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posted by janrinok on Thursday April 09 2020, @02:28PM   Printer-friendly
from the long-path-to-recovery dept.

Boeing making new 737 MAX software updates to address computer issue:

Boeing Co (BA.N) said late on Tuesday it will make two new software updates to the 737 MAX's flight control computer as it works to win regulatory approval to resume flights after the jet was grounded following two fatal crashes in five months.

The planemaker confirmed to Reuters that one issue involves hypothetical faults in the flight control computer microprocessor, which could potentially lead to a loss of control known as a runaway stabilizer, while the other issue could potentially lead to disengagement of the autopilot feature during final approach. Boeing said the software updates will address both issues.

The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it is in contact with Boeing as it "continues its work on the automated flight control system on the 737 MAX. The manufacturer must demonstrate compliance with all certification standards."

The largest U.S. planemaker has been dealing with a number of software issues involving the plane that has been grounded since March 2019. Boeing halted production in January. Boeing said it does not expect the issues to impact its current forecast of a mid-year return to service for the plane. Boeing said the new software issues are not tied to a key anti-software system known as MCAS faulted in both fatal crashes.


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  • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday April 10 2020, @12:29AM (3 children)

    by RS3 (6367) on Friday April 10 2020, @12:29AM (#980700)

    Commercial aircraft should be designed to be stable in flight.

    I mostly agree with you, but please define "stable".

    Or maybe please suggest who should have the power to define what is "stable"?

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  • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Friday April 10 2020, @04:26AM (1 child)

    by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Friday April 10 2020, @04:26AM (#980745) Homepage Journal

    Perhaps the pilots that have to fly it?

    • (Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday April 10 2020, @05:11AM

      by RS3 (6367) on Friday April 10 2020, @05:11AM (#980758)

      Huh? No, organized structured systems don't work that way in modern society. You must be new to Earth. We allow aggressive people to self-aggrandize, establish themselves as "authority", set rules and standards, and when things go BANG it's always someone else's fault. /s

      But seriously for a minute, I thought about that a lot and there's strong merit to it. In fact, for sure the pilots should have much say and if I was an airplane designer / decision- maker, I'd be getting pilot input, and whoever designs flight controls, dynamics, maybe mostly flight instructors.

      As I posted somewhere else, I'd really like to get a pilot's opinion, from actual flight experience, if the MAX variant is so horribly unflyable without MCAS. My bet is that 90% of pilots would say it's part of understanding aerodynamics and keeping a plane in the air and no big deal. If you've ever flown even a small plane, you'd know that these big jet pilots constantly handle far more complex issues than a little bit of thrust pitch-up.

      Reminds me of when front-drive cars started becoming very common in the US. Maybe 30 years ago I remember driving a front-drive car that had quite a lot of power, and if you stepped on the gas fairly hard at low speeds, the steering would pull hard to the left (IIRC). That was called "torque steer" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torque_steer [wikipedia.org]. I'm sure some people got themselves into trouble. I had no idea it was going to happen, but for whatever reason I quickly learned and compensated.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 10 2020, @05:36AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 10 2020, @05:36AM (#980761)