployed in engine production. I.E.: LAMBJET!! :eek: :D BTW Hoover Dam is a modern WONDER! One of my favorite spots out west... Was much better before they had to restrict access to the facility (no more extended tours :( ) due to security & recent activities by certain Radical Islamic pieces of walking human **** who decided that we here in the US enjoy FAR too-much freedom...:rolleyes:

[bridges]

Hell I'd just like to see a boat company produce a decent low profile, performance oriented, affordable, outboard family boat. OOOPS that's too much to wish for!

I am sorry to hear you guys work for GE. I worked for them once upon a time and the oppressiveness prompted me to go back to school and do something else. They rule by fear--don't step out of line--the benefits are too good to lose--a new idea is always welcome so some other asshole can steal it from you and take credit for it.

But a bright spot: Bob Switzer is still designing boats.

[sho305]

LambJet? I'll have to check that out.

My father retired from a large tool & die shop. Most of the last decade he was there he had to re-work those 'outsourced' new automotive dies at a rush to get to production. This resulted in a cost greater than they would have made the whole new die in the first place. Not to mention the cost of airfreight on a very big peice of steel from Asia each time.:rolleyes:

I was fortunate to take the tour before 9/11. Got to look out the vents and everything. It was awesome. I am po'ed I may not be able to do that again if I go back there. And they say people here are getting tired of us being in Iraq:mad: There aint no other way to get rid of them other than going over there and eradicating the scum, and nobody else will do it. So what do those people want? We ignored them until now, and they came over here and killed us just like we thought they eventually would. DUH. Yes we are the only cop of the world. I am sure after the media convinces everyone we should not be in Iraq, the polls will show it and we will leave so the terrorists can regroup and get going again.

All the few large corporations I have worked with/for were full of idiots. Hope springs eternal that I might find a better place some day before I die; containing people with brains. :) ;)

Affordable OB....LOL:D Merc will make them in China only so they can get more profit I bet....then again, only a company from China can sell something cheap because they don't have to pay for liability/lawyers/red tape/insurance here:) :) :) Thank you oh liberal courts/lawyers/politicians/etc. That is OK today, as I will not pay $2.05 for premium in my boat anyway. They can shove their $.50/gal holiday spiff. I'll play with my golfcart I filled up 2 months ago and run every week.:D

[Bruster]

I am sorry to hear you guys work for GE. I worked for them once upon a time and the oppressiveness prompted me to go back to school and do something else. They rule by fear--don't step out of line--the benefits are too good to lose--a new idea is always welcome so some other asshole can steal it from you and take credit for it. <P>
I'm NOT

[bridges]

Bruce

Did you ever change engines on your Carlson? I think the picture I have of your boat shows a 1250 BP cowl and what looks like a chopper prop.

Scott

p.s. Don't take the GE comment personally. There are many GE jobs that are great, but I and many people I know had very bad experiences there. Yours may be entirely different.

[gaineso]

Re:GE. I worked for AlliedSignal (now Honeywell) Aerospace. Larry Bossidy was a great disciple of the One True God Jack. Did all the Green Belt chit, got all the certs and the most interesting thing I have ever learned about 6 sigma is that the deeper a company gets into that BS the worse they get. Perception that we are doing it smarter, better, cheaper and actually producing quality products runs rampant throughout management.

Problem is, they actually don't have a clue what the QEs, MEs and PEs are going through just to keep the doors open. Miss a lot of the people on the floor, miss the benny's, miss the pretty decent money. Damned sure glad I am out of that chit now. They closed that plant and moved everything that wasn't military to Mexico. Military stuff went to Mexico by way of Tulsa, OK

Of course, if my arm doesn't fully recover I really don't have a clue what I'll be doing next. Oh well, just glad to be out of all that corporate BS

[ggarland]

6 sigma. Jesus, don't get me started on THAT!!!!!! :mad:

George

[Jason Huber]

The corporate road to hell is always paved w/good intentions by people who just dont' know any better... :( Dont' get me wrong, I grew up - professionally in a GE business and owe them much. Bashing the "meatball" is a very popular passtime both inside and out side of the GE businesses & Big Corporate in general. What tears me is that I see this great company headed in the direction that its in. Pains me to realize that ultimately I'll have to leave the best job I've ever had, due to the poisonous environment. Nuff said, good thread! ;)