We've come a long ways from the early 2000s when the BAE Systems VP I worked for told me that there was no point in pursuing opportunities in UAV flight controls because they would never amount to anything.

(Written on 2020年 03月 07日)(Permalink)

Has anyone else noticed that when there is an engine failure on an airliner it is most likely a PW JT-8D? Maybe it is time to park the planes with them.

(Written on 2019年 07月 12日)(Permalink)

I stand corrected. Apparently the 737 MAX has an obsolete flight control system with some fly-by-wire features tacked on. No wonder it is such a mess.

(Written on 2019年 06月 30日)(Permalink)

It doesn't work that way. If you make an allegation it is up to you to back it up.

(Written on 2019年 06月 29日)(Permalink)

That goes to the differing philosophies applied in fly-by-wire systems. Airbus airliners, and most military aircraft as far as I know, do not permit the crew to exceed the design limits of the airframe. Boeing, on the other hand, has traditionally given pilots the last word. I believe that the 737 MAX flight control system is more like Airbus's--perhaps someone could comment on that. The basic problem, however, is not the flight control system but sensor redundancy management. In the case of AF447, the flight control system compensated for an iced up sensor until it could no longer do so then turned control over to the crew who had no idea what was happening and, as it happens, responded inappropriately for which they can hardly be blamed. In the 737 MAX crashes, there seems to have been no provision in the MCAS portion of the flight control system to determine which of two sensors was giving an erroneous reading. A human pilot would have noticed that the AOA sensor output was not consi

(Written on 2019年 06月 29日)(Permalink)

I don't think you understand how fly-by-wire works.

(Written on 2019年 06月 29日)(Permalink)

That seems very unlikely.

(Written on 2019年 06月 29日)(Permalink)

No, it is a 787-9.

(Written on 2019年 06月 28日)(Permalink)

Since 1981, Republicans have been seeking to emasculate the U.S. government by undermining regulatory agencies like the FAA. This latest debacle is just the latest example of why we need effective government oversight of industry on behalf of the public. The reputation of the FAA and other Federal agencies will not be restored until we elect a government that believes in the idea of governing. One could make a case that Boeing is a victim of Reaganist government that failed, on principle, to protect them from themselves.

(Written on 2019年 06月 28日)(Permalink)

If you have evidence to rebut this story, post a link to it instead of lobbing a cheap shot.

(Written on 2019年 06月 28日)(Permalink)