I was at the bottom of the totem pole as just a guard at lockheed for 35 years. However I rubbed shoulders with everyone from kelly johnson, the test pilots down to the janitors. The aircraft industry for most that stayed with it was like picking grapes. You got laid off if a contract was lost or over and went to another company that got the contract that was hireing. I belive technology was spread out that way. The YF 23 was competeing against the YF 22 at edwards AFB for the flyoff as to who got the contract. Just a fence divided us. I worked van nuys when lockheed competed with their cheyanne helicopter. The next hanger was the competions. It doesnt take much creative thinking about both companys engineers and test pilots getting together and comparing notes and ideas. Remember, uncle sam was paying both companys at the same time to come up with a product that would win. Somehow I was one of the few that never got laid off. Looking back at it all the jobs in the aircraft industry were good. Good pay and good benifits.