Originally Posted by
PerPurumTonantes
A thorn in their side to the point where it was suspected (by user wonkazoo) that Boeing had got someone to flood this forum with posts blaming the pilots.
The intersection of a bad design and a poorly prepared crew are not mutually exclusive concepts. Despite Boeing's obvious series of blunders with the MAX design, some of the posters here, including myself, are rightfully concerned with the decline in crew training and certification standards worldwide. There have been a string of accidents/incidents that have nothing to do with the MAX that provide worrisome indications that airlines, abetted by manufacturers, continue to push for the minimal (and in theory less costly) levels of pilot training and experience. Ironically, one of the recurring complaints about the MAX development was how Boeing and their airline customers intentionally tried to minimize the differences training. Would it be too obvious to point out that insufficient training would show up as an inadequate crew response to a malfunction?
There is strong evidence of issues with crew performance in the Ethiopian accident, and some lessor but still problematic issues at Lion Air, likely a result of the training and operations culture at these airlines. This concern is largely getting a pass because of the overwhelming focus on Boeing. It is not a case of "blaming the pilots" when someone points out that these pilots were set up to fail by airlines that did not give them the training or tools to manage a serious, yet recoverable, malfunction.
So at the end of the day, the MAX will either be fixed or grounded, but the issues with crew training and certification will remain unless they are addressed as well. I don't really see how ignoring the problem makes for safer flight operations.