Posted on 05/21/2019 10:13:21 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
Before last month’s crash of a flight that began in Ethiopia, Boeing Co. said in a legal document that large, upgraded 737s “cannot be used at what are referred to as ‘high/hot’ airports."
At an elevation of 7,657 feet -- or more than a mile high -- Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport falls into that category. High elevations require longer runways and faster speeds for takeoff.
The Ethiopian airport’s altitude hasn’t been cited as a factor in the downing of Flight 302 and likely didn’t cause the crash. But it could have exacerbated the situation because an airplane’s performance degrades at higher altitudes, said a 737 pilot who flies into high-elevation airports such as Denver and agreed to speak anonymously because he’s not authorized to talk with the media.
Boeing cited the performance of the 737 Max 8 in a case brought before the U.S. International Trade Commission in 2017. Boeing alleged that unfair competition from Bombardier -- which beat out Boeing for a large order from Delta Air Lines -- threatened its 737-700 and Max 7, the smallest of its upgraded single-aisle jets. By pointing out the limitations of the Max 8, the planemaker sought to preserve market share for the 700 and Max 7.
Boeing stated in a brief filed in the trade case that the “737 Max 7 has greater performance capabilities at challenging airports. In particular, the 737 Max 7 can serve certain ‘high/hot’ airports and has a greater range operating out of constrained airfields.” The brief then cites a number of such airports -- that the Max 7 can fly that “the 8, 9 and 10 cannot."
Documents in the trade case referred to at least 16 U.S. airports considered “high and hot."
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Just give it up Boeing.
Incredible and terrible:
May the execs at Boeing who approved of this mass murder of innocents!
Be tried for whatever crimes they are guilty of re this awful action, found guilty and then go to some of our worse prisons for years.
If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going! (the dumbest phrase I have ever seen on this website).
What country did they get their engineers from?.
Yeah, no. This had nothing to do with that accident.
Thank God that the LA Times is such a pro-American paper.
Otherwise I would question the ‘facts ‘ they’re presenting.
Hopefully not here.
But somehow I don’t think engineers were included in the Max’ development process.
This is socialist engineering 101.
Yep...they screwed the pooch on this one.
The Denver Post also did a feature.
Having issues with altitude is a bad trait for a aircraft. I thought being thousands of feet high was kind of the point.
When you find yourself in a hole,...…..stop digging.
Nothing a few JATO bottles can’t cure.
Hard to know which paper is more Leftist, Denver Post or LA Times?
One thing is sure, both hate America.
The airport’s altitude did not affect the faulty decision-making process at Boeing.
This is the type of thing that could make United and Frontier Airlines really interested in the A319neo, which was designed for “hot and high” operations (Avianca of Columbia has 12 on order and United/Frontier could buy a lot of them).
Density altitude. Not a new concept.
If this is true Boing has really screwed up in a huge way. Commercial aircraft on this scale that have density altitude problems are non-starters.
The problem is not the altitude. The problem is high altitude + hot day + high humidity + low speed (’cause the plane isn’t at 400 knots yet) when taking off. But the real culprit in my mind is the autopilot “feature” that was supposed to correct for pilot errors - much in the same way that several Airbus planes’ autopilots caused or contributed to crashes.
Well as the daughter of former fighter pilot, and as someone who just flew on TWO Boeing planes in the past week — I assure you I am NOT anti-American...and want Boeing to get new leadership ASAP and back to the drawing boards to design an actual NEW plane model as was originally planned. For the sake of passengers AND for the long term of their company and our economy/trade situation (both of which rely on Boeing heavily.)
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