Trump Declares War on [Checks Notes] Planes

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

President Trump has some bold thoughts on airplane technology.

“Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly,” the president tweeted Tuesday morning. “Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are … needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!”

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

So, what’s going on here?

Trump is responding to news that several nations, most recently the United Kingdom, have banned the Boeing 737 Max 8 in the wake of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302’s crash on Sunday, which killed all 157 people on board. In October, another 737 Max 8, Lion Air Flight 610, crashed in Indonesia, killing all 189 passengers. Though the 737 is one of Boeing’s most popular planes, the Max 8 has a bigger engine that changes how the aircraft handles, according to Air Current. When being flown manually, the nose of the plane can tend to tilt upward, which can cause it to stall, so the Max 8 features an automated system, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, to “trim the nose stabilizer down.” Lion Air Flight 610 reportedly crashed in October because a faulty MCAS caused the nose of the plane to point downward, and the pilots were unable to override the system. It’s still unknown what exactly caused the crash of Ethiopia Airlines Flight 302 on Sunday.

Not everyone is happy that the plane has yet to be grounded in the United States. “Until the cause of the crash is known and it’s clear that similar risks aren’t present in the domestic fleet, I believe all Boeing 737 Max 8 series aircraft operating in the United States should be temporarily grounded,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution for the flying public, the @FAANews should ground the 737 MAX 8 until we investigate the causes of recent crashes and ensure the plane’s airworthiness,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) added on Twitter.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-airplanes-807050/

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. OMG, that photo!

and and some more.