JeffL Loc: New Jersey

Accident + Ignorance = Hysteria. I’ve been a General Aviation pilot for over 50 years. Planes made by every manufacturer have been in accidents. When a defect, hardware or software, is found, the FAA issues an airworthiness directive that mandates a fix and a timeframe in which to complete it. Automakers issue recalls to accomplish the same thing. Planes do crash, as do trains, buses, cars, etc. As others have said, if you want to avoid risk, stay home. But, don’t turn on any appliances, furnaces, water heaters, or start fires in fireplaces. Just wrap up in a blanket, pull the covers over your head, try not to smother.

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

The vertical stabilizer is fixed the rudder is attached to the vertical stabilizer and moves to the left or right via rudder pedals in the flight deck (cockpit) and the use of the ailerons for a coordinated turn. You push or pull on the yoke or stick depending on what the designers put in the flight deck, to go up or down. You can also climb or descend while in a turn using rudder and ailerons.

Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York

I’m not sure what is happening to these planes. This sounds like a design flaw that will be investigated by the FAA. As for piloting a plane, I am far from a commercial pilot and more of a hobbyist. One thing that I am aware of, even if the plane has a conventional design, an error may exist which makes people lose faith in flying. It is important to trust investigators to give the correct reasons.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Yes, Boeing does seem to have fallen on hard times regarding almost everything they produce. Maybe just trying to push the envelop beyond their capabilities!?

bwa

Sendai5355 Loc: On the banks of the Pedernales River, Texas

Follow "MENTOURPILOT" in YouTube and you'll never want to fly on anything. Personally, I won't ride in a Huey again.

RCJets Loc: Virginia

Folks, let me make a small correction here. The Vertical Stabilizer basically has no moving parts. The rudder is the moving part on the back of the Vertical Stabilizer. The rudder control Yaw, the side to side movement just as it does in a boat. If one engine fails, it is the rudder that keeps the nose straight. The Elevators are the part that controls Pitch, the vertical movement, and they are on the rear of the Horizontal Stabilizers. On large planes, the Horizontal Stabilizer can move. The angle moves a small amount to help trim the plane and is typically controlled by a jack screw.

Dave H2

Or not.. I believe the 737 is not fly by wire, but has both mechanically actuated and hydraulic actuation of flight controls. Thus, the crashes overseas killing all those people likely could have been avoided by proper training of flight crews. Seems like those guys never hear of pulling a circuit breaker which would have cut off the runaway trim that killed them.

KillroyII Loc: Middle Georgia

One thing Boeing excels at is having very supportive friends in high places. As 1 example, the contract competition for the Air Force tanker was originally won by a competitor… Boeing protested… Air Force and Congress members favored Boeing so a re-compete was announced… seems like others winning against Boeing is just not allowed. By the way, the Boeing tanker continues to have problems and fell horribly behind schedule while Boeing competitor tanker continues to serve other countries well.

Ok… rant over… it just pays to have friends in high places… even when your planes are falling out of the sky

BebuLamar

In the case of the 2 737 that crashes and 1 that didn't, the rudder went full left or right and stuck there that caused the planes to nose dive not the elevator.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Yup, and I understand that was one of the things added to the flight training manual after the fact.

bwa

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

Not true. A programming error in the flight control system was found and fixed. I think you will find that any aircraft manufacturer will deny having responsibility for a crash until after the investigation. If they didn't, their perhaps erroneous admission of guilt would result in an avalanche of lawsuits that would automatically be decided in favor of the plaintiff. If it was later determined that the company was not at fault, it would be difficult to retract that admission of guilt.

Latsok Loc: Recently moved to Washington State.

Yes indeed. It sure is.
It probably is one of the safest airplanes in use in commercial aviation; don't let hype-seeking fake news self-agrandizing publicity seeking media outlets spread false rumors. (And no; I'm not in any way connected with Boeing. But I am a former pilot who follows aviation developments closely.)

Don W-37 Loc: Bangkok, Thailand

Disagree Jerry. I've flown hundreds of thousands of miles in Boeing aircraft and never a hiccup. Furthermore, I was an aircraft maintenance officer in the U.S. Navy with 23 years of service, so I know more about aircraft than most. The truth is that you're much more likely to die in a car crash than in a plane crash. Better to rely on science than on media hysteria! JMHO, Don

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Boeing knew they were cheating and lying. It was MCAS that crashed the plane, not poorly trained pilots. Boeing always puts the blame on outsiders, even though they knew they were the cause of the problem. They wanted to offer the Max without pilot training required, so they inserted MCAS into the system without telling anyone.

nvestigations in both crashes determined that Boeing and the FAA favored cost-saving solutions, but ultimately produced a flawed design of the MCAS instead.[101] The FAA's Organization Designation Authorization program, allowing manufacturers to act on its behalf, was also questioned for weakening its oversight of Boeing.

The FAA is just an arm of the airline industry. Like other agencies, they let the companies proved the certification data. Boeing is still trying to get some version of the Max certified, but they face an uphill battle. They wanted to save money in the cockpit by not upgrading the controls to meet current requirements. Updating could cost them billions worldwide.

https://www.aviacionline.com/2022/04/boeing-should-redesign-737-max-cockpit-experts-say/

When they merged with MD, Boeing switched the emphasis from safety to profit, and that worked extremely well for them and their wealthy stockholders. Cost-cutters replaced engineers as the most valued employees. Boeing lied and lied and hid safety defects, yet they are still earning billion through government contracts.

The chief prosecutor in the dismissed case against Boeing got a job with Boeing after the case was settled. The whole thing is dirty from the top down.

BebuLamar

The use of MCAS is pure cheating in my opinion. Should redesign the airframe to accept larger engine that sit under the wing.