http://www.codeonemagazine.com/test/.../cockpits.html

Gunner


"First Law of Leftist Debate
The more you present a leftist with factual evidence
that is counter to his preconceived world view and the
more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without
losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot,
homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned
race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to
the subject." Grey Ghost

On Jan 8, 1:13*pm, Gunner Asch wrote:
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/test/...les/jan_07/coc...

Gunner
Gunner,
The article you linked to showed a couple UAV's (unmanned aerial
vehicles). During the VietNam War the National Guard unit in the town
where I was living at the time got called up and spent a year
stationed at Chu Lai. Another friend who was in the unit that I
worked with told me about some of a mutual friends escapades while
their unit was there.

Larry was really into model airplanes and very knowledgeable about
mechanisms and radios. Larry had built a large four motor behemoth and
had jury rigged radio servos to the controls. He did several test
flights that sent the plane out around the perimeter of the base camp.
On a couple occasions the plane came back full of bullet holes. The
commander of the camp heard about the incidents and was so ****ed off
at Larry he had him on **** burning detail for the duration of the
units time there.

Years later I started hearing about the military using UAV's in
reconnaissance. I have always wondered if Larry was responsible for
planting the seed of an idea in someones mind that was a bit smarter
than Larry's commanding officer.

Dennis

"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
...
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/test/.../cockpits.html

Gunner


Female pilots call it the "Box Office" not "cockpit.

Because of "Box Office" jokes the official term is now according to Boeing
is the "flight deck" As unmanned UAV being new,,,,they were used by
Napoleon with balloons and cameras and strings.
Roger.


"Buerste" wrote in message
...

"Gunner Asch" wrote in message
...
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/test/.../cockpits.html

Gunner


Female pilots call it the "Box Office" not "cockpit.

Gunner Asch wrote:
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/test/.../cockpits.html

Gunner

Good find. Thanks.

--
Jeff R.

"Buerste" wrote:

Female pilots call it the "Box Office" not "cockpit.

Good one! Now why was it traditionally called the cockpit? Historians?

Wes

On Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:13:35 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/test/.../cockpits.html

Gunner


"First Law of Leftist Debate
The more you present a leftist with factual evidence
that is counter to his preconceived world view and the
more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without
losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot,
homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned
race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to
the subject." Grey Ghost


most are utter ergonomic nightmares. you wonder how many were lost to
pilot error over the years that were actually due to the crappy
cockpit layouts.
Stealth Pilot

On Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:06:35 -0500, Wes wrote:

"Buerste" wrote:

Female pilots call it the "Box Office" not "cockpit.

Good one! Now why was it traditionally called the cockpit? Historians?


from www.etymonline.com:

"1587, "a pit for fighting cocks." Used in nautical sense (1706) for
midshipmen's compartment below decks; transferred to airplanes (1914) and
to cars (1930s)."

On Jan 9, 7:49*am, Stealth Pilot
wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:13:35 -0800, Gunner Asch



wrote:
http://www.codeonemagazine.com/test/...les/jan_07/coc...

Gunner

"First Law of Leftist Debate
The more you present a leftist with factual evidence
that is counter to his preconceived world view and the
more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without
losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot,
homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned
race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to
the subject." *Grey Ghost

most are utter ergonomic nightmares. you wonder how many were lost to
pilot error over the years that were actually due to the crappy
cockpit layouts.
Stealth Pilot

You put the most important stuff in the middle, and work the space
outwards to the less important stuff, and if something won't fit, cram
it between 2 other things...


Dave

On Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:06:35 -0500, the infamous Wes
scrawled the following:

"Buerste" wrote:

Female pilots call it the "Box Office" not "cockpit.

Good one! Now why was it traditionally called the cockpit? Historians?

--snip--
Origins of the Word Cockpit

Do you know why the pilot's area in a plane is called the cockpit?
- question from Sandra

An intriguing question that I'm sure all of us interested in aviation
must have wondered about sometime in our lives. And although we've
conducted some pretty thorough research using a variety of word origin
tools, we're still not entirely sure what the answer is.

