Hacker News Reader

Comment by rramadass | Hacker News Reader

> After emerging from icy conditions into drier air they have to make sure they turn off the engine anti-ice system, which heats the inner barrel of the engine pod so that ice doesn’t build up.

> If they fail to do so, the system can quickly overheat the carbon composite material and damage the structural integrity of the engine pod.

> The problem is there’s no alert or indication to the crew that the system needs to be turned off. They just have to remember to do it.

> If they forget, or are distracted by other tasks, the overheating can begin to damage the structure after just five minutes.

This is all you need to know to pass judgement on Boeing Management. Whatever happened to Boeing's "Engineering Excellence" ?

View on HN

> Whatever happened to Boeing's "Engineering Excellence" ?

McDonnell Douglas happened [1].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas

An uncle worked for McDonnell Douglas, then Boeing, on military planes (C-17). The tales of the culture of utter corruption on the military contractor side he told were chilling.

> > Whatever happened to Boeing's "Engineering Excellence" ? > McDonnell Douglas happened [1]. > [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas

More details are in the book "Flying Blind" [2]. It shows how Boeing's culture of Engineering Excellence was gradually replaced with MD's rotten parasitic culture through the process that is better described as "reverse acquisition". Formally Boeing acquired MD, but in reality MD took over Boeing.

[2] https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/646497/flying-blind...

it's basically how enshittification is happening.

Everything either fails or succeeds long enough to become a poor version of itself.

> Whatever happened to Boeing's "Engineering Excellence" ?

Management by accounting ... cost of paying death settlement is cheaper than building a proper airplane.

Very true; exactly what happened in the aftermath of the two 737 MAX disasters.

And they have the temerity to call those societies which still practice "Blood Money restitution" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_money_(restitution)) as "savage, backward and uncivilized".

No need for an anti-ice system, just wait for the deactivated mid-aft door fall out and knock the ice off.

Boeing management's attitude reminds me of this passage from the novel "The Sea-Wolf by Jack London".

“Do you know the only value life has is what life puts upon itself? And it is of course over-estimated since it is of necessity prejudiced in its own favour. Take that man I had aloft. He held on as if he were a precious thing, a treasure beyond diamonds or rubies. To you? No. To me? Not at all. To himself? Yes. But I do not accept his estimate. He sadly overrates himself. There is plenty more life demanding to be born. Had he fallen and dripped his brains upon the deck like honey from the comb, there would have been no loss to the world. He was worth nothing to the world. The supply is too large. To himself only was he of value, and to show how fictitious even this value was, being dead he is unconscious that he has lost himself. He alone rated himself beyond diamonds and rubies. Diamonds and rubies are gone, spread out on the deck to be washed away by a bucket of sea-water, and he does not even know that the diamonds and rubies are gone. He does not lose anything, for with the loss of himself he loses the knowledge of loss. Don’t you see? And what have you to say?”

That's deep.

> Whatever happened to Boeing's "Engineering Excellence" ?

Suits.

> Whatever happened to Boeing's "Engineering Excellence" ?

MBAs took over, that's what happened. A story as old as capitalism.

In the erstwhile third-world countries the moniker "Boeing" was synonymous with all Aeroplanes and a symbol of American Technological Might. Every kid knew of "The Jumbo Jet" and families would make weekend picnic trips to the Airport to see one up close and if allowed, enter the cabin for a tour. You were "somebody" if you had traveled in a Airplane and bazillion times more-so if it was on a "Jumbo Jet".

It seems Boeing is now set on destroying all reputation and goodwill earned over decades and by extension making American Technology and Management a laughing stock in the World.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com