When Boeing moved its corporate HQ to Chicago the power shifted from engineering to bottom line corporate thinking. It took a while for that changed to have an effect. The MAX is not the only thing that when wrong. Take the 787 problems not only with the battery but it has other issues. the push to get airplanes out the door over shadowed the previous cautions that Boeing had been known for in it's previous reputation.

(Written on 2020/12/06)(Permalink)

Hey, the problem for Boeing is that they hid the system from the operators. Gross negligence. This was an inadvertent error but a deliberate bad decision on their part. This was bordering on criminal behavior, but don't expect anybody to go to jail.

(Written on 2020/04/10)(Permalink)

News folks can be dramatic, but there is a serious reason that the aircraft has to get down quickly. The laws of Physics defines that a liquid or gas will always move from an area of high pressure to low pressure. When a cabin suddenly depressurizes, your lung pressure is higher than the cabin pressure so unless you have available oxygen under high pressure you are going to get hypoxic very quickly. The passenger mask has a flow but very little pressure, thankfully, the pilots are getting pressurized oxygen but there is limited time available to get the aircraft to 15,000, which it is certified to do in 4 minutes. Of course you would not stop at 15,000, terrain permitting. The idea is get everybody to a level where the pressure is high enough that the lungs will begin to absorb oxygen normally. We have to remember there is probably a wide variety of healthy people some more needy that others.

(Written on 2019/09/20)(Permalink)

Bad risk analysis. Just like NASA's risk analysis for the shuttle program or Douglas on the DC-10's famous left side cargo door design. But it's not just Boeing, Airbus had three close calls with the A330's which dove for the ground, see the "Air Disaster" show regarding Qantas 72. Even now the A320 NEO CG problems all bad risk analysis, which can be limiting payload wise or Murphy's Law will show up unexpectedly.

(Written on 2019/09/20)(Permalink)

You have to remember your only as good as your next approach and landing. Flying requires discipline and focus. It also requires a survival instinct which controls risk taking. As an old aviator (we'll call him Capt. Smoky)told me once, always question whether what you are about to do the is the safest way to do it. He also said after someone tried to do something risky that ended tragically, "That's natures way of culling the herd", Nuf said.

(Written on 2019/09/20)(Permalink)

Quite often (too often) we see pilots get in trouble not knowing how to handle a bounce landing. I review Flight Safety Foundations recommendations with my crews every company recurrent training. This is important since you can't demonstrate "bounce landing training" in a simulator. You need to determine if it is a high bounce or not. This has be determined immediately because the nose pitches up after the first bounce. The determination must be made whether it is higher than five feet or not. Suggest you go to their web site and note their recommendations.

(Written on 2019/06/22)(Permalink)