industry has only itself to blame. For decades the aircraft manufacturers (by and large) put safety and reliability first. Engineering and manufacturing were the foundation of the company. Now those are just cost centers to be squeezed for pennies.

When the company loses it's way and starts killing people, the government is going to tighten the screws. Really I'm surprised they've been given as much free rein as they have. If I was FAA administrator I would have said, enough with the type certificate games, if you want to resume production of the MAX it's a new type and all that entails.

I don't disagree with Jeff's sentiment, but Scott P has a very valid point here. Boeing misbehaved badly and is now paying the price for it. FAA got embarrassed for letting Boeing go so far off the reservation. Every other company not named Boeing is also now paying the price for Boeing's behavior, and that is hurting the industry. The FAA will never get embarrassed for saying NO to any new product that never makes it to market, whether it is a great product, safety-enhancing, etc. or not. Long ago the "promote aviation" mission statement was removed from the FAA org directions, unfortunately.

We can see it with the retrofit autopilot market specifically... Garmin reports to a different ACO but Dynon goes through the Seattle ACO and the pace of their A/P approvals has essentially ground to a halt since the Max debacle. Is it because their product is inferior to Garmin's? Has the GFC 500 been 100% reliable and trouble-free?

industry has only itself to blame. For decades the aircraft manufacturers (by and large) put safety and reliability first. Engineering and manufacturing were the foundation of the company. Now those are just cost centers to be squeezed for pennies.

When the company loses it's way and starts killing people, the government is going to tighten the screws. Really I'm surprised they've been given as much free rein as they have. If I was FAA administrator I would have said, enough with the type certificate games, if you want to resume production of the MAX it's a new type and all that entails.

When the -800s and -900s came out, we called them "lowrider 757s".

My HUD at 0300 ish this morning doing a back of the clock VLI-AKL getting people where they want to be for Xmas.

Yes it really was that dark out over the Pacific - and plenty of equatorial nocturnal TS active. When I first looked through a HUD 10+ years ago it was weird - I fear I'm a HUD cripple now.

For as much as I'd like to give various Boeing senior executives a pointed character assessment - if it ain't Boeing I ain't going.



By dawns early light. FL370

Cool rego on that plane.

Andrew

Hi Chuck - I used to think along those same lines but anymore, All else being equal I pick a flight on an airbus, just don't feel like rolling the dice on boeing equipment no matter how small the risk. Similar for operators, the schedule reliability and customer experience on US airlines is terrible, I'll look for a way to take a KLM or Virgin flight instead of Delta or United. Some of these large US companies have lost their way and it's not going to be soon, if ever, that they right the ship.

We are Americans NOT Americant's.........Just saying!!

Hi Chuck - I used to think along those same lines but anymore, All else being equal I pick a flight on an airbus, just don't feel like rolling the dice on boeing equipment no matter how small the risk. Similar for operators, the schedule reliability and customer experience on US airlines is terrible, I'll look for a way to take a KLM or Virgin flight instead of Delta or United. Some of these large US companies have lost their way and it's not going to be soon, if ever, that they right the ship.

Notice how the pilots support Boeing but the political entities and the relatives of the people killed in the Max crashes don't?

That is because the pilots KNOW the facts.

Notice how the pilots support Boeing but the political entities and the relatives of the people killed in the Max crashes don't?

That is because the pilots KNOW the facts.

Didn’t it fall off somewhere over NYC when the pilots actually used said competition’s rudder? We lost 265 souls that day.

Nah, plenty of young pilots still like Boeing products, haven't met a former 747 pilot that doesn't miss it.

I think the 767 is the best flying big airplane I've flown; great hand flying, energy management is fairly easy, etc.

But, many lament the perception that the business model has moved towards that of Airbus in some regards, or any other govt contractor in others.

Towards Airbus because the model isn't pilot-centric like it used to appear to be. The manuals are lacking. The MCAS debacle highlighted their current views on training. The dark cockpit design (no lights means normal) combined with a lack of most systems information puts pilots in the dark, literally, over the details of what's going on when things start going wrong. I supported an LOE in the simulator yesterday with a Leading Edge slat asymmetry, the student was confused at the status of the aircraft because, for example, we knew the trailing edge flaps could still be moved because a certain other light was or was not illuminated and I had to explain it to him. We have graphic displays, the aircraft monitors the position of the individual devices, why not a schematic we could call up like many aircraft showing their position?

Some business model practices have also become more visible these days though they may have always existed. My 767 can legally Single-Engine autoland and yours can't because my operator paid for that option and yours didn't (though yours may physically still be able to, you can't). It's like auto manufacturers that load Nav systems (or even seat heat) into all their cars, but you only get it for an $800 activation fee. I can do certain things with my Mode Control Panel to drive the automation that you can't for the same reason. My airplane doesn't give the 1,000' prior (or any prior) to level off chime. For a transcon airplane, my airplane has no real cupholders (all but the smallest coffee cups block the tiller) and I literally have no shelf or other flat place to place my food except in my lap. The 757 seat is way more comfortable than the 767 seat. My personal favorite, though likely not Boeing's fault, I can either have a running stopwatch or time of day, but not both at the same time). Though there may be valid reasons for the above, the appearance is of nickel and dime considerations to the avg pilot whose friend says "mine can do this" in the same airplane you fly.

But it's still a great airplane to fly.

Timing within Boeing coincides with other projects. The Max taxed the whole company to finish, then the pandemic halted Emirates desire for the new model. I know they had some cabin pressurization issues to work thru. The 777X is using a new aluminum alloy plus the composite wing. I believe they will be running the higher cabin PSI, similar to the 787. The engine is all new as well. I know there were some engine issues too, and some recently. The 777X is designed to fly about 600 NM further than the -300ER all with wing fold and smaller engines. The larger wing allows for a smaller engine thus longer range.

Lastly, these timing adjustments are always discussed w airline customers first with required compensations per agreement. Not to mention suppliers and their supply chain confidence. Timing for airlines always take years to adapt, with marketing, gate space, performance engineering, and training devices build, cert and install.