The first known reference to the term "cockpit" comes from the rather
barbaric sport of cockfighting and refers to the pit in which the
fights occurred. Shortly therafter, the word naturally attained a
connotation as being related to any scene of grisly combat, such as
European battlefields. By the end of the 16th Century, the term was
being used to describe sunken pits or cramped, confined spaces. In
particular, the word cockpit was used to describe the pit around the
stage in a theater containing the lowest level of seats, as
illustrated by this passage from William Shakespeare's "Henry V."

Can this Cock-Pit hold
The vastie fields of France? Or may we cramme
Within this Woodden O, the very Caskes
That did affright the Ayre at Agincourt?

In so doing, Shakespeare may have been trying to draw an analogy
between the spectacle of a cockfight or battle and that of a
theatrical performance. An entire London theater even became known as
The Cockpit in 1635, as did the English Trasury and Privy Council
government buildings that were built on the same ground later in the
17th Century.

However, the more direct linkage to your question comes from the use
of the term cockpit to refer to a compartment belowdecks on a British
naval vessel beginning around 1700. The often cramped and confined
compartment was placed below the waterline and served as quarters for
junior officers as well as for treating the wounded during battle.
Although the purpose of this compartment evolved over time, its name
did not. Even today, a room on the lower deck of a yacht or motor boat
where the crew quarters are located is often called a cockpit. In
addition, the rudder control space from which a vessel is steered is
sometimes called a cockpit since a watchman in the highest position is
called a cock, and a cavity in any vessel is called a pit.

This sense of the word, as an often confined space used for control
purposes, was first applied to an aircraft around 1914 by pilots
during World War I. In keeping with this same meaning, the tightly
confined control space of a racing automobile also became known as a
cockpit by about 1935.

- answer by Joe Yoon, 3 February 2002

--snip--

From http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question...ry/q0064.shtml .

--
Acceptance is such an important commodity, some
have called it "the first law of personal growth."
-- Peter McWilliams, Life 101

Stealth Pilot wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:13:35 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/test/.../cockpits.html

Gunner


"First Law of Leftist Debate
The more you present a leftist with factual evidence
that is counter to his preconceived world view and the
more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without
losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot,
homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned
race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to
the subject." Grey Ghost


most are utter ergonomic nightmares. you wonder how many were lost to
pilot error over the years that were actually due to the crappy
cockpit layouts.
Stealth Pilot

I thought the Connie was really interesting
from that standpoint. Very clean layout,
panel ends nice and low for good visibility,
everything at your fingertips. I would have
liked to seen the flight engineer's position.

I thought the Connie was really interesting
from that standpoint. *Very clean layout,
panel ends nice and low for good visibility,
everything at your fingertips. *I would have
liked to seen the flight engineer's position.

Speaking of the Connie, Can someone confirm what I was told years go
about the "Connie"?

About 1967, I was designing and programming a certified payroll system
on an IBM 1440 for a large construction company in Salem, Oregon. The
office manager and the company accountant were in charge of the
project. The office manager was an Air Force veteran and loved to tell
stories of his service.

One story was an airplane ride from Puerto Rico to New York, if I
remember correctly. The plane was a Constellation. Sometime after
leaving Puerto Rico and having gained cruising altitude, the engines
all shut down. He about wet his pants, then someone told him that was
normal. The flight engineer had to shut down the engines and feather
the props to change gears to cruising speed.

After a short pause, I guess the engines reved up and all was well for
the remainder of the flight.

Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
this?

An inquiring mind wants to know.

