Take McDD and the MD-11, for example. An ex-McDD colleague of mine told me that they had huge issues.
The had and are still having huge issues. Remember the spate of crashes and "near crashes" with MD 11 and the complain of control problems in other threads. That's the reason why they are relegated as cargo carriers. And I don't see how the MD11 can qualify as a successful a/c.
Wasn't the A320 "the first Fly-By-Wire commercial aircraft"?
Think you're right about that !
Now back to topic. Boeing have come way too far to scrap this program. They would do whatever it takes to get this thing off the ground. The real question here is not whether it can fly but whether it can pass the performance guarantees Boeing gave to the airlines when they signed on the dotted line.
