Clay, entertaining and informative comment.
That whole bit about the (lack of) serious mechanical improvements to aircraft design etc. is another topic. Suffice it to say, I think part of the lack of progress there was our brightest minds being captivated by electronics from Pac-Man forward.
It is true that commercial aircraft as they are get the job done ... but not much differently, if at all, from the 1960s. There is more avionics now but that is a consequence of the electronics-digital tech revolution. Personally, I'd like to be able to hop the pond from Europe to the USA in a couple of hours vice the 8 to 11 now required.
That whole bit about the (lack of) serious mechanical improvements to aircraft design etc. is another topic. Suffice it to say, I think part of the lack of progress there was our brightest minds being captivated by electronics from Pac-Man forward.
It is true that commercial aircraft as they are get the job done ... but not much differently, if at all, from the 1960s. There is more avionics now but that is a consequence of the electronics-digital tech revolution. Personally, I'd like to be able to hop the pond from Europe to the USA in a couple of hours vice the 8 to 11 now required.
Fire In The Hole