Paul

Stealth Pilot wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:13:35 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/test/.../cockpits.html

Gunner


"First Law of Leftist Debate
The more you present a leftist with factual evidence
that is counter to his preconceived world view and the
more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without
losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot,
homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned
race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to
the subject." Grey Ghost


most are utter ergonomic nightmares. you wonder how many were lost to
pilot error over the years that were actually due to the crappy
cockpit layouts.
Stealth Pilot

What I noticed most are those "huge" access ports into the nose, gun
bays, bomb bays. My dog would have a hard time fitting through those!!
Take a look at that B-26 for an example. Or the MB 2. Looks like they
were added as an afterthought.
--
Steve W.

" wrote:

Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
this?

I'd be shocked if this story is true. I wonder if the flight engineer failed to switch
tanks?

Wes

wrote:

One story was an airplane ride from Puerto Rico to New York, if I
remember correctly. The plane was a Constellation. Sometime after
leaving Puerto Rico and having gained cruising altitude, the engines
all shut down. He about wet his pants, then someone told him that was
normal. The flight engineer had to shut down the engines and feather
the props to change gears to cruising speed.

After a short pause, I guess the engines reved up and all was well for
the remainder of the flight.

Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
this?
Something clearly got lost in translation. Why in
HELL would any normal procedure be to shut ALL
engines down at the same time?

I've never heard of a reciprocating engine that
had a "gear shift". The prop pitch actually
accomplishes the same thing, anyway, without any
gears. There were some engines that had "gear
shifts" on the superchargers, and you switched
them to high gear at altitude, and had to shift
back down when descending.

Anyway, somebody did something quite wrong, likely
ran the center tank out of fuel by forgetting to
switch tanks after climbing.

Jon

In article ,
wrote:
:
:About 1967, I was designing and programming a certified payroll system
n an IBM 1440 for a large construction company in Salem, Oregon. The
ffice manager and the company accountant were in charge of the
roject. The office manager was an Air Force veteran and loved to tell
:stories of his service.
:
:One story was an airplane ride from Puerto Rico to New York, if I
:remember correctly. The plane was a Constellation. Sometime after
:leaving Puerto Rico and having gained cruising altitude, the engines
:all shut down. He about wet his pants, then someone told him that was
:normal. The flight engineer had to shut down the engines and feather
:the props to change gears to cruising speed.
:
:After a short pause, I guess the engines reved up and all was well for
:the remainder of the flight.
:
:Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
:this?

Shut down?? Hell, no. Throttle way back, yes. I was a passenger on a
TWA Constellation right around that 1967 time frame. When we needed to
get to higher altitude going over the Rocky Mountains, the pilot
announced that the engines would be throttled back momentarily so that
the prop pitch could be changed, "like changing gears on a car." Thanks
to the helpful announcement, no panic ensued.

Similar pattern on the return trip, 'cept without the announcement. I
wondered about how people experiencing that for the first time must have
felt.

--
Bob Nichols AT comcast.net I am "RNichols42"

People were physically smaller: my wwII pilot father was huge at 6'1,
had 5'4" gunners.

Steve W. wrote:
Stealth Pilot wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:13:35 -0800, Gunner Asch
wrote:

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/test/.../cockpits.html

Gunner


"First Law of Leftist Debate
The more you present a leftist with factual evidence
that is counter to his preconceived world view and the
more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without
losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot,
homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned
race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to
the subject." Grey Ghost

most are utter ergonomic nightmares. you wonder how many were lost to
pilot error over the years that were actually due to the crappy
cockpit layouts.
Stealth Pilot

What I noticed most are those "huge" access ports into the nose, gun
bays, bomb bays. My dog would have a hard time fitting through those!!
Take a look at that B-26 for an example. Or the MB 2. Looks like they
were added as an afterthought.

