T he level of tension between the unmanned- aircraft community and the FAA over its ban on civil UAS was clear when the agency announced it will consider using special legislation to authorize limited commercial operations.
“The Empire Strikes Back” ( AW&ST May 19, p. 32) induces ire. I do not remember the RD-180—or any Russian rocket element—being a part of the U.S.’s Moon effort. Wernher von Braun and the NASA team created impressive motors. The plans still exist at NASA and the Library of Congress. The production lines can be recreated. All it would take is a willing Congress, money and a competent manufacturer.
I share Deborah Hersman’s belief that children “are just as valuable in the airplane as they are in the car” ( AW&ST April 28, p. 20). The former NTSB chairman noted that one of her regrets as she exited her 10-year run as head of that safety agency was her inability to enact rules governing safe transport of young children, specifically parents being forced to hold very young kids in their laps.
Reading “M&A Wakes Up” ( AW&ST May 12, p. 20) reminded me of some relevant history. In the late 1990s, following the merger of Lockheed and Martin Marietta, the newly minted Lockheed Martin negotiated a second merger with Northrop Grumman. The arrangement was agreed to by both corporations but was ultimately denied by the Justice Department due to competitive reasons. It is interesting to speculate on the landscape of industry now if that coupling had taken place.
“Open Answers” about open rotor engines ( AW&ST March 31, p. 22) caught my interest, especially with regard to the integration of these engines with future airframes. The illustration of a possible configuration reveals the kind of problems being faced and fills me with apprehension—despite the talk of heavy shielding.
