by AC
This guy practically lives at the airport.
He told me about all the safety procedures. Theres a log book. Like a plane diary for each and every aircraft. All the repairs and previous repairs and mechanic notes and speculations go in this diary.
Every aircraft mechanic has someone watching them as they make repairs to certify that all procedures and protocols were followed by the mechanic. Once repairs are done they test EVERYTHING. Then the plane gets an ok to fly.
Then the pilots come in. THEY test everything. He said “they dont take the mechanics word for it”. If one little thing, doesnt matter what it is, if the system reports a malfunction of any kind, the plane cant leave. People are kicked off the plane or switched to a different gate with another aircraft on its way.
He said his airport had the 737 Max that is currently grounded. He tested the MCAS which caused the crashes. He showed me a picture from inside the cockpit with the pilot’s screen reporting a STALL. He didnt say if this test was either before or after the last crash.. so i dont know if all the machanics saw this planes demise coming.
But… heres the kicker! He said the MCAS was made a standard feature by boeing in all the 737max. But only slightly better models with a little more bells and whistles for a higher price was equipped with a back up software that would kick in and take over if the MCAS failed or malfunctioned in anyway. He said kind of like a Honda LX vs Honda EX. LX is standard. But EX has the sunroof and extra electronics (as an example).
He said Boeing fucked up by being cheap with the engine mounting instead redesigning the craft’s wings and height.
He says he knows the MCAS update was approved and fixed but from his mechanical perspective the problem is still there. The design flaw with the engines. He believes the 737 MAX will not go back into service until they rebuild and mount the engines safely on the wings of all the 737max. He said this whole mess was very far from over.