On Jan 10, 6:37*pm, Robert Nichols
wrote:
In article ,pdr...@c oinet.com wrote:

:
:About 1967, I was designing and programming a certified payroll system
n an IBM 1440 for a large construction company in Salem, Oregon. The
ffice manager and the company accountant were in charge of the
roject. The office manager was an Air Force veteran and loved to tell
:stories of his service.
:
:One story was an airplane ride from Puerto Rico to New York, if I
:remember correctly. The plane was a Constellation. Sometime after
:leaving Puerto Rico and having gained cruising altitude, the engines
:all shut down. He about wet his pants, then someone told him that was
:normal. The flight engineer had to shut down the engines and feather
:the props to change gears to cruising speed.
:
:After a short pause, I guess the engines reved up and all was well for
:the remainder of the flight.
:
:Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
:this?

Shut down?? *Hell, no. *Throttle way back, yes. *I was a passenger on a
TWA Constellation right around that 1967 time frame. *When we needed to
get to higher altitude going over the Rocky Mountains, the pilot
announced that the engines would be throttled back momentarily so that
the prop pitch could be changed, "like changing gears on a car." *Thanks
to the helpful announcement, no panic ensued.

Similar pattern on the return trip, 'cept without the announcement. *I
wondered about how people experiencing that for the first time must have
felt.

--
Bob Nichols * * * * AT comcast.net I am "RNichols42"

Thanks, Bob, for the confirmation. I guess my guy got the flight
without the announcement!

Paul

On Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:37:06 -0600 (CST), Robert Nichols
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:
:
:About 1967, I was designing and programming a certified payroll system
n an IBM 1440 for a large construction company in Salem, Oregon. The
ffice manager and the company accountant were in charge of the
roject. The office manager was an Air Force veteran and loved to tell
:stories of his service.
:
:One story was an airplane ride from Puerto Rico to New York, if I
:remember correctly. The plane was a Constellation. Sometime after
:leaving Puerto Rico and having gained cruising altitude, the engines
:all shut down. He about wet his pants, then someone told him that was
:normal. The flight engineer had to shut down the engines and feather
:the props to change gears to cruising speed.
:
:After a short pause, I guess the engines reved up and all was well for
:the remainder of the flight.
:
:Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
:this?

Shut down?? Hell, no. Throttle way back, yes. I was a passenger on a
TWA Constellation right around that 1967 time frame. When we needed to
get to higher altitude going over the Rocky Mountains, the pilot
announced that the engines would be throttled back momentarily so that
the prop pitch could be changed, "like changing gears on a car." Thanks
to the helpful announcement, no panic ensued.

Similar pattern on the return trip, 'cept without the announcement. I
wondered about how people experiencing that for the first time must have
felt.

In actual fact, the propellers on a Constellation were Hamilton
Standard constant Speed Propellers, operated by oil pressure. To
change pitch one simply moved the Pitch Control in the cockpit, which
changed spring pressure in the governor which caused the propeller
hydraulic system to change blade pitch and resulted in a different
engine RPM.

It is possible that the pilot reduced throttle settings momentarily
but it sure wasn't to change propeller pitch.

Some Constellations incorporated a two speed mechanical supercharger
and shifting gears in the mechanical supercharger could have involved
reducing power momentarily to prevent excessive manifold pressure when
shifting to the high speed setting.
Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)

"Wes" wrote in message
...
RoyJ wrote:

People were physically smaller: my wwII pilot father was huge at 6'1,
had 5'4" gunners.

Yup, I keep hitting my head on the wood shed door frame at mom's. Grandma
and grandpa
never had a problem with it.

Wes

You must have a bigger head. d8-)

--
Ed Huntress

I skipped the meeting, but the Memos showed that "
wrote on Fri, 9 Jan 2009 12:12:03 -0800 (PST) in
rec.crafts.metalworking :

I thought the Connie was really interesting
from that standpoint. *Very clean layout,
panel ends nice and low for good visibility,
everything at your fingertips. *I would have
liked to seen the flight engineer's position.

Speaking of the Connie, Can someone confirm what I was told years go
about the "Connie"?

About 1967, I was designing and programming a certified payroll system
on an IBM 1440 for a large construction company in Salem, Oregon. The
office manager and the company accountant were in charge of the
project. The office manager was an Air Force veteran and loved to tell
stories of his service.

