Re: Subject: Re: research topic

[Carl Remick <carlremick@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: Seth Sandronsky <ssandron@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Didn?t Jerry Brown, in a bid for the White House, channel author Gore
> Vidal?s ideas about converting the production of weapons to the production
> of mass transit?

Here on Long Island, longtime local defense contractor Grumman (maker of the
F-14 Tomcat jet fighter) tried to beat its swords into plowshares by
acquiring a bus manufacturer, Flxible, in 1978.  Grumman subsequently
contributed its own experience as a weapons producer by turning out buses
that posed a potential source of grave hazard.

As one web source notes:  "Soon after an order for 1,013 [Grumman Flxible
buses] for New York City began delivery, hints of trouble began to surface.
NYCTA eventually withdrew their 637 870s from service, claiming the buses
were dangerous and inadequate to withstand the potholes of New York streets.
Grumman acknowledged a potential structural weakness in some chassis
components and, in December 1980, announced the details of a massive
strengthening program in which 2,656 buses were rebuilt at several temporary
centers around the country at a cost of over $7 million."
<http://www.coachinfo.com/AllAboutBuses/Flx_Info.html>

Carl