I don’t see how Boing can get through this with anything resembling a good reputation… even if they DID do all the right things (they aren’t… yet?). Remember when Intel tried to stonewall on the math chip error? They DID wake up and do all the right things… and it took them quite awhile to be forgiven by the market… and several other chip manufacturers started gaining market share right about then… probably not by coincidence.
They need to bring in and pay for outside inspectors. They need to replace the plane they just took out of service to be inspected with a recently inspected “good” plane. They need to fire managers and give attaboys to the whistle blowers. In public. They need to own up to bad practices and hire a CEO who specializes in getting rid of such practices. Probably from out of the US because there aren’t many (any?) available here. And they need to give him or her carte blanche to make serious and lasting changes.
You may find this odd, but none of the pilots feel that way. They understand that every flight has squawks that are written up and addressed. They are trained and well-experienced in dealing with flight “anomalies” long before they get to the left seat. I’m not an airline captain (never wanted that life) but I know quite a few, active and retired, and I have more flight hours than many younger captains.
Squawks are a fact of flight. I can’t remember the last time I flew my vintage airplane or helicopter that there wasn’t something that needed attention post-flight. None of them have been “safety of flight” issues, although a small fraction of them might have become so if not addressed. As the manufacturer of my helicopter and the crew-chief of my airplane, I know intimately their potential failure points. I am highly motivated to check them pre-flight, and I do.
Are there issues with Boeing? Sure looks like it. Perfection is tough to achieve, and some organizations get closer than others, or to their historical excellence. Airline travel (even in Boeing aircraft) is still the safest way to travel, although I rarely use it because of all the incidental indignities (parking, lines, TSA, seat-pitch, child pax, etc.). I do have to pump my own fuel, though.
Busses are a safer mode of transportation than cars, but I don’t see too many people taking them despite the five crashes they saw on the way to grandma’s.
Some airlines are refusing to take delivery of planes made in Boeing’s South Carolina plant. In 2020, Quartz reported that after the merger there was a “clash of corporate cultures, where Boeing’s engineers and McDonnell Douglas’s bean-counters went head-to-head”, which the latter won, and that this may have contributed to the events leading up to the 737 MAX crash crisis. and the state of affairs today.
Concretionist about 1 month ago
I don’t see how Boing can get through this with anything resembling a good reputation… even if they DID do all the right things (they aren’t… yet?). Remember when Intel tried to stonewall on the math chip error? They DID wake up and do all the right things… and it took them quite awhile to be forgiven by the market… and several other chip manufacturers started gaining market share right about then… probably not by coincidence.
They need to bring in and pay for outside inspectors. They need to replace the plane they just took out of service to be inspected with a recently inspected “good” plane. They need to fire managers and give attaboys to the whistle blowers. In public. They need to own up to bad practices and hire a CEO who specializes in getting rid of such practices. Probably from out of the US because there aren’t many (any?) available here. And they need to give him or her carte blanche to make serious and lasting changes.
Aviatrexx Premium Member about 1 month ago
You may find this odd, but none of the pilots feel that way. They understand that every flight has squawks that are written up and addressed. They are trained and well-experienced in dealing with flight “anomalies” long before they get to the left seat. I’m not an airline captain (never wanted that life) but I know quite a few, active and retired, and I have more flight hours than many younger captains.
Squawks are a fact of flight. I can’t remember the last time I flew my vintage airplane or helicopter that there wasn’t something that needed attention post-flight. None of them have been “safety of flight” issues, although a small fraction of them might have become so if not addressed. As the manufacturer of my helicopter and the crew-chief of my airplane, I know intimately their potential failure points. I am highly motivated to check them pre-flight, and I do.
Are there issues with Boeing? Sure looks like it. Perfection is tough to achieve, and some organizations get closer than others, or to their historical excellence. Airline travel (even in Boeing aircraft) is still the safest way to travel, although I rarely use it because of all the incidental indignities (parking, lines, TSA, seat-pitch, child pax, etc.). I do have to pump my own fuel, though.
Busses are a safer mode of transportation than cars, but I don’t see too many people taking them despite the five crashes they saw on the way to grandma’s.
moosemin about 1 month ago
How can such a large company with a long record of successful aircraft (B17, B29, B52) suddenly start making planes with structural deficiencies?
IndyW about 1 month ago
Just hum, “Comin’ In On A Wing And A Prayer” a (1943) song.
Moore 1 about 1 month ago
bean counters, profits over safety. Look at GM with the X Cars, GM’s ignition switches, and Ford Pinto, Now the same mindset is at Boeing.
Moore 1 about 1 month ago
Some airlines are refusing to take delivery of planes made in Boeing’s South Carolina plant. In 2020, Quartz reported that after the merger there was a “clash of corporate cultures, where Boeing’s engineers and McDonnell Douglas’s bean-counters went head-to-head”, which the latter won, and that this may have contributed to the events leading up to the 737 MAX crash crisis. and the state of affairs today.
2rusty8491 about 1 month ago
Profit at any cost.