One story was an airplane ride from Puerto Rico to New York, if I
remember correctly. The plane was a Constellation. Sometime after
leaving Puerto Rico and having gained cruising altitude, the engines
all shut down. He about wet his pants, then someone told him that was
normal. The flight engineer had to shut down the engines and feather
the props to change gears to cruising speed.

After a short pause, I guess the engines reved up and all was well for
the remainder of the flight.

Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
this?

An inquiring mind wants to know.

Sounds to me like he was "sent for fifty feet of flight line".
--
pyotr filipivich
We will drink no whiskey before its nine.
It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

Paul: I don't remember offhand the procedures for the two speed
superchargers used on the R3350s, but I think it required a major
throttle reduction then commanding a speed selection change on the
supercharger contol and then throttle up to the desired power
settings. If someone had been listening to the engines at high power
settings then a major reduction for a supercharger change and then
throttle up, it would sound like a momentary shutdown to most people.

Craig C.

pyotr filipivich wrote:

Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
this?

An inquiring mind wants to know.

Sounds to me like he was "sent for fifty feet of flight line".

Along with a bucket of prop wash and
a cable stretcher.

My contribution, when I worked in Silicon
Valley was a request for a pint of ion pump
oil.

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:41:42 -0800, the infamous Jim Stewart
scrawled the following:

pyotr filipivich wrote:

Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
this?

An inquiring mind wants to know.

Sounds to me like he was "sent for fifty feet of flight line".

Along with a bucket of prop wash and
a cable stretcher.

My contribution, when I worked in Silicon
Valley was a request for a pint of ion pump
oil.

My buddy, the printer, said he was initiated by running down to the
paper shop to ask for a bucket of halftone dots.

We had muffler bearings and kanutin valves in the auto industry.

Heard on the airwaves:

--snip--
In addition to communicating with the local Air Traffic Control
facility, all aircraft in the Persian Gulf AOR are required to give
the Iranian Air Defence Radar (military) a ten minute 'heads up' if
they will be transiting Iranian airspace.

This is a common procedure for commercial aircraft and involves giving
them our call sign, transponder code, type aircraft, and points of
origin and destination. I just flew with a guy who overheard this
conversation on the VHF Guard (emergency) frequency 121.5 MHz while
flying from Europe to Dubai. It's too good not to pass along.

The conversation went something like this...

Air Defence Radar: 'Unknown aircraft at (location unknown), you are in
Iranian airspace. Identify yourself.

'Aircraft: 'This is a United States aircraft. I am in Iraqi airspace.'

Air Defence Radar: 'You are in Iranian airspace. If you do not depart
our airspace we will launch interceptor aircraft!'

Aircraft: 'This is a United States Marine Corps FA-18 fighter. Send
'em up, I'll wait!'

Air Defence Radar: (no response ... total silence)

Semper Fi
--snip--

--
Acceptance is such an important commodity, some
have called it "the first law of personal growth."
-- Peter McWilliams, Life 101

I skipped the meeting, but the Memos showed that Larry Jaques
wrote on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:26:10
-0800 in rec.crafts.metalworking :

Sounds to me like he was "sent for fifty feet of flight line".

Along with a bucket of prop wash and
a cable stretcher.

My contribution, when I worked in Silicon
Valley was a request for a pint of ion pump
oil.

My buddy, the printer, said he was initiated by running down to the
paper shop to ask for a bucket of halftone dots.

We had muffler bearings and kanutin valves in the auto industry.

Chrome plated molybdenum muffler bearings. Dual overhead
windshield wiper knobs. And a can of compression - get the large size
and bring back the coupon!

Heard on the airwaves:

--snip--
--
pyotr filipivich
We will drink no whiskey before its nine.
It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

Jim Stewart wrote:

My contribution, when I worked in Silicon
Valley was a request for a pint of ion pump
oil.

