PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Was MCAS needed?
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Old 1st Feb 2021, 18:17
  #81 (permalink)  
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: florida
Age: 81
Posts: 1,610
Received 55 Likes on 16 Posts
TNX, Bergerie....

I would really like to have FAA or the European cert folks explain how the Airbus FBW was certified, but the 737 had to meet some formula about control force versus AoA or Gee or......

We had older planes like the 727 that had a nasty problem if you got to a high AoA, just like the VooDoo I flew as a clueless yute. For some reason Boeing implemented the MCAS versus a pusher or some warning to meet the requirement of Part XXX of the rules. And then they screwed up the MCAS activation and repeated cycles and.... GASP.

Make no mistake. I would love to fly a new plane without any "help" from the electronics or even yaw and pitch dampeners we saw in early 60's. Their performance would not be economical nowadays for commercial use, and sadly lacking for military performance - we could be like that guy in early days of the "max" debacle that iterated the stick and rudder mantra. After UPT in USAF, I only flew one plane that had actual feedback from the moving control surfaces. And my first high preformance plane had zero feedback in the stick!! Did I adapt? Yep.

The Viper FBW was an amazing advance and helped improve range plus high performance maneuvering that did not require Chuck Yeager to yank and bank. Ditto for the first Bus planes with near- complete FBW versus cables, torque tubes, pulleys and such. We pilots adapted in a new minutes and did not need the "feel" from the elevator or aileron or rudder to do the task.

So I iterate the question to FAA and other agencies to look at and change the cert requirements.
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