irrational fear of flying

[SteveP]

According to Boeing, this is where they are in the process. It seems only #1 is completed. In part five, there is a period for public comments which delays the process. Longest scenario given the circumstances, regulators will require full 737 simulator training for crews before certifying them for flights.

At what point does the BOD fire the CEO or he resigns? If he resigns or is fired before the process is finished, the situation is really FUBAR because the next CEO will need to sign off on the process greatly delaying the approval process.

1.Simulator Certification Session: A multi-day simulator evaluation with the FAA to ensure that the overall software system performs its intended function. COMPLETED
2.Line Pilots Crew Workload Evaluation: A separate, multi-day simulator session with airline pilots to assess human factors and crew workload under various test conditions.
3.Certification Flight Test: FAA pilots will conduct a certification flight(s) of the final updated software.
4.Final Submittal to the FAA: After completion of the FAA certification flight, Boeing will submit the final certification deliverables and artifacts to support software certification.
5.Joint Operational Evaluation Board (JOEB) Training Evaluation: The JOEB, a multi-regulatory body, conducts a multi-day session with global regulatory and airline pilots to validate training requirements. Following this session, the Flight Standardization Board will release a report for a public comment period, followed by final approval of the training.

self made disaster by cheaping out in the design phase. Quick solution to a complex problem.
Once a great American company.

[htwoopup]

At what point does the BOD fire the CEO or he resigns? If he resigns or is fired before the process is finished, the situation is really FUBAR because the next CEO will need to sign off on the process greatly delaying the approval process.

And they just made it even more fubar’d than you suggest. They should have fired most of the BOD. On paper their solution of fire CEO and replace with the lead director looks good. Used to run GE Aircraft engine went to VA Tech and knows that stuff. But as lead director said to the WashPo something akin to I just followed what the engineers said I was not aware of the problem and those kinds of engineering issues really aren’t my bailiwick.

Also, remember that GE at the time of Jack Welch was all about financial engineering not product engineering, employees, customers...it was only about quarterly numbers for institutional investors.

I predict the same company disintegration that happened to several other classic grand US companies that GE alum ran into the ground.

[72gmc]

As a person who simply rides in planes it doesn’t inspire confidence to see the next man up from the same board that oversaw the snafu.

I sincerely hope that it’s a long arduous process for all of the right reasons. At what point does it make more sense to just walk away from the MAX?

[rwsaunders]

Two days of calling numbers, leaving messages and leaving emails...no response at all. In desperation, I drove out to the airport early this morning on a search and rescue mission and found out that the Alaska desk is not manned until 1:30pm. A fine gent from Spirit Airlines listened to my sob story and he said "C'mon, we'll take a look in their back room". He looked in a back office for me but the room was locked. If I wasn't worried about being placed on a "no fly" list, I would have called upon my inner Jack Ryan and battered down the door and searched for the bag. However, I elected to make it through another wall of unanswered phone numbers. 90 minutes later I finally got through to a human in Seattle and allegedly, a gent named Clark is enroute with the bag. That must be the standard response, as Clark is a name that is often used to diffuse confrontation, or it's an Alaska Airlines code name that is used around Christmas, i.e. they're referring to an irate customer as a Clark Griswold. Anyway, when I asked if Clark was wearing a cape and an "S" on his lycra suit, it didn't go over so well. Let's see if Clark turns into Superman and delivers the goods for Lois Lane.

[mnoble485]

I would post a link if I knew how but Alaska Air has issued a public apology for being understaffed for the Christmas rush. Seems like your daughter was one of many!

Mike

[rwsaunders]

Thanks Mike...I found this link as well but still no correspondence from Alaska. Clark did show up yesterday as we received a text from him when he was 10 minutes out from delivery...luck would have it that my two sons were home to inspect and sign for delivery. Nothing was stolen from the suitcase but the contents we very wet...it was raining heavily when she departed SeaTac and I guess that the suitcase sat on the tarmac for a while. Let’s see how they handle the request for cleaning bills and the associated BS that they put her through. In the end, we are having a very, merry Christmas and that is all from me today on the irrational fear of flying thread.

We apologize to our guests who had an un-merry travel experience at Sea-Tac Airport – Alaska Airlines Blog

[theflashunc]

Some folks at Boeing need to spend time behind bars for this:

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

[thollandpe]

Some folks at Boeing need to spend time behind bars for this:

Internal Boeing Messages Say 737 Max ‘Designed by Clowns’

Wow. This is a truly sad state of affairs.

