Originally Posted by
bman1002
I have nowhere near the knowledge you do in these matters, but in the last week, this has evolved from an issue that seemed to be very hardware specific, into something where we are seeing a failure in the process and institutions around certification. I am not concluding that the 777X is unsafe, I am just saying that I am concerned given the new info that has popped up this week.
It's reasonable to be concerned, but what you should know is that nothing has been disclosed that is indicative or even suggestive of any sort of trend that should undermine confidence in the certification of aircraft overseen by the FAA. The 737MAX certification was not fundamentally different from that of any derivative of an in-service type. I am not saying the process is completely infallible (it's not, and never has been), but we again must have a modicum of patience while these issues are investigated.
The media falls victim every day to what seems to be an intense, overwhelming, virtually irresistible pressure to project everything, especially related to aviation disasters, as a crisis. Taking things one step further is the apparent need to politicize the entire news cycle. And I'll admit, I can see how the process is terrifying for the average person, because it speaks to the inherent lack of control that underlies a fear of flying held by many people. Still, we don't need to be jumping to conclusions at this point, or taking things out of context to form the basis of a suspicion that any sort of malfeasance is rampant.