Boeing 737 Max planes are grounded after a hole blew in one mid-flight::The FAA ordered that 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes be inspected before they can return to service following the explosive decompression of an Alaska Airlines flight.
Their fixes don’t seem to have altered the fundamental problems with the Boeing 737 Max:
- the new engines are too big for the frame, so they’ve had to move them up and forward, which makes the plane pitch up at high thrust (which is what the now infamous MCAS attempted to mask with software)
- Boeing self-certified it as safe, claiming that it was a small, incremental change and so didn’t need testing or additional pilot training
- Boeing rushed out an unsafe design because they were scared of losing money to Airbus’s A320neo
I have to fly several times a year and try to choose Airbus over Boeing whenever possible, and I flat out refuse to fly on the 737 Max. This news certainly doesn’t make me feel like I was overreacting.
I find it difficult to know if my flight will avoid 737 Max, so I’ve been avoiding airlines that have them in their fleet. Unfortunately, British Airways recently rebooked me onto an Alaska Airlines, and sure enough, it was a Max 8. Sometimes you just can’t win.
Well, lucky for you, Alaska grounded their 737 MAX fleet a few days ago, so you won’t be flying on them if your trip is anytime soon.
Edit: I didn’t realize they were getting them back into service so quickly… oops 😬
Edit 2: bon chance mon ami
