Bearslayer: I have no affiliation whatsoever with GTE nor do I own any GTE stock. What I am writing on this board cannot be construed as 'insider information.'
I think the only reason for the Strat delays is due to the FAA. Palmdale is not Edwards. Had they built the Strat at EAFB, there would be no problem with the FAA. Instead, they built it at Palmdale and are still faced with the same problem they had at San Bernardino....keeping the FAA happy.
I still think the engineers had to go back and design an alternative manual control system which they probably had not anticipated.
With the FAA, you could satisfy their whim and build a manned gondola and when completed, they might decide that a 2-man crew would be better than a 1-man crew. So, back to the drawing board you go.
The FAA is comfortable with companies like Lockheed. They have a proven track record when it comes to aircraft design. Little companies like GTE have yet to prove themselves to the feds and they become over cautious. I have test flown many aircraft and had much experience with the FAA. They're not doing this as part of a conspiracy, just trying to cover their fannies.
Vern Koenig
No man should be considered totally useless....because he can always serve as a bad example.
