No they have not had 40,000 flights “without an issue”... that’s a false statement.. they have had 40,000 flights without a crash.
Also, NOT every model of the 737-Max has this particular issue that 1 sensor causes input override... it is only a specific cheaper model that only used 1 sensor to decide to override pilot input. Other models used multiple sensors.... but you had to pay more for that feature.
I GUARANTEE that BOEING LIED to the FAA, or greased some palms to get that single sensor override certified for airworthiness.
You will find malfeasance within BOEING, and possibly the FAA as well, when it comes to how that version of the plane got certified for airworthiness.
Tying the single sensor design to an option, rather than admit the original 737 design had been stretched to its absolute limits and make it standard is the entire issue here.
It is an incredibly short-sighted decision. These are the people that pioneered the study of cascading failure in aerospace disasters. Same company designs a single pinch-point source of failure in a system built to essentially end-run the FAA airframe recertification process.
Wow, that is stupid.
I suspect that allowing the MAX to fly with an amended, as opposed to a new, type certificate involved undue influence of some kind - maybe only patriotic, but baksheesh is not out of the question.
I have to disagree. MCAS works the same in all 737 MAX aircraft...1 AOA sensor provides input to MCAS.
The features that Boeing made optional are AOD displays on the Primary Flight Display (PFD) and "AOA Disagree" warning light.
Why Boeing made these optional is a mystery.
If these features had been installed in their respective aircraft, both the Lion Air and Ethopian Airline pilots could have prevented their crash.
Boeing's proposed fix will include the AOA displays and the "AOA Disagree" light. The MCAS will be disabled if the "AOA Disagree" light comes on.
There are some additional MCAS software changes that I won't discuss here, but have been covered in other FR threads.
IMHO, if the proposed changes had been implemented in the original MCAS design, both accidents would have been avoided...Sad.