[Themaintainers] Innovation Masking as Maintenance with Fatal Results

[Roy, Michael D.]

In the NYTimes was a story of how innovation can be masked as
maintenance in order to save money. In this case, the results were
tragic. In "Behind the Lion Air Crash, a Trail of Decisions Kept
Pilots in the Dark"
(https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/03/world/asia/lion-air-plane-crash-pilots.html
) the reporters James Glanz, Julie Creswell, Thomas Kaplan and Zach
Wichter detail how Boeing launched a new airplane with major changes
to critical systems but convinced the FAA that this was just a minor
'upgrade' that would not require expensive re-training of pilots. It
is a well-reported story, with tons of geekery about the systems
involved in keeping our airplanes afloat. Well worth reading to
understand the interplay of commerce and regulation and national
competitiveness. .

Mike

Mike Roy
Dean of the Library
Middlebury College