The Goodbye

Finally we reach the first position in our top ten ranking list and how could it be otherwise, this position is for the Wright brothers, Wilbur (1867 – 1912) and Orville (1871 – 1948). They were the first to develop an aircraft heavier than the air, that was able to fly controlled in its 3 axes and powered by an internal combustion engine. The flight of the “Flyer” took place on the Kitty Hawk beaches December 17, 1903, although they had previously tested different gliders, they built an aerodynamic tunnel and they even built their own engine with the invaluable help of their partner and mechanic, Charlie Taylor, who developed it in 6 weeks.

Their spirit and initiative make that Orville and Wilbur Wright will stay in the first position forever.

Today, as we reach the end of our list, it is time to say goodbye. During eleven weeks we have tried to give a unique message for a very special kind of people. As we said in the presentation of our blog, we have tried to address, on the one hand to those people who, despite their wide professional experience, still have the ability to get excited, and on the other hand, to the youngest engineers which, after finishing their studies, find a whole new world full of uncertainty.

El adiós

Subimos por fin el número uno de nuestro "Top Ten" que, como no podía ser de otra forma, les corresponde a los hermanos Wilbur (1.867 - 1.912) y Orville (1.871 - 1-948) Wrigth. Ellos fueron los primeros que desarrollaron una aeronave mas pesada que el aire capaz de volar de una manera controlada en sus 3 ejes impulsada por un motor de explosión. El vuelo del "Flyer" tuvo lugar en las playas de Kitty Hawk el 17 de Diciembre de 1.903 aunque previamente habian probado distintos tipos de planeadores, habian construido un tunel aerodinámico e incluso construyeron su propio motor con la inestimable ayuda de su colaborador y mecánico Charlie Taylor que lo desarrolló en 6 semanas.

Su espíritu y su iniciativa hacen que Orville y Wilbur Wright esten para siempre en nuestro número 1.

Hoy, al alcanzar el final de nuestra lista, llega el momento de despedirnos. Durante once semanas hemos tratando de transmitir un mensaje peculiar para un tipo de gente muy especial. Como decíamos en al presentación de nuestro blog hemos intentado dirigirnos por una parte a esas personas que, a pesar de sus muchos años de vida profesional, aún conservan la capacidad de ilusionarse, y por otra a los ingenieros mas jóvenes ante los cuales, al terminar sus estudios, se abre un mundo  nuevo plagado de incertidumbres.

Black and White

We are reaching the end of our ranking list and today comes to visit us at number two, the American Clarence Leonard “Kelly” Johnson (1910 – 1990), one of the best aeronautic designers that has ever existed. His list of designs astonishes everybody. From the P-38 Lightning (the double engine fighter of WWII) up to the SR-71 Blackbird (which still holds the speed record for an aircraft taking off from the ground, at more than 3500 km/h), including also the P-80 Shooting Star, the F-104 Starfighter and the U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance aircraft. One of his greatest achievements was the creation in Lockheed (the company where he worked almost all his life) a legendary engineering group known as “Skunk Works” which is still today the benchmark for any “Black Nailed” engineer. His credo was condensed into the so called ‘14 rules’ that you can find in the Internet and are a paradigm of how engineering can be understood in a different way.

Therefore I put “Kelly” Johnson in the second position.

Some weeks ago I promised to explain to you how the leading people are. I mean those who lead small engineering groups which, in big companies, are strongholds of wisdom, activity and know how. Today, the day when “Kelly Johnson” enters our ranking list, is the best time to do it and that’s what this entry is all about.

Lo blanco y lo negro

Estamos llegando al final de nuestra lista y hoy viene a visitarnos, en el puesto número dos, uno de los mejores diseñadores aeronáutico que ha existido, el norteamericano Clarence Leonard "Kelly" Johnson (1.910 - 1.990). Su lista de diseños te deja anonadado. Desde el P-38 Lightning (el caza bimotor de la II Guerra Mundial) hasta el SR-71 Blackbird (que aún ostenta el récord de velocidad para un avión despegando desde tierra, con mas de 3.500 Km/h) pasando por el P-80 Shooting Star, el F-104 Starfighter o el avión espía U-2. Uno de sus grandes logros fue la creación en Lockheed (la empresa en la que prácticamente trabajó toda su vida) de un grupo de ingenieros de leyenda denominado "Skunk Works" que aún hoy son el referente de cualquier "Uña Negra" que se precie. Su credo estaba condensado en las llamadas 14 reglas que podéis encontrar en Internet y que son un paradigma de como entender la ingeniería de otra manera.

Vaya pues mi número 2 para "Kelly" Johnson.

Hace unas semanas prometí contaros como son las personas que lideran esos pequeños grupos de ingeniería que, en las grandes empresas, son reductos de conocimiento, actividad y saber hacer. Hoy, el día en que entra en nuestra lista "Kelly" Johnson, es el momento perfecto para hacerlo y de eso irá nuestra entrada de esta semana.

Watts and acetone

In the final stage of our ranking list, we reach number three that corresponds to the most important designer of the last 30 years. This is none other than the American Burt Rutan (1943) who from his company Scaled Composites in Mojave’s dessert, with his revolutionary developments and with the use of composed materials, has been able to proof that the innovation in the aeronautic world is not only in the hands of companies like Boeing or Airbus, but in the hands of people with an extraordinary talent and his small groups of engineers.

Among his achievements we find the design of the GlobalFlyer that made a non stop flight around the world with a single pilot, the Ares, a revolutionary low-cost jetfighter, the StarShip, designed for Beechcraft as an executive jetliner in canard configuration, that employed for the first time a carbon fiber composite for the structure and, of course, the design of the SpaceShip One (and the carrier aircraft White Knight) which won the X-Prize in 2004 flying at an altitude of over 328000 ft.

                 

Therefore number 3 goes to Rutan.

Today we will talk about one of the most difficult duties that one has to face in his professional life: write a good specification. Although, as mentioned previously, this work is usually given to the newcomers, this task is one of the most complex ones that an engineer can face. It takes knowledge, experience and synthesis capacity and these are capabilities that not everybody has.