If you add a few letters in front of "ion" it becomes a
perfetly good sensable request.
diffus
I've overhauled several during my working days. :-)
...lew...

"Lew Hartswick" wrote in message
...
Jim Stewart wrote:

My contribution, when I worked in Silicon
Valley was a request for a pint of ion pump
oil.

If you add a few letters in front of "ion" it becomes a
perfetly good sensable request.
diffus
I've overhauled several during my working days. :-)
...lew...


In 1958, at Randolpn AFB, we would put the big radar IFF set on the tesst
bench, hook up the 'scope, and tell the rookie to stay here and watch it
until the meter showed that tuned tank was full.

Those things were classified in '58, and the rookies hadn't gotten training
on the set at tech school.

Flash

I skipped the meeting, but the Memos showed that "Flash"
wrote on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:49:27 -0500
in rec.crafts.metalworking :

"Lew Hartswick" wrote in message
...
Jim Stewart wrote:

My contribution, when I worked in Silicon
Valley was a request for a pint of ion pump
oil.

If you add a few letters in front of "ion" it becomes a
perfetly good sensable request.
diffus
I've overhauled several during my working days. :-)
...lew...


In 1958, at Randolpn AFB, we would put the big radar IFF set on the tesst
bench, hook up the 'scope, and tell the rookie to stay here and watch it
until the meter showed that tuned tank was full.

Those things were classified in '58, and the rookies hadn't gotten training
on the set at tech school.

Box stretcher. An old boss of mine told of the time when they had
a gal going all over the shop looking for it, and was finally sent
into the front office. The guy up front promptly came back on the
floor and reamed them for sending her on this wild goose chase. The
one they 'd had was broke and wasn't going to be replaced for another
six months!
--
pyotr filipivich
We will drink no whiskey before its nine.
It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

I skipped the meeting, but the Memos showed that Jim Stewart
wrote on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:41:42 -0800 in
rec.crafts.metalworking :
pyotr filipivich wrote:

Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
this?

An inquiring mind wants to know.

Sounds to me like he was "sent for fifty feet of flight line".

Along with a bucket of prop wash and
a cable stretcher.

My contribution, when I worked in Silicon
Valley was a request for a pint of ion pump
oil.

I recall a guy who regularly requested a flute and concert piano
in every budget proposal.

tschus
pyotr
--
pyotr filipivich
We will drink no whiskey before its nine.
It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:59:40 -0800, pyotr filipivich
wrote:

I skipped the meeting, but the Memos showed that Larry Jaques
wrote on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:26:10
-0800 in rec.crafts.metalworking :

Sounds to me like he was "sent for fifty feet of flight line".

Along with a bucket of prop wash and
a cable stretcher.

My contribution, when I worked in Silicon
Valley was a request for a pint of ion pump
oil.

My buddy, the printer, said he was initiated by running down to the
paper shop to ask for a bucket of halftone dots.

We had muffler bearings and kanutin valves in the auto industry.

Chrome plated molybdenum muffler bearings. Dual overhead
windshield wiper knobs. And a can of compression - get the large size
and bring back the coupon!

Heard on the airwaves:

--snip--


As a one time EMT, the usual thing was to send the Candy Stripers for
a box of Fallopian Tubes when restocking the meat wagon after a call.

Gunner

pyotr filipivich wrote:
I skipped the meeting, but the Memos showed that Jim Stewart
wrote on Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:41:42 -0800 in
rec.crafts.metalworking :
pyotr filipivich wrote:

Is this possible and was the Constellation the only plane that did
this?

An inquiring mind wants to know.
Sounds to me like he was "sent for fifty feet of flight line".
Along with a bucket of prop wash and
a cable stretcher.

My contribution, when I worked in Silicon
Valley was a request for a pint of ion pump
oil.

I recall a guy who regularly requested a flute and concert piano
in every budget proposal.

We have several vendors whose salespeople
have been advised not to show up unless they
have a pony and an electron microscope for
us.