Originally Posted by
dhavillandpilot
They say those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
we should all re visit the Dhavilland Comet saga. The parallels are truly there between the DH106 and Boeing 737 Max
Oh I disagree totally. The Comet was a trailblazer which pushed the envelope and revealed issues that changed how aircraft were designed. It later matured into a safe, popular airliner.
The Max is completely the opposite, it has traded 50 years of 737 maturity and reliability** for a slapdash money-making opportunity. Nothing that the Max investigations have uncovered is unknown or novel for aerodynamic or structural design; it's purely the result of hackish design due to beancounting. It's the McDonnell Philosophy in action; get something out the door to beat the rival.
The episode I think it resembles more closely is the DC-10, rushed under pressure to get into the air before the more rationally-designed TriStar. And look what that did to Douglas' reputation.
** Classic rudder actuator issues noted