BOEING WELCOMES MCDONNELL DOUGLAS EMPLOYEES INTO FOLD.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer Boeing executives and employees were upbeat about the future of their company as the aerospace giant celebrated ``Day One'' of its operations after merging with McDonnell Douglas McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It merged with Boeing in 1997 to form The Boeing Company. . Boeing workers at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 and elsewhere nationwide gathered Monday to view a teleconference conducted by Phil Condit, Boeing's chief executive officer, and Harry Stonecipher Harry C. Stonecipher (born May 16, 1936 in Robbins, Tennessee) is the former President and Chief Executive of American aerospace giant Boeing. He submitted his resignation upon request of the Boeing Board of Directors on March 6, 2005, due to an improper relationship with a Boeing , formerly McDonnell Douglas' chief executive and now Boeing president, from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. ``This is truly a historic moment,'' Condit told the workers, who at the Palmdale space shuttle space shuttle, reusable U.S. space vehicle. Developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), it consists of a winged orbiter, two solid-rocket boosters, and an external tank. plant watched a giant screen inside the assembly hangar. ``It's hard not to say, `Wow!' '' With 220,000 employees as a result of the merger, Boeing Co. becomes the largest aerospace company in the world. But what the new merger means to Palmdale operations isn't immediately clear. Boeing officials announced the shuttle workers and their B-1B bomber bomber Military aircraft designed to drop bombs on surface targets. Aerial bombardment can be traced to the Italo-Turkish War (1911), in which an Italian pilot dropped grenades on two Turkish targets. counterparts on the other side of Air Force Plant 42 are now part of Boeing's Information, Space and Defense Systems. The new division includes Boeing's space and defense units and what used to be McDonnell Douglas' military aircraft units and their Phantom Works - an operation that works on secret projects in a manner similar to Lockheed Martin's Skunk skunk, name for several related New World mammals of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense. Works. No decisions regarding jobs or consolidations have been made. Thus far, there are no changes in the works for Palmdale operations. ``It's business as usual,'' said Al Hoffman, director of Orbiter Major Modifications. Shuttle workers believe the merger may result in more work coming to Palmdale, perhaps sub-assembly work for the International Space Station. ``It's going to help everybody here,'' said Alex Mendoza, a Boeing inspector who started work at Rockwell International Rockwell International was the ultimate incarnation of a series of companies under the sphere of influence of Willard Rockwell, who had made his fortune after the invention and successful launch of a new bearing system for truck axles in 1919. 17 years ago. ``I'm glad McDonnell Douglas is in with us. It's a good future for us.'' The merger is a sign of the times A Sign of the Times was a 1966 single by Petula Clark. Written by Tony Hatch, the uptempo pop number juxtaposed Clark's driving vocals with a powerful brass section. She introduced the tune on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 27, 1966. in the industry, said Wayne Satterfield, a maintenance engineer. Boeing was in the process of sorting out what goes where with its 1996 acquisition of Rockwell International's space and defense units when the merger with McDonnell Douglas was announced. ``I'm not sure what it means for Palmdale, but for the companies as a whole it's going to be great,'' Satterfield said. ``I think they were waiting to get through the big merger and then count their chips.'' The earlier merger between Boeing and the Rockwell units provided opportunities for work to keep the shuttle work force employed between orbiter modification projects, company officials said. In addition to shuttle modifications, Palmdale workers are doing parts work for Boeing's 737 and 777 commercial aircraft, the international space station, and the X-33, a prototype of a future spacecraft spacecraft Vehicle designed to operate, with or without a crew, in a controlled flight pattern above Earth's lower atmosphere. Since streamlining is not needed in the high vacuum of this environment, a spacecraft's shape is designed according to its mission (see being developed by Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. Skunk Works. Workers also are preparing for the arrival of the orbiter Atlantis in early November. The orbiter is expected to stay in Palmdale for about 10 months, receiving about 50 major modifications. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--color) Boeing CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Phil Condit addresses the company's employees during Monday's teleconference. (2--color) Boeing CEO Phil Condit appears on a projection screen during Monday's teleconference. John Lazar/Special to the Daily News |
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