[WWI] Added:Boeing MB 3A fighter

[pezo8481 at bellsouth.net]

Mike W sez:

>    What the U.S. Army would do is open bids for a design. Thomas Morse would win the design bid. Then the Army would open a bid as to who would build the plane. Thus big companies like Boeing or Curtiss would win the contract to build the aircraft. Thus, Boeing and Curtiss would prosper and small companies like Thomas Morse went under. 
>    

     That practice is nothing new and has gone for a long time up to the recent eras.   The reason is 
most U.S. service branches preferred dealing with certain contracting companies.  I hate to go "ot", 
but to prove my point.  The F/A-18 Hornet was a Northrup design, but was contract/built by McDonell-
Douglas.  The Navy at that time has done more business with McDonell-Douglas than with Northrup, 
which delt more with the Airforce at the time.  Usually this practice by the service braches often came 
under scrutiny with the "bean counters" raising issues towards consolidation or jointness with the 
service branches in the U.S.  However, the consolidation has shifted more towards the aircraft 
manufacturers than with the service branches.  Case in point:  McDonell merged with Douglas and 
was eventually bought out by Boeing.  Northrup merged with Grumman.  Of course this is not specific 
to U.S. companies alone.

Buz