What??
From the Seattle Times Article:
"Four additional concerns specific to the 737 MAX were listed in the 2017 report. All were related to certification of legacy systems inherited from the earliest 737 models that were found by FAA technical staff to be noncompliant with the latest safety regulations.
These involved a lack of redundancy in the rudder cables; a too-high surface temperature allowed in the fuel tank; insufficient fireproofing around the plane’s auxiliary power unit in the tail; and using high-power wiring to connect to a switch inside the fuel tank.
All these issues were flagged by safety engineers working at the FAA as requiring fixes before the MAX could be certified.
The MAX won certification anyway after managers on the Boeing side of certification insisted that these were non-issues and managers on the FAA side agreed to let it move ahead with these shortcomings unaddressed."
I'm sorry, I'm trying to pick my jaw up off the floor. The 737 has no redundancy in it's rudder control system?? I've had a rudder cable failure- trust me when I say it can end very badly!! Can any (ahem) 737 Driver confirm that this is in fact accurate, that there is either no or a lack of redundancy in the 737's rudder??
If that is true that is the most shocking thing I have read about aviation in a very long time- and that the airplane was granted its STC just three years ago makes this even more shocking.
If it is true.
Cheers-
dce