[SteveP]

Wow. This is a truly sad state of affairs.

They paid the guy $11 an hour...
He said he was very competent with CAD....
Could design the plane no problem.

[rwsaunders]

They paid the guy $11 an hour...
He said he was very competent with CAD....
Could design the plane no problem.

They had to pay him $11/hr so that the departing CEO could collect his $60M+ pension and stock benefits...balance sheet “stuff”.

“Dennis A. Muilenburg, who was ousted as Boeing’s chief executive last month as the company contended with the biggest crisis in its history, will depart with more than $60 million, the company said Friday. Mr. Muilenburg will not receive any additional severance or separation payments in connection with his departure, and Boeing said he had forfeited stock units worth some $14.6 million. But the value of the other stock and pension awards he is contractually entitled to receive is worth $62.2 million, the company said. Mr. Muilenburg also has stock options that could be worth many millions more.”

“We thank Dennis for his nearly 35 years of service to the Boeing Company,” the company said in a statement. “Upon his departure, Dennis received the benefits to which he was contractually entitled and he did not receive any severance pay or a 2019 annual bonus.”

[SteveP]

Jeez, He didn't get a 2019 bonus?
Pretty harsh I would say.

[rwsaunders]

Ice fishermen in MSP mourning the Vikings’ loss I guess...why else would a sane person be out in 15F degree weather? :)

[thollandpe]

Another brick in the wall?

How Boeing’s Responsibility in a Deadly Crash Got Buried' - The New York Times

Boeing says, "These accidents involved fundamentally different system inputs and phases of flight". But the reaction to the crash was frighteningly similar, as was the reliance on a single sensor and applying a software fix to a hardware problem.

[htwoopup]

Another brick in the wall?

How Boeing’s Responsibility in a Deadly Crash Got Buried' - The New York Times

This is was also telling to me as I have seen GE culture/think screw up companies (including GE) and there are a lot of GE alums involved in running Boeing (including the lead director who is the new CEO)...

"The Dutch investigators deemed it “remarkable” that Boeing left airlines without an option to obtain the safeguard for some older planes. But in reviewing the draft accident report, the Americans objected to the statement, according to the final version’s appendix, writing that a software modification had been unnecessary because “no unacceptable risk had been identified.” GE Aviation, which had bought the company that made the computers for the older jets, also suggested deleting or changing the sentence."

[SteveP]

Drip, drip, drip....
The whole story is a well deserved kick in the teeth for this company.

[rwsaunders]

48 down is the story of my life these days...

[rwsaunders]

I told my wife that I’m headed out of town for the evening around 5pm and I’ll be back around 7pm...

Two satellites may collide directly over Pittsburgh - CBS News

[rwsaunders]

That would have been one helluva ride...JFK-Heathrow in 4h 56m...top speed 825mph...I wonder about the folks headed in the other direction?

Storm Ciara helps plane beat transatlantic flight record - BBC News

[gregl]

That would have been one helluva ride...JFK-Heathrow in 4h 56m...top speed 825mph...I wonder about the folks headed in the other direction?

Storm Ciara helps plane beat transatlantic flight record - BBC News

Jetstream winds make for interesting travel. Flew a round trip between Pittsburgh and Burlington, VT about 30 years ago. 45 minutes eastbound, 1:30 westbound. Fortunately, these kind of strong jetstreams are usually narrow both vertically and horizontally. You can often stay below them or climb above them (if your plane is light enough). You can also alter your routing. Flights from Europe to the eastern US are taking more northerly tracks this week (and still taking 1-2 hours longer).

Greg

[SteveP]

Saw a video on twitter of a Airbus 380 landing in London in the super high wind recently...
Holy hell... the pilots and crew must have been scared shitless... I am sure the passengers were if they had
any idea.
The plane is descending in 80mph side wind....(Note- this is by far the worlds biggest airliner... prob had 4-500 passengers in it.)
the plane is blown almost sideways as it touched down...the wheels connect w the tarmac and the plane straightens out to decelerate.
Hard to tell from the rest of the short video but it looks like it is then blown off the runway onto the grass.

Saab, Any experiences like this in your history?
Mistral in southern France maybe?