Burt Rutan on Airbus. (By Bubbers 44) #47
I find it so rude and inappropriate for people like Burt Rutan to make a statement such as one published by Bubbers 44, post #47. The airplane that has killed more people than any other is the DC10. This happens to be an American made 'plane the seemed to have been certified under the table due to the RB211/L1011 problem. It had so many flaws that it should never have been certified until those design faults were rectified. The AA crash in Chicago was blamed on the method used by AA to hang the engine. This was grossly misleading. The real problem was the fact that the loss of hydraulics (due to the loss of the departed engine) resulted in the LE slats (on that side) retracting. Why? because they were NOT locked down (as on the B727). The resultant roll caused the loss of the 'plane. What about all those cargo doors that opened in flight causing the loss of the planes?
There are many of us who fly and have flown the A320/330/340 without any serious problems. The AF447 A-330 ( a perfectly good 'plane) was flown into a CB when close to the "coffin corner." The supercooled water encountered caused the pitot tubes to ice over, resulting in the loss of many systems. Unfortunately the actions of the confused pilots resulted in an unrecognized stall and subsequent loss. How is that the fault of the manufacturer?
Did a B737 not crash going into Schiphol airport in Holland recently? Should we blame that on Airbus also?
It would be greatly appreciated if the folks who comment on these and other posts kept to the facts and not point fingers simply because the unit involved was not made in the great USofA.