[ARC5] zero

[Richard Knoppow]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce Long" <coolbrucelong at yahoo.com>
To: <kgordon2006 at frontier.com>
Cc: <Arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2012 9:25 AM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] zero


sakae engine copy of Pratt Whitney

Does not surprise me. I had read about a US designed and 
manufactured late 1920's perhaps 1930s locomotive steam 
engine that was
purchased by the Japanese and then copied. There was some 
sort of design flaw or manufacturing flaw that required the 
boiler on that particular engine to be cut lengthwise in 
half, the flaw repaired and the boiler welded back together. 
The Japanese copy faithfully copied that cut and weld. I 
believe I read of a japanese copy of the venerable National 
HRO5 receiver as well with similar "attention to detail".

With respect to the Zero I see and hear flying here in 
central Pennsylvania it might well have a Pratt-Whitney 
engine in it for all I know.

There is also a Mitchel B25 bomber flying in the mid-state 
area and it also makes the forth of july flyby. This has a 
distinctive sound as well-- a drop what you are doing and 
pick up the kids and run to the back yard to see what is 
going on- distinctive sound. But somehow to my ear that 
sound lacks the threating snarl that I associate with the 
mid-state zero.


While we are talking about technology copies about 15 years 
ago at the bringing of the internet boom I was designing 
precision quartz crystal oscillators. A large portion of the 
oscillators went into Cisco routers.

One day we received a request for quote for an absolutely 
huge quantity of precision oscillators from Wai-Wa the 
multi-billion dollar electronics company "owned" by the 
government of the Peoples Republic of China. The mechanical 
drawing of the oscillator design we where supposed to bid on 
was a poor photocopy apparently of a fax of a Cisco internal 
drawing with the Cisco sign off table at the bottom right 
side of the drawing and the bold letter marking "Cisco 
Propitiatory" still intact. They had not even bothered to 
white that stuff out.

At present I am working at a small technology start up. Our 
office computer system is reguarly snooped from a small 
number of IP address we have been able to trace back to 
Bejing and we have had PR Chinese Nationals, mostly students 
at the local business school contact us on various premises 
to arrange a visit.



     Two engine sounds I will never forget:  the B-36, they 
used to fly over L.A. long ago, a rumbling threatening sound 
that turned up in my nightmares.  The other was a day long 
flight of aircraft of all sorts which flew over Detroit 
right after WW-2.  I was a little kid and stood in back yard 
watching formations of all sorts going over.  I learned 
later they were going into mothballs at Willow Run. I have 
never heard anything like it and probably never will again.
     Good luck on your new business.


--
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles
WB6KBL
dickburk at ix.netcom.com