Originally Posted by
Ian W
This is a public forum that is obviously used as a simple source by the media.
I would suggest instead of just cursoring past the top post on Rumours & News people should read it: BrandinettIB's Global Announcement - "Notice regarding post responsibility and anonymity. "PPRUNE will not guarantee your anonymity in such situations."
I don't think that I voiced an opinion not readily apparent to anyone who has actually flown an airplane of any sort. In the end we're dealing with trim which is the single most intuitive element of flight for even a novice pilot. "Zeroing out" pressure on the stick/yoke is probably the first thing that became "second nature" to me in my own limited experiences. As you grow in proficiency trim becomes even more valuable... So it's impossible for me to get beyond the fact that the captain of flight 610 wrestling with multiple oscillations due to intermittent runaway trim failed to follow the established procedures outlined by Boeing?
The real issue we're seeing here with the media is that they are not asking the right questions. Again this is not a defense of Boeing or the 737 MAX. I'd be angry to if I found Boeing introduced undocumented autonomous software into my world. It might in fact be the "correct" call to ground the plane (personally I have flown in it and would gladly do so again in any US carrier). I'll finish with this observation...While "we" (the generic public) do not have a complete understanding of the events that unfolded on Lion Air flight 610 the NTSB does have a much more complete understanding of what transpired. So...if the crew of flight 610 followed the recommended guidelines as set out by Boeing and the plane crashed what actions would the NTSB take? Lets go beyond that and look at the actions of the preeminent 737 airline in the world (SWA). If they felt that the plane represented any real and significant level of risk (above the obvious in air travel) what would they do...
So if your a media member and you happen to read my speculation why not start at the beginning and ask a few simple questions. What role is automation meant to play in commercial aviation and why does the FAA require (and has even increased it requirements) a higher level of experience then any other regulatory body for aviation globally? Is there a correlation between the FAA's confidence in air safety in the United States and those requirements? What are the requirements of the MPL (the fast growing global alternative) and what level of proficiency does a newly minted MPL cadet have?