The Lockheed C-130 was designed by a team led by Willis Hawkins in response to an Air Force RFP issued in February 1951. The C-130
has been in production since 1954, and the current version (C-130J) has been selected by the armed forces of eight countries. Like
other long-lived designs, its maximum takeoff gross weight has increased (from 124,000 lb to 155,000 lb), and performance has been
greatly improved as more powerful engines became available. The designer's dilemma is that designing-in the capability for growth
(such as oversizing the wing), may penalize the initial design but improve the chances for a long-lived production line..
This section provides some supporting information which is mostly related to conceptual or preliminary aircraft design. Click
on the appropriate text to go to that page:
Schrock's
Rules
Eric Schrock is the manager of conceptual design at Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. When
he asks a question related to conceptual design, he expects to receive a four-part response:
- The answer
- The ground rules and assumptions
that built the answer
- Sensitivities about the answer
- A fallback position in case what you have is not the answer.