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You don't need to destroy Boeing, but we do need to tell them to suck it up and design a new plane. The sooner, the better.
by rossdavidh 7y ago
You don't need to destroy Boeing, but we do need to tell them to suck it up and design a new plane. The sooner, the better.
- WalterBright 7y agoThere's nothing wrong with the 737MAX airframe. It's a software problem with the MCAS system.
- tyingq 7y agoSome might argue the engine placement is very awkward to accomodate the low slung wings. With predictable outcomes, like MCAS.
- WalterBright 7y agoSwept wings are also unstable, requiring a yaw damper, and crashes have resulted from inoperative yaw dampers. Of course, we could demand a return to straight wings, but then air travel would be a lot slower.
- tyingq 7y agoThe low mounted wings on the 737 are serving a no longer needed niche. They were there to accommodate rolling air stairs, where you walk into the tarmac and walk up aircraft-internal steps to board the plane.
- WalterBright 7y agoThe last time I flew on a 757 (a couple months ago) I got on and off on the rolling air stairs.
- tyingq 7y agoRolling is different, I shouldn't have used that term. The 737 can be deplaned with stairs that are integral to the aircraft.
- jpdus 7y agoRyanair does still use the internal 737 stairs at some airports in Europe.
- salawat 7y agoUnassisted non-compliance with FAR 25.173 begs to differ. Keep in mind MCAS would not have existed to malfunction if the airframe was capable of complying with existing regulations unaided. This fact alone means that the airframe does have something wrong with it.
- WalterBright 7y agoFAA regs require an active yaw damper, because all swept wing airliners would be dangerously unstable without it. There is no difference in principle here with the MCAS system.
- rightbyte 7y agoExcept that unstable pitch is more dangerous than yaw?
- WalterBright 7y agoYaw instability has resulted in fatal crashes.
- renox 7y agoI disagree that this is only a software issue: relying on only one sensor is a system issue in the MCAS not a software issue.
- liberte82 7y agoThe worst part is that there is only one sensor because having only one sensor allowed them to not document it and requiring pilot retraining. They just found a loophole to exploit, it had nothing to do with a single sensor being a good decision.
- renox 7y agoNot sure, ensuring 1) that the regulation organisms do their job instead of relying on Boeing 2) that the 737 Max MCAS system relies on 3 sensors seems good enough no?