this is so off topic to this thread now but gee I'd love to explore this view with you on the MAX. As a professional, even if on the much larger birds, your opinion counts for much to the MAX issues as opposed to armchair "experts" such as myself and many others with biased views on the subject. I know a few pilots, 737 and otherwise, who have both flown the MAX and not with a variety of views. It's interesting after all of the groundings, changes made and frankly attention paid to the aircraft systems that there's still such debate out there.
My own personal view as a nobody is that I reckon the max now is probably the safest aircraft in the skies these days after such intense scrutiny from multiple agencies, tests and all the rest. I would not be worried to be a passenger on one. However my job is not in the front office.
Scrutiny is not the same thing as actually fixing something. Yes, they are probably a lot more aware of some of the failure modes now, but MCAS still exists. They have not taken the actions that would really negate the risk, but have taken a software route that may make a repeat less likely, but not impossible.
What could permanently fix the issue:
a. Activation of the stab trim cutout switch that existed in every Boeing since Noah, that stopped all stab motion if the stick was pushed in the opposite direction. Every Boeing except the MAX!
b. Install triplicate AoA probes, and use them to control any activation of MCAS.
c. Install a proper backup electric trim in the aircraft, so that the use of a trim wheel, that can require force beyond what can possibly be delivered, can be consigned to the history books.
d. Fix the pitch issues so that MCAS is not necessary.
You’ll note that these are all hardware fixes. A software fix, for a hardware problem, is simply a workaround. As far as I am concerned, it’s a very long way from the safest aircraft in the sky.
It's funny because I wonder how many some of the "anti-maxxers" remember the 787 battery issues, the A380 issues, the A320 in its infancy and the crashes in France, some with pax and all the other aircraft that have issues in service (going back to the very sad case of the Comet).
And you’ll note that the 787 battery issues were not actually fixed, but rather an enclosure was introduced as a hardware workaround. This was all about saving the weight of a RAT, which would have made these batteries unnecessary. What 320 crashes? The air show one? That was purely an own goal by the pilots.
Boeing is a company with major management issues, all of which apparently date from its purchase of MDD. Sadly the MDD side of the party ended up in the management roles, and since that time Boeing has not had one aircraft come into service without major issues. Their last decent effort was the 777. The MAX, 767 tanker (!), 787, Starliner are all great examples of how it should not be done. Boeing, the engineering company produced wonderful aircraft. Boeing, the management company….not too sure what they make.
