14 months ago, when the Lion Air 737 Max crashed, the various airline forums I frequent wen into overdrive. Several of the contributors are vastly experienced in all aviation matters and they all concluded that the Max was a very poorly designed aircraft.
The MCAS kludge was put in to satisfy the airlines that insisted the new plane would not require extensive SIM training and could ber flown on their existing type rating. Southwest Airlines ordered 280 aircraft with $1 million refundable on each if SIM training was required. The new CFM Leap -1B engines had to be pushed too far forward and too high up (due to short landing gear) creating a fundamentally unstable aircraft. The 737 had been a step too far - it's a 60 year old design and even the more recent versions (737 NGs - like Ryanair, TUI, Jet2 use) were only certified due to "grandfathering rights" where old designs are approved as they have a track record of safety.
A new aircraft would not be approved with some of the 737NG designs - control cables too close together, fuel systems too close together, no overwing escape slides etc.
But Boeing, under pressure from the airlines, had little choice - they didn't have time for a "clean sheet" design new narrow body as Airbus was cleaning up with the A320NEO series and they had to get a product to market quicker. Thus was born the Max. Boeing then compounded their problems by being economical with the truth to the Federal Aviation Authority and even omitting to mention the MCAS system when it was first released. They only mentioned it to airlines after Lion Air. It should have been grounded there and then but they gambled and we then had the Ethiopian crash.
Boeing are in a bad way.
And the media still hasn't mentioned the Dreamliners having their lightning protection in the CFRP wings removed yet...without informing the FAA...
