WHACKMASTER

I much prefer the 737 over the 717 even if the “best airline ever” has a totally effed up way of flying it.

WHACKMASTER

You’re right. Too much tech debt now to add a different fleet type. Besides.....I heard you can’t “set zeros” on the A220 so that would rule it out, too.

RJSAviator76

Shhhh... you might get banished.

RJSAviator76

Unless we get Airbus/Bombardier to make a SWA version and call it A220-200 and allow us to “set speed, set zeros”, disable VNAV below 3000 feet, remove the roller shades, printers and install the yokes... so we can fly it like a -200.

RckyMtHigh

Guys are used to earning a lot more, especially over the summer, by picking up premium trips. That has pretty much evaporated. Additionally lines are less dense than better, so you are making less overall for the same days worked. To those used to having greater income the net effect is a pay cut or work more days.

The nice thing about SWA was the flexibility to work hard and earn lots, but that has been more difficult this summer. Tough on guys that are used to earning tens of thousands of dollars more over the summer months. For line flyers, less so.

We can earn more than big 3, but not without working for it. On average I would say we work harder each day at work, but work less days per month to equal big 3. That’s just my impression though.

e6bpilot

That autopilot fix is to satisfy a document with requirements created by the EASA. I think it is a stretch to say that will affect flying by US carriers. It sounds a lot more to me like political window dressing for the EU to keep the max grounded longer.
Let’s face it...at this point, we are all just sitting by and waiting for this to play out. It has, admittedly, gone on a lot longer than anyone expected. Once it is resolved, I think history will remember this as a nasty speed bump in the life cycle of a successful airplane.
Yes, it sucks if you work at swa but the sky is not falling yet.

The Duke

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2019/0...uter.html#more

https://mobile.twitter.com/satcom_guru?lang=en

Some good links regarding software/hardware on 737 Max. Satcom_guru is Peter Lemme, who is a former longtime Boeing avionics engineer. His Twitter feed is interesting.

at6d

Agreed....

elssaw

Less than 800 of the 5,037 Max orders are from domestic companies. 80% of the Max orders are from foreign carriers. Additionally, of the approximate 380 delivered so far less than 100 are domestic.

Boeing wants & needs the approval of EASA and the international community.

The FAA also wants the approval of the international community. Because of the way the FAA originally certified the max, the rest of the world is threatening to stop accepting the FAA’s certification of new aircraft. Neither Boeing nor the FAA want this.

Sure there is a political element to this ‘witch hunt’ but there also seems to be a political element to Boeing and the FAA rubber stamping portions of the original Max certification. Plus the mounting economic pressure from Boeing and US airlines is going to translate to political pressure to unground this fleet.

The list from EASA does not seem unreasonable. There’s very little chance the FAA is going to ignore the input from the international community. That’s why the FAA established the Joint Authorities Technical Review (JATR) comprised personnel from the FAA, NASA and international authorities.

The more the experts look, the more design concerns they find.

It has taken 3 months to address what was supposed to be a simple software fix. Now we have a LIST of several new concerns. We could still be having this discussion in July 2020.

Additionally, there is almost a guarantee some sort of simulator training is going to be required for the MAX. How many 737 Max simulators exist in the US right now? (Not many)

After all the dust settles THEN we still have the concern of public opinion. People already don’t want to fly on a Max. The longer this drags out the stronger the negative sentiment is going to become. I can’t help but notice similarities with the early problems of the DC-10.

Wish it weren’t so BUT I think we’re realistically looking at minimum of an 12-18 month delay.

elssaw

Thanks for these links. Great info!!!