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The problem is that the issue may cause the plane to be unflyable even by a pilot aware of the issue. The earliest reports said that pilots could avoid this ru
by aeternus 8y ago
The problem is that the issue may cause the plane to be unflyable even by a pilot aware of the issue.
The earliest reports said that pilots could avoid this runaway trim issue by knowing to disable the electric trim. Now it sounds like doing that may also eliminate all ability for pilots to trim the aircraft.
Inability to trim make airplanes extremely difficult to fly, the control (yolk) pressures required can quickly become too high to maintain control. Pilots would have to hold something like 1 lb of continuous backpressure for every 6 knots out of trim for the entire flight.
- TimTheTinker 8y ago> The problem is that the issue may cause the plane to be unflyable even by a pilot aware of the issue. That’s partly true, but it’s not the whole story. MCAS and its use to make the MAX 8-9 fly “more like the 737” is part of a longer trend of manufacturers coddling pilots instead of expecting them to behave as competent professionals and treating them as such. They’re effectively opting for a more familiar normal aviating experience, with the tradeoff being longer emergency/exigency checklists and so much more to manage/remember/process when the system malfunctions. With the end-result being that even more experience is required to safely and reliably pilot modern aircraft. Side note: Disabling trim should only be done as part of a problem remedy, not as part of normal flight. (Disclaimer: I’m not a pilot. I’ve read for many hours on these issues.)