One word: NO. To compete, Boeing will have to start from the landing gear up! The 737 already is overburdened with stretching.

(Written on 04/02/2021)(Permalink)

What has happened to Boeing? This company was the gold standard in aviation, now its gold sheen is appallingly tainted. The FAA used to our every airplane through a grueling certification process, the MAX was rubber stamped through. This airplane, which was a panic-button answer to the A320 NEO was a design of a washed up airframe, stretched well beyond its original design; to serve on small market flights less than two hours origin-destination. It is cramped too short, and now stretched to a point it has undesirable flight characteristics hidden beneath a software designed to mitigate these faults. Boeing missed a great opportunity to come up with a clean sheet design that would rule the skies for generations. Now they have an airplane that may put them out of business.

(Written on 05/03/2019)(Permalink)

In 37% of air crashes weather is involved in some way as a contributing factor. In only a few cases it was the root cause. Air Cargo pilots are only required 8 hrs of rest after duty work, vs. 10 hrs for passenger flights. Cargo air operators fly older airplanes and many of their airplanes have so many deferred maintenance items tagged INOP, making them frighteningly barely airworthy. Cargo operators also fly more hazardous materials then passenger airplanes. So you have tired pilots flying older crappy airplanes that are barely airworthy, throw in a little bad weather I am not surprised that something bad like this has happened.

(Written on 03/01/2019)(Permalink)

The A321 may use less gas than a 757, however, it has several shortfalls. 1) It is based on the A320, same engines, wings, with 30,000 more lbs of basic empty weight, limiting its performance both in altitude and cargo hauling. On our flights between Denver and the East Coast, it often is on a weight restriction and limited to FL 290-FL 320. It's not uncommon to see A321's with minor hail damage on the nose, engine nacelles and leading edge of wings. 2) The 757 is a unique airframe onto its own, with wings for it's own design, highly efficient, capable of flying at FL 330 on initial climb on a coast to coast flight. It can carry way more cargo than the A321 and can fly the long thin routes like DEN to REK in Iceland, non-stop. Could the A321 do that? I don't see any planes on routes like that.

(Written on 03/18/2016)(Permalink)

I think the case will be tossed out of court. The 777 is an amazingly safe aircraft. The ship in question had been in service years, ultimately, the suit should be filed against the airline for Maintainence Malpractice, if it is found that it the disappearance of MH-270 was due to a preventable defect.

(Written on 03/18/2016)(Permalink)

This is what happens when under trained outsourced contractors handle airplanes.

(Written on 03/18/2016)(Permalink)

i am a son of a Retired News Professional and a former United Employee. You should take this to NBC news, United Public relations, and all other news outlets, what this woman was doing was wrong, and using the current social political climate to spin the situation to her favor. I'm a hard core liberal and I'm fully with YOU on this. What this woman was doing is crap. The FA was being professional.

(Written on 06/12/2015)(Permalink)

Today's planes built by Boeing/Airbus/Gulfstream, etc aren't designed to be flown by expert pilots who can hand fly their plane down to the runway in a hurricane, they are designed to be flown by the biggest numb-brained idiot. The idea is to get the plane from the numbers, auto throttled-from the FMS to rotation to 400 AGL where the autopilot is engaged and the rest of the flight is taken over by computer and managed by the crew. From there hopefully one of the pilots don't accidently touch the auto throttle disengage switch like what happened to Asiana in SFO two years ago. According to my friend who's an Airbus Captain states the auto systems aren't meant to replace situational awareness, it's to help pilots lessen their workload in critical phases of flight to maintain situational awareness! It seems to me that many airlines are going the opposite direction in which they want the pilots to be dolts and the planes the hero. This will all change when one of the big A380-800s is invo

(Written on 04/19/2015)(Permalink)

My cousin a retired pilot from USN and Continental Airlines agrees with you.

(Written on 04/18/2015)(Permalink)

If the flight in question diverted due to de-icing, then the Earth is flat! The real reason will soon be uncovered. What makes me mad about this is United's pilot and or their PR arm thinks the public are idiots. Sounds like something more mundane like an incapacitated crew member.

(Written on 01/02/2015)(Permalink)