Why it's so hard to build a jet engine

GE CF6 turbofan, via Wikipedia . Civilization's toughest technical challenges are those that require extraordinary (and constantly improving) performance to be delivered at a low cost. High levels of performance often require complex, difficult-to-produce technology operating close to the limits of what’s possible. Any contractor could put up a five-story building using off-the-shelf building technology, but a 500-story building would be far more difficult to achieve and would require pushing the boundaries of building technology forward to even be possible. Trying to make something cheap while you’re pushing the boundaries of performance makes things even more difficult. You need to worry about things like minimizing maintenance costs, eliminating expensive materials or components, and having a design that can be manufactured inexpensively and minimizes costly expert labor. (And if you do require expensive components or labor, you need to spread it as thinly as possible.) Building ... Read full article.