FAA to require 737 rudder changes

[Bubbette]

I think this is about time:


WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 — The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Tuesday formally proposed that all Boeing 737 aircraft, a workhorse of the airline industry, be outfitted with a new rudder control system over a five-year period. The proposed order would affect about 2,000 U.S.-registered planes with an estimated cost of $364 million, and follows the recommendations of a scientific panel appointed to examine rudder malfunctions blamed for two 737 crashes in the 1990s.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/657585.asp?0dm=B11ML#BODY

[Epsom Hold 2]

I am stunned. I assumed this was done years ago. I have several non-aviation-minded friends who have expressed fear about flying in a 737 because of the rudder. I have always told them: "Don't worry, the industry has known about that for ages and the whole worldwide fleet have been modified." Another five years?!