tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post6693118886660827648..comments2024-03-28T08:06:43.198-04:00Comments on The Silicon Graybeard: Why Boeing's Problems With 737 Max Aren't Just Boeing's FaultSiGraybeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-26202103220139250862020-04-18T15:30:51.353-04:002020-04-18T15:30:51.353-04:00Your post is what I mean by "I don't thin...Your post is what I mean by "I don't think you disbelieve central planning has been disproved and anyone who does it is a kook, like you disbelieve 100 MPG carburators that run on water" What if we use deionized water? Run the water past a magnet? Make the jet passage square? Use a homeopathic dose of octane increaser? You're just certain that central planning for flying vehicles must work. All those previous failures like Boeing weren't real socialism, so they don't count as disproofs. You think you're being critical of government but you aren't; you're just being critical of this one particular program at this one particular time. You aren't being critical of government in general.<br /><br /><br />Telsa cars wouldn't exist without the electric car subsidy. Would SpaceX exist without the NASA subsidy? Maybe SpaceX now is in the position where Boeing used to be, their engineering is currently good but it's going to turn out like Boeing (and the joint strike fighter, and the Osprey tilt-rotor helicopter, and the Zumwalt ship, and the threatened cancellation of the A-10 and the B-52, both of which work). It doesn't matter how many printed pages of failed government technology development I list; government is a religious faith.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-60338895709019473092020-04-18T15:13:51.976-04:002020-04-18T15:13:51.976-04:00This sounds unfortunately like some of the NASA st...This sounds unfortunately like some of the NASA stories I've heard, in particular about computers on the Space Shuttle and why they were never upgraded from the original 8086-based units.The Freeholderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09989697995675652792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-86632626000129423702020-04-18T11:12:42.350-04:002020-04-18T11:12:42.350-04:00The same mentality pervades the Nuclear Power indu...The same mentality pervades the Nuclear Power industry as regulated by the NRC. There are reasons why US companies can't compete in foreign markets for Nuclear Power Plants, but a big one is that countries without a regulatory system similar to the NRC will only buy US designs certified by the NRC. Ironically they will buy Russian or Chinese copies of US designs at half price, without a qualm.Nuke Road Warriorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01122662466990452477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-1292852142212360772020-04-17T20:59:56.255-04:002020-04-17T20:59:56.255-04:00Yes the FAA is the problem in many ways. Safety i...Yes the FAA is the problem in many ways. Safety is important BUT no one can insure 100% safety. The FAA is operating just like it did 60+ years ago but in a more draconian way. The FAA is caught up in the bureaucratic, deep state nonsense; they believe they have the power to dictate.<br /><br />An observation by my late father who died in Dec 2000. He was an FAA (individual) Designated Engineering Representative (DER). He had worked for the FAA from 1958 until 1967 as an engineer and gained his DER when laid off from a major defense aviation retrofit company. What he observed was that by the late 1990's the engineering ranks of the FAA were filling up with people whose only experience with aviation was flying on an airliner. He had young engineers dismissing his 30 plus years of experience and knowledge because they didn't know squat but were in authority. The management accept this. I have a feeling that is what is still going on. God save us!BillBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17593147581583316765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-27579345108781858632020-04-17T17:57:13.921-04:002020-04-17T17:57:13.921-04:00And those products will probably still be usable i...And those products will probably still be usable in 30~50 years even though the rest of the systems they were used with have moved on.<br /><br />I have some WWII gear that still functions 100%!drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-43473322725244116062020-04-17T15:44:26.238-04:002020-04-17T15:44:26.238-04:00Fix the FAA...hehehehehe! Have you ever seen the ...Fix the FAA...hehehehehe! Have you ever seen the material you are required to know in the A&P test in order to be a mechanic? Half of it is on radial engines. They were to upgrade the material when I was going to A&P school. I'm retired. The test is unchanged. There is a reason magnetos are still used on most light aircraft. It is proven technology and any change subjects you to the FAA and LAWYERS. Both are deadly to aviation.indyjonesoutherenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-58173281469593569592020-04-17T09:08:05.980-04:002020-04-17T09:08:05.980-04:00That was really my point. In a regulated industry...That was really my point. In a regulated industry like Aviation, nobody does a thing without the regulator's approval. I'm sure they believe holding onto outdated regulations makes everyone safer, but if not uprooted, the FAA should be pruned back to 1/100th the current size. <br /><br />Just like the FDA doesn't keep your food safe, the FAA doesn't keep your flying safe. <br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-18325858184400715342020-04-17T08:42:44.618-04:002020-04-17T08:42:44.618-04:00Collins Aerospace computers? That explains a lot.Collins Aerospace computers? That explains a lot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-52068310003660137972020-04-17T06:49:30.861-04:002020-04-17T06:49:30.861-04:00OR you could fix the FAA. That might be easier.OR you could fix the FAA. That might be easier.LLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05538854359365988863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-30293640605561149372020-04-16T23:45:27.822-04:002020-04-16T23:45:27.822-04:00It's my belief that the 737MAX will never fly ...It's my belief that the 737MAX will never fly again. At some point Boeing will have to cut their losses and scrap them.The Neon Madmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09471284462048509853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-79508779012760773032020-04-16T23:16:04.228-04:002020-04-16T23:16:04.228-04:00It's a far more costly business than people re...<i>It's a far more costly business than people realize, and a good chunk of the cost is paperwork compliance.</i><br /><br />I used to tell new grads that it took us longer to certify the product, after development, than the life of a consumer product. A slight exaggeration, but definitely longer than the latest cellphone would be the featured generation. OTOH, our products were expected to be in service for 10 or 15 years. <br /><br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-62570823137182819042020-04-16T21:14:33.439-04:002020-04-16T21:14:33.439-04:00When Sea Launch went into Chapter 11, some of my B...When Sea Launch went into Chapter 11, some of my Boeing friends were transferred to Boeing Flight Test at Edwards. They were working on the "new" 747 Freighter, and then on the 787.<br /><br />Ohhhh, goodness...they things they saw. We were a lot more pragmatic at Sea Launch, and would often implement a "Best Fix" solution immediately, and worry about getting the paperwork caught up at a later date, but that didn't fly with anybody my friends worked with post Sea Launch. Stacks of paperwork HAD to be completed, much of it redundant or superfluous, before any testing could be done. The Engineers would be working furiously, while the Techs, Ground Crew, and Flight Crew sat around drinking coffee.<br /><br />It's a far more costly business than people realize, and a good chunk of the cost is paperwork compliance.drjimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05647484115197408897noreply@blogger.com