[Sunnyways]

I’m booked on one of those planes in a month’s time. The notion of a future patch of some sort to the software is not massively reassuring and what happens before that? Britain, Ireland and Germany have already banned it, Mitt Romney and flight attendants have expressed concerns, yet Canada is staying loyal to Boeing. As a former astronaut, Marc Garneau’s risk perception is probably a lot different from mine.

[Robair]

Too late to cancel, re-book?

I'd be shopping for a flight featuring an airbus. But that's just me.

[rickc]

Sunnyways Sunnyways:

I’m booked on one of those planes in a month’s time. The notion of a future patch of some sort to the software is not massively reassuring and what happens before that? Britain, Ireland and Germany have already banned it, Mitt Romney and flight attendants have expressed concerns, yet Canada is staying loyal to Boeing. As a former astronaut, Marc Garneau’s risk perception is probably a lot different from mine.

I agree. This sounds like the DH 106 Comet all over again. The U.S. and Canada should ground this aircraft immediately. The fact that third world countries have beat us to the punch when it comes to airline safety is embarrassing.

[Sunnyways]

Just watched David Collenette on Power and Politics. The basic message was trust Garneau and the FAA, not the most convincing performance I've ever seen.

[rickc]

I say better safe than sorry. My kid has a trip booked to the Caribbean. She flies jet blue on the way down. They do not use the max 8. She flies American on the way back. They do use the max 8. I told her to reschedule that leg of the trip. If the FAA does not want to do the right thing than the people can vote with their wallet, and stop using airlines that use the max 8. Its going to get grounded one way or another if enough people stop flying with airlines that use the max 8.

[xerxes]

Robair Robair:

Too late to cancel, re-book?

I'd be shopping for a flight featuring an airbus. But that's just me.

I'd say that's premature. Air travel is still far and away the safest way to travel. Some of the older hands here will likely remember years past when there were numerous air crashes in a 5 month period, not two.

And you damn well believe every Max 8 pilot will be sure to know about the override switch should this particular issue arise.

This is not a major design flaw like say, the de Haviland Comet had or the early DC-10's had.

[Sunnyways]

More reports of MAX 8 ‘nose down stuff’:

$1:

In one report, an airline captain said that immediately after putting the plane on autopilot, the co-pilot called out “Descending,” followed by an audio cockpit warning, “Don’t sink, don’t sink!”

The captain immediately disconnected the autopilot and resumed climbing.

“With the concerns with the MAX 8 nose down stuff, we both thought it appropriate to bring it to your attention,” the captain wrote. “Best guess from me is airspeed fluctuation” due to a brief weather system overwhelming the plane’s automation.

On another flight, the co-pilot said that seconds after engaging the autopilot, the nose pitched downward and the plane began descending at 1,200 to 1,500 feet (365 to 460 meters) per minute. As in the other flight, the plane’s low-altitude-warning system issued an audio warning. The captain disconnected autopilot, and the plane began to climb.

The pilots talked it over later, “but can’t think of any reason the aircraft would pitch nose down so aggressively,” the co-pilot recounted.

https://www.apnews.com/0cd5389261f34b01a7cbdb1a12421e27

[herbie]

Two neighbours with F150s both crashed on Saturday. Better ban F150s.

[Tricks]

herbie herbie:

Two neighbours with F150s both crashed on Saturday. Better ban F150s.

That's... not the same thing at all.

[PluggyRug]

Time to put those widgets known as elevators, ailerons, rudder found on most aircraft back into the hands and feet of a pilot

[Tricks]

Sunnyways Sunnyways:

On another flight, the co-pilot said that seconds after engaging the autopilot, the nose pitched downward and the plane began descending at 1,200 to 1,500 feet (365 to 460 meters) per minute. As in the other flight, the plane’s low-altitude-warning system issued an audio warning. The captain disconnected autopilot, and the plane began to climb.

Those of you with flying experience. I recognize that kind of drop in a 2/4 seater feels way different than that kind of drop in a 737, but I would think that would be immediately noticeable? If you figure a flying altitude of 40000 feet, that's impact in a little under 30 seconds (assuming over water). In my complete lack of knowledge, I would think that's enough to disengage auto-pilot, no? Is auto pilot engaged before hitting cruising altitude?

[xerxes]

After a certain altitude, yes.

[Robair]

This system isn't auto pilot.

It's an angle of attack corrector. And it is always on, always active unless the pilot disables it as far as I understand.

So at any point in the flight if the computer gets a stall warning signal, or interprets a signal as a stall warning, it shoves the nose down until it no longer gets that signal.

This was done to mitigate the fact that the aircraft design is unstable and is prone to easily get into an excessively nose up attitude.

I'm not flying on one. What you do is up to you.

[DrCaleb]

https://theaircurrent.com/aviation-safe ... cas-jt610/

[Robair]

yep and

$1:

Boeing added MCAS after redesigning its 737 platform for the Max. The redesign changed the size and placement of the aircraft’s engines, which altered how the jet handled in flight.

The Max tended to raise its nose in flight, a movement called pitch. If an aircraft pitches too high, it risks stalling and crashing.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/201 ... 129480002/