SF Watch is an occasional series in which I note occurrences of reality imitating art in Science Fiction books I've read. Spoiler Alert!
The recent reportage on Boeing's new so-called Plastic Planes (although they are nothing of the sort, and that tells you something about the intention of the commentators) reminds me of the shrill and insidious scaremongering against Rearden Metal in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.
Here are some quotes from the transcript of Dan Rather's report on the planes, followed by quotes I've taken from Atlas Shrugged.
Some senior engineers inside the company say this plane is being rushed to market and could be unsafe to fly
"But . . ." said Taggart, "but . . . but nobody's ever used it before!"
The problem is all the unknowns that are being introduced and then explained away as if there is no problem.
"Well, if it were any good, somebody would have used it, and nobody has."
"This should significantly improve the bottom lines." Well given that, one can certainly see when an aircraft manufacturer, particularly a large one, such as Boeing, would be very interested.
(Hank Rearden asking a friend what the newspapers write about him)
"What do they write about me?"
"Well, you know the stuff. That you're intractable. That you're ruthless. That you won't allow anyone any voice in the running of your mills. That your only goal is to make steel and to make money."
Boeing never did a truly independent review
... worry about an engineering disaster much like the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.
"Jim," he said, "Rearden Metal seems to be a colossal kind of swindle."
"Uh-huh," said Taggart.
"I hear there's not a single expert who's given a favorable report on it."
"No, not one."
"We've been improving steel rails for generations, and increasing their weight. Now, is it true that these Rearden Metal rails are to be lighter than the cheapest grade of steel?"
"That's right," said Taggart. "Lighter."
"But it's ridiculous, Jim. It's physically impossible. For your heavy-duty, high-speed, main-line track?"
"That's right."
"But you're just inviting disaster."
"My sister is."
The brittle nature of the graphite and epoxy composite used in the 787 could mean trouble if the airplane crash lands.
"They said Rearden Metal is a threat to public safety. They said its chemical composition is unsound, it's brittle, it's decomposing molecularly, and it will crack suddenly, without warning ..."
But the verdict is out for some like Weldon on whether the 787 is as crashworthy as an aluminum planes.
"The National Council of Metal Industries," said Orren Boyle, "passed a resolution to appoint a committee to study the question of Rearden Metal, inasmuch as its use may be an actual public hazard."
Some engineers, like Weldon, are concerned that vast temperature differences on the ground and at high altitude will cause the metal mesh to expand and contract so much that it will damage the composite structure.
"Do you know that the stuff won't melt under less than four thousand degrees? ... Great? Well, maybe that's great for motor manufacturers, but what I'm thinking of is that it means a new type of furnace, a new process entirely, men to be trained, schedules upset, work rules shot, everything balled up and then God only knows whether it will come out right or not! ... How do you know, Miss Taggart? How can you know, when it's never been done before?"
And finally, one more entirely apt quote from the book:
"You'll have to look out for the air lines. We're working on a plane of Rearden Metal. It will weigh practically nothing and lift anything."
Does Atlas Shrugged belong in the Science Fiction category? Probably not, although it does have some SF elements. Most obvious is the invention of Rearden Metal itself, but it also shares the themes of human progress and imagination common to a lot of hard SF. Perhaps if we say that SF really stands for Speculative Fiction then I'll get away with it.