In 1970 the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation faced, imminent bankruptcy that would have caused the loss of an estimated sixty thousand jobs. What made the company's problem a major concern was that Lockheed was then the largest defense contractor in the United States. Caught between a disputed government contract for a military transport plane, the C5A, and a problem-laden commercial airliner, the L-1011, Lockheed was suffering severe cash flow problems. The C5A project, while over budget and hostage to the entire company's cash flow problems, did not pose the problems created by the L-1011. Lockheed's main problem was that the design for the L-1011 did not include the ability to upgrade the plane for long-range flights, thus making the plane much less desirable to foreign airlines. By July 1970 Lockheed had received only 173 orders for the plane, far short of the 225 needed to break...