Organfreak, please note the part where I said that in an ideal world, I'd agree with him re:ADs and grounding.
You're as free to believe what you wish about yokes as he is, but the fact is that he stated flat out that the yoke position would automatically have been noted. I provide evidence to refute that, while noting that it *might* have made a difference, and *I'm* the arbitrary and capricious one?
Look, I know that a popular conception among some has the Airbus FBW control system being dreamed up by a bunch of us computer geeks, none of whom had ever set foot inside a flight deck, but it just isn't true. I've mentioned this before, but the system was overseen by none other than the late Captain Gordon Corps, who was not only one of the most respected pilots of his day but also a colleague (and briefly the successor) of the late D.P. Davies, who wrote the seminal book on heavy jet operation still in use today. In terms of informed knowledge on the technical and operations aspect of airliners you simply can't get much more clout than that.
As for "It Just Makes Sense" - just about the most subjective statement in existence, because what makes sense to one individual may very well not make sense to others, and in terms of qualitative appraisal is about as useful as "My Dad Always Said", "It Stands To Reason" and "Some Bloke In The Pub Told Me".
[EDIT : Think for a second about the knock-on effect of grounding the 737. In a matter of days you'd be looking at a significant number of airlines - even the safest - folding completely through no fault of their own, if they couldn't find some way of making alternative arrangements. The only recourse they'd have would have been to seek compensation from Boeing, and before long you're looking at a collapse of a large chunk of the industry.
The A330 and A340 are not as widespread, but they make up a significant percentage of long-haul fleets these days.
As safe as air travel has become, the simple physics of what it involves means that there will always be an inherent risk even when everything is plain sailing. Mitigating that risk is a careful balancing act, and sometimes that means making a call that is not only cutting things finer than many (including myself) would like, but also has every potential of blowing up in your face. Real life by definition means compromising ideals and balancing risk on the occasions where the alternative would definitely be worse.]
Last edited by DozyWannabe; 9th May 2012 at 18:12.