New and notes from around the interweb:
- Avoiding scam artists at home and abroad (HT: Marginal Revolution) And these 8 simple tips will keep you from falling for the most common scams around the world.
- Former Boeing official subpoenaed in 737 MAX probe won’t turn over documents, citing Fifth Amendment protection. The former Chief Technical Pilot on the MAX project is now a first officer at Southwest Airlines.
During the certification process, Forkner suggested to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that MCAS not be included in the pilot manual, according to previous Seattle Times reporting.
The FAA, after internal deliberations, agreed to keep MCAS out of the manual, reasoning that MCAS was software that operates in the background as part of the flight-control system, according to an official familiar with the discussions.
This seems weird to me, as a non-technical outside observer, since my understanding is that there are plenty of things in Airbus manuals about “software that operates in the background as part of the flight control system.”
- Arne Sorenson, who says our passport data was stolen in one of the world’s biggest data breaches because they were trying to make it easier for customers to book reservations, who says the loyalty integration debacle that became Marriott Bonvoy was just ‘noise around the edges’, and that resort fees are good for you has been named the 9th most innovative leader ahead of Sergey Brin and Larry Page who brought us Google.
- Door blows off of a Boeing 777X during stress tests (HT: Ken R.)
- Things aren’t great between EVA Air and flight attendants two months after their strike. The airline is suing union leaders seeking $1 million per day of the strike which they argue was illegal. They’re demanding concessions on scheduling in exchange for restoring flight benefits to cabin crew that walked out. EVA Air and cabin crew are back at the bargaining table September 11.
There really aren’t clean hands here on either side, the union held flight attendant passports to keep them from working during the strike.
- Heidi Klum on Nicole Richie’s inflight germaphobia
As far as what should be in a technical manual…
I’m a pilot and computer programmer. As a pilot, it’s my responsibility to know my airplane, its systems, and their limitations, full stop. Do I need to know every line of source code? No. But I need to know what the systems *do*.
Boeing and Airbus have completely different control philosophies. Boeing has traditionally taken the approach that the pilot has the final say over the control of the aircraft. This is definitely true of the 737 line, which has its origins as a mechanically linked aircraft. Boeing has stuck with the “737” because of common type certificates and training and all of that.
Yeah, they’ve added computers, automation and what not over the years. Fine. But if Boeing is going to put in a system that has the ability to override the pilot’s control input, they pilot needs to know about it.
There’s some human factors issues with thick training manuals, but the bottom line is if it’s not in the training manual, the pilot can’t know about it. If it’s in the training manual and the pilot didn’t read it, that’s on the pilot.
This will get resolved. Long term, however, aviation will be better served if learn some lessons about the role that automation is playing with aircraft operation, and how to better train humans to deal with it.
You Americans are strange, weird. We do like you, but fuck you’re weird. I had to laugh at the comment from one correspondent “Easy, don’t talk to strangers”. WTF! LOL! Only in America. Who travels to foreign lands and doesn’t talk to strangers? Sounds like someone who should stay at home in Mummy’s basement trolling on twitter LOL.
Easy way not to be scammed, use your commonsense. An oxymoron for our American friends, but the rest of us get it.
Good for you, Nicole Richie! I do the same thing (sans gloves), even use the same brand Wet Wipes, and most times my seatmate thanks me.