Originally Posted by
Visconti
Forgive me for using layman's terms here. Regarding the MCAS required for certification, is that just a technical FAA requirement? In other words, is it one those regulatory requirements that has no bearing on the actual air worthiness of the aircraft in question, but just some kind of metric the FAA put in there? Put another way, in your view, if this certification weren't a requirement, is the Max air worthy for the run of mill proficient American trained pilot?
Absolutely. I don’t think I’m Chuck Yeager or still working as a test pilot anymore but rather an average, conservative, line pilot with a family at home. Point is, I’m not going to put my life at risk if I don’t feel 100% comfortable in an airplane. That being said, I’d fly a MAX tomorrow if they’d allow it. We can grandstand all we want here, reality is both the B737 and A320 are fantastic, proven aircraft.
Not to re-hash 100+ pages upstream this thread but MCAS could always be shut off using established runaway trim procedures (which were NEVER fully performed on both accidents.) Everyone is riding Boeing (justifiable so IMO) but much of the responsibility lies on the operator and the training/experience level of those pilots. These failures are a common factor in both accidents that conveniently gets left out of the discussion.
Once the MAX gets back online the pilot awareness of trim issues will be at the forefront of one’s mind and the required training will only reinforce those established procedures.
Assuming MCAS triggers again post-grounding, which is a huge assumption considering the scrutiny on that aircraft. It’s 4 actions, two trim-disconnect buttons, located inches from the co-pilot’s left knee that will disable it. Whole procedure can be completed in less than 5 seconds.