Too Much Airplane to Fly
The glare of the sun reflecting off an engine cowling on the right wing stood in stark contrast to the darkness William had experienced over the last 18 months. 20 years really... And along with the sun, Will too was feeling reflective.
Having shifted his interest from boat design to building a better airplane he'd spent the better part of two decades building his company only to have the government force him to break it in to three pieces the year before. Still, the bidding process could not have unfolded better for the model 299 Flying Fortress made by his company -- in fact, he knew that the Army already had plans to order at least 65 of these beauties. 1934 had been impossibly tough but 1935 was looking up!
Tomorrow would be Halloween, but today is the final test of the competition to build the Army's next generation bomber and there was no doubt that his offer was superior and his customer was ready to buy. It was thrilling to see his creation rumble and shake as the four powerful engines roared to life. The air frame groaned as this behemoth crept forward across the freshly mowed grass and turned it's nose in to the gusting fall winds.
The noise? Deafening. The stakes? High. The confidence? Higher.
When the order was given the engines roared from idle to max power and the aircraft lurched forward. The B-17 bounced as it picked up speed over the uneven ground and as the nose rotated upwards Will glanced towards the sky and silently thanked God for his success...
This was the most technologically advanced airplane in the world and they'd thought of everything in the design phase as well as the run-up to this flight. The pilots were seasoned and had completed so many test flights that they could fly this plane blindfolded -- hell, it practically flies itself.
William Boeing could not have anticipated that this moment of confidence and certainty was a minute or two from becoming an event that would nearly bankrupt his company.
The aircraft struggled as it left the ground and the crash that followed would kill 2 of the 5 souls on board. In the investigation that followed the accident (and the awarding of the contract to the underdog competitor) it was found that one of the pilots failed to release a locking mechanism that was only to be used on the ground. It was deemed that the Flying Fortress was, "Too much airplane to fly."
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Business owners can relate.
Creating and executing strategy while managing hiring, firing, and personnel development are anticipated issues whenever you start a company. While sometimes stressful those aspects are the "fun" many of us find in ownership. However, if your specialty is not in information technology then I am certain that managing your network and phone system has become a constant, labor intensive, and costly burden. And recent regulations that require all land lines to be transitioned to internet based service are making it even more complex -- this added burden have made networks "too much airplane" for most companies.
You may have just read this, looked to the heavens, and thanked God for your success handling this complexity. If so, I'm sorry to say that you may be getting ready to learn the same lesson Will learned -- catastrophe often interrupts the counting of blessings.
That being said, if you have an unlimited IT and telephony budget and no desire to be more profitable then I hope you enjoyed the airplane story. You may go now. If; however, you recognize that your business is complicated enough and you would like to cut your costs and reduce hassle while ensuring your network reliability then you should reach out to me at [email protected].
Our team of seasoned software executives around the country have identified game changing technology with unbelievable client support at a cost that most believe is too good to be true. We'd like to run a no cost, simple test to determine the health of your local network as well as the internet service you're receiving from your provider to determine if you're a candidate for this ground-breaking technology that only we can provide.