3 engine BA 747 hearing

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Originally Posted by Rainboe

I rather think the loudmouth FAA spokesperson who shot off an aggressive FAA response (from the hip) immediately after the alleged 'incident' rather pushed the FAA into a corner. I think the FAA will have some explaining to do when its own rules were not contravened in this 'case'.

I offer up this thought, as both a 747 driver and one who has had the (mis)fortune of working closely with the feds for a period of time.

This whole episode no doubt initially entered the FAA bureaucracy as a mechanical failure. Within the FAA the maintenance and flight operations sides don't like each other and don't work well together. My bet is that some maintenance inspector decided to hang some pilots, ran this up into region where it hit the desk of some fed lawyer who knows nothing about long haul heavy jet operations and….here we are. Unfortunately the ETOPS mental state is now dominate, and the number of people in power who understand 3 or 4 engine operations are few and far between.

IMO