ReformedCharacter wrote:Itsallaguess wrote:Scary stuff....
It certainly is. I've been following the 737 saga with a sense of almost disbelief; it's a tale of simple disregard of common sense and safety. I think those at the top of Boeing should face charges of corporate manslaughter or whatever they call it in the US. It might just focus a few minds and change the culture. It really is a disgrace.
It's certainly a mess, and now the FAA is taking another look at the 787 Dreamliner, with allegations of shoddy work at one of the two plants where they are built (or rather, I should say, assembled).
As a regular flyer I am dismayed, and may well avoid these planes if they come back into service. If enough people feel the same way then this will feed upon itself. That said, we have been here before, notably with the DC-10 which had a series of accidents in the 1970s and 1980's, although eventually redeemed itself via the MD-11 (when a plane gets a bad rep, change its name). Even so SwissAir, of all airlines, managed to lose a MD-11 over Nova Scotia.
The Dreamliner itself was grounded in its infancy, due to spontaneously combusting batteries, and now people love them.
One thing to note, and as a Boeing shareholder I take notice, is that its share price is only off about 10%. Its regular 737 production is still profitable, and some all-737 airlines like Alaska never bought the Max. The 787 is selling like hot cakes. The new 777-X has hundreds of pre-orders. And Boeing still builds the odd 767 and 747 at Paine Field. Not to mention the two new Air Force Ones, and all the military stuff. So Boeing will survive.
And maybe the next major problem will be with an Airbus plane. The Air France A330 crash had a similar issue - misleading pitot tube readings. And as a rule Airbus planes are more software-dependent than Boeing. The A380 has hardly covered itself with glory either, even though none have crashed (a Qantas one came close). It's just that nobody wants them except for Emirates.