Prototype Bird

Prototypes are the rule when it comes to creating successful designs and applying upgrades that aren’t actually downgrades.  We’ve found it easier to catch lightning than to have a successful first design of anything.  AcMo wouldn't have been able to survive to this point without rapid prototyping and quick adaptation to design errors.  The importance of prototyping was one of the first lessons we were forced to endure at the knowledge factory.  The second was to always know where the fire extinguishers and emergency exits were located because building products with materials we don’t yet understand causes a lot of fires.

I found the prototype design for Fred's rigid flight suit while cleaning out one of our storage lockers.  I think it should be obvious why this design was abandoned early in development.  I’m embarrassed to even admit that the design failed our float test in spectacular fashion.  We did learn a bit about new reactions between metal and hydrochloric acid, so at least we were able to acquire some useful data.

The desk engineers are so focused on the numbers that they often forget things need to work.  They assured me V1 was the most power efficient design available.  I neglected to ask if Fred could fly in it, but now I know that should always be the first or second question.  It’s almost as important to know how much development will cost, and whether or not sponsorship exists to cover the inevitable blast past the most optimistic budget projections.

The flight suit wasn’t the only treasure I pulled out of the locker.  I also found the specification checklist that refreshed my memory of the various problems with this design.  The inlet and exhaust ports for the turbos were perfectly placed on the wings—a rare victory for this version, but the ear vents created too much turbulence that worked against the navigational equipment.  We also noted that it was impossible for Fred to unfold his wings when installed in the suit and he was also unable to move anything other than his eyes.  That didn’t help either because there weren’t provisions for his eyes.  He was immobilized and blind in V1.  He could knock himself over without any hope of recovery unless someone set him right.  V1 was only good for punishment purposes and not much else.

This version's shortcomings precluded any successful test flights.  Mistakes happen whenever the computers are allowed to do any tasks without a human overseeing the work.  Computers are lazy by nature.  They are either off or on, and they prefer to remain off.  A computer is far more error prone when in the off position.  They must be watched with extreme diligence to ensure they are not trying to usurp human authority while pretending to sleep.  As a result of the problems with Fred's V1 suit, we instituted a triple redundancy policy to avoid making any more stupid mistakes.  The staff is still free to make as many smart mistakes as they would like.

I have decreed that V2 of Fred’s flight suit should be activated right around the time we locate him.