Boeing omitted safeguards on 737 MAX that were used on military jet: WSJ

[Eugene]

Original report: Before 737 MAX, Boeing’s Flight-Control System Included Key Safeguards (Wall Street Journal)

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Source: Reuters

BUSINESS NEWS SEPTEMBER 29, 2019 / 9:14 AM / UPDATED 10 HOURS AGO

Boeing omitted safeguards on 737 MAX that were used on military jet: WSJ

(Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) engineers working on the 737 MAX passenger plane’s flight-control system omitted safeguards included in an earlier version of the system used on a military tanker jet, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The engineers who created the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) flight-control system more than a decade ago for the military refueling plane designed the system to rely on inputs from multiple sensors and with limited power to move aircraft's nose, the Journal said on.wsj.com/2mOypqT.

The newspaper cited one person familiar with the design saying this approach was taken in order to guard against the system acting erroneously or causing a pilot to lose control.

In contrast, the version of MCAS on the 737 MAX passenger plane relied on input from just one of two sensors which measure the angle at which the plane’s nose is flying, the newspaper said.

Boeing’s expected software fix for its 737 MAX planes will make its MCAS more like the one used on the tanker jet, the Journal said.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethiopia-airplane-boeing/boeing-omitted-safeguards-on-737-max-that-were-used-on-military-jet-wsj-idUSKBN1WE0FR

[Blue_true]

1. My $.02

Engineer are typically hesitant to omit things. My guess, they laid out the system and the cost and some VP decided it was too costly and ordered them to revise lower. The VP likely became a President for bringing the project in below budget, and a lot of engineers likely can't sleep at night now.

[LastDemocratInSC]

2. There is a Boeing heritage slogan: "If it's not Boeing I'm not going"

The Boeing museum in Seattle sells t-shirts and hats with the slogan. The slogan was backed by a solid history of great engineering and safety.

I recently read there's a new slogan for Airbus, also available on shirts and hats: "If it's not Airbus I'll take the bus". That's a bit more lame than the Boeing slogan but the fact that it exists at all says a lot.