Abusing freebiesA friend of mine recently attended a 'Champaign Lunch', where he was compelled drink as much fizzy stuff as he could between the first and last courses. In an ideal world we'd ask restaurant staff to tell us stories about fatties stuffing themselves at All You Can Eat places, but we recognise that our members don't all work in the catering trade, so for the rest of you - tell us something about abusing freebies. BTW: Bee puns = you fail.
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lizard, Thu 8 Nov 2007, 14:16)
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My old chapBack in the early 60s my Dad worked for a company called Handley Page, who used to manufacture aircraft. Back then, the design offices, workshop and factory were all based on one site adjacent to an airfield, so the designer could nip out of the office and consult with the engineers charged with assembling the giant Airfix kit you've just designed the instructions for.
Designers (or draughtsmen to use the correct term) were able to work closely with engineers and the test pilots charged with inspecting the planes before they were delivered to the customer.
The big contract at the time was supplying Victor bombers to the RAF. Basically, they were a fair bit bigger and faster than the Airbus you flew to Ibiza in last summer, had four engines and were designed to be scrambled in the direction of Russia at a moments notice to dump hydrogen bombs on soviet cities. To avoid being shot down like clay pigeons, the pilots had to fly flat out at 500 feet or lower with all the agility of a fighter plane.
Being taken for a treetop high blat over Hertfordshire in the radio operators seat of the giant bomber must have been quite some perk.
Bastard.
(, Wed 14 Nov 2007, 14:24, 1 reply)
I thinkDesigners actually design it
Draughtsmen reproduce the drawings by hand, to very high standards. Both are quite an art. Even now, when its all done by autocad
Nice tale though
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Greenbat, Wed 14 Nov 2007, 18:49,
closed)
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