Originally Posted by
edmundronald
Any engineer asked to do that design with an aero sensor in the loop would normally have started with a multi-input spec because sensors are notorious for going on the blink.
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"Joe, the guys in the engineering cab are having a problem with a pitch up during wind up turns. It's now too late for any hardware modifications, we need to fix it in software. You remember that MCAS gizmo we did for the tankers. We need that in the Max to counter it.
"But boss, that's an entirely different code base. We can't just copy and paste that into the Max. Systems engineering must do a hazard and risk analysis for that, is it already in progress? They haven't come to see me yet."
"Well Joe, we do have the STS, we do also hava a hazard and risk analysis for that. Just do a reimplentation in there. Maybe we'll need to add a line or two to the analysis. After all, at worst case, it's just a runaway trim, as it always has been. The guys in the engineering cab are waiting for a prototype by the end of the week."
"Boss, the KC46 uses both AOA sensors but we are having only the one hardwired to us available in the STS subsystem. We need to request a new basline from R***C***, making the remote one available to us. That takes three months. We also need to fix synchronisation issues due to transport delay . Then systems engineering has to define behaviour in case of AOA disagree. Has the display and alerting concept been revised yet? Will we have the same kill switch, we have on the KC46 for it? When can we expect a spec for that? By the way, our task run time of the STS on that 'ol FCCs are already boarderline. I can't guarantee that we can actually fit it in there."
"Joe, flight testing is already on the way. The project must not be delayed. It is crucial for the companies future in the single aisle market. We have a problem, we have solution from the KC-46 project. We will follow a "do min" approach. No hardware modifications. Just make it work with one AOA sensor. Systems engineering will take care of the remainder. You make a prototype available to the engineering cab by end of week."
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What would you do?