I'm a retired engineer and licensed private pilot. From what I can see and read, the whole MCAS on the 737 Max shows every sign of having been a "hack" put together quickly and not thought out. It commands apparently strong control reaction on the basis of a single sensor, rather than using all available information (two angle of attack sensors plus two gyro attitude indicators). No simple way to over-ride, no apparent fail-safe. That a company with the experience of Boeing would put such a hack into service does not build confidence in the Max. Were other control systems similarly hacked? I believe the FAA and Boeing need to bring in an outside panel of experts and review the relevant aspects of the design and certification. I'm sure the National Academy of Engineering would assist in selecting experts. Unless I see this kind of transparency, I do not expect to have much faith in the Max. This means that I, sadly, will be much less interested in flying on Southwest which has become my favorite airline. Sure, I might be able to schedule a trip to avoid the Max but on any given day, aircraft and crews get shuffled around by weather, mechanical issues, etc.. and bingo I could find myself out on a trip with no alternative but to fly the Max. Southwest, you are probably Boeing's single largest customer for the 737 and looking at the order backlog, likely the single largest Max customer. We need you to make it clear to Boeing that you will not be satisfied with anything less than an independent, transparent review of the aircraft design and certification before it goes back into service.
... View more
