Right now, I wouldn't fly on a piece of Boeing equipment across the state, let alone into space: "Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams Have Been in Space for Three Weeks Due to Problems With Boeing Starliner, but NASA Insists They Are NOT Stranded".
Help is on the way, though, since Boeing is now appealing to a higher power: "Suppliers Think Pope Will Be Next Boeing CEO: Survey".
Oops! Never mind! Wrong Pope: "Meet Stephanie Pope, the longtime Boeing exec about to become CEO of its commercial airplanes division".
Meanwhile, though, sincere prayers offered up for the safe return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
12 comments:
Yeah, I saw what you did there, Paco! Hah!
Boeing is in a hot mess. By some accounts, it started when McDonnell-Douglas merged with Boeing, and all of the engineers running the construction programs were replaced with "managers" and accountants. The focus changed from quality control to the bottom line.
Yeah, I read about Stephanie Pope the other day.
I noted that she does not have an engineering background. Which is what Boeing's problem is right now - ever since they moved the HQ to Chicago they've shoved the engineers out of company leadership.` Because after all, widgets or aircraft, business is business, right? All you need is an MBA, right? And, uh, a proper ESG score. And DEI points.
Easy peasy!
All you need is an MBA, right?
I watched that arise in the federal agency I retired -- the Corps of Engineers. Project managers took over design projects, and they were focused on meeting budget forecasts. A few managers worked with the engineers to block the bean counters, but they were in the minority.
The agency was actively replacing engineers with administrative types, and outsourcing much work to contractors. That's POSSIBLE, but when you care more about financial management than project completion, there's a major disconnect.
I'd hate to describe all the arguments about my budget management process, which was at odds with the requirements. "Hate" because it's a boring discussion about bureaucratic BS, personal empires, and bloated work forces. Paco will understand, I'm sure.
The point being, completing ANY project was a study in frustration and paperwork ... ... and the leadership was more interested in meeting objectives rather than doing work.
Oy!
Eh, I'll give one example.
One project that I was involved in focused on the environmental restoration for a stretch of river that had been levied in for miles.
I won't go into details on the project (your welcome!), so I will only note that the project manager of an environmentally focused project was ... ...
[drum roll]
[more drum roll]
... ... an electrical engineer by college degree, limited experience in that field, and no inclination to do more than chair meetings and push through an agenda of a senior employee in the district.
Thankfully, the project never came to be ... ... for reasons that would amaze those uninitiated in the ways of a bloated bureaucracy.
/rant ends.
Prayers up for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
"Suppliers Think Pope Will Be Next Boeing CEO: Survey".
When I saw a similar headline on Instapundit (I think it was), my first thought was that it was a Babylon Bee headline.
Boeing’s failures will surely be studied at business schools for decades to come. To this non-engineer, it seems entirely logical to blame the corporate culture for elevating bureaucrats over engineers. But I do know a little about corporations and fixing that is not a short-term project.
None of that causes me hope for an Airbus when I fly. Recall when a hotrod first officer pushed the rudder pedal too hard over Long Island and broke the rudder off of his Airbus. Or when a poorly trained second office flew an Air France Airbus into the Atlantic. Bad piloting yes, but set up by multiple equipment failures and design flaws.
Bad maintenance causes engines to fall away and doors to blow off. Stupid pilots miscalculate how much fuel they need and land on taxiways.
I had a long conversation about air safety years ago with a co-worker who insisted on flying Delta instead of Continental. That was two days before she was killed on Delta 191.
So in a couple of weeks I will get on a Boeing 777 and fly across the Atlantic as I frequently do. Wish me luck.
I read and appreciate your behind-the-scenes insights JeffS.
Here Downunder it's just minutes from July 4th. And I saw a Tweet which gives me some hope that WW3 may be made a tad less likely for now. So on a happy note in honor of the holiday,
--- American & Russian (FSB) military planes visiting Baku ≈ at the same time, leaving also at the same time.
✈️ US Air Force • C-130J from Ramstein US Base 🇩🇪 "HKY752"
✈️ Russian Special Flight • Tupolev Tu-214VPU from Moscow 🇷🇺 "RSD956" ---
https://twitter.com/MenchOsint/status/1808166094667952555
Hope it's not a hoax of course.
Some sort of behind the scenes negotiations, military to military? The guys who matter.
A&A: Best of luck on your transatlantic crossing. Are you sure you wouldn't rather take a ship?
I haven't flown in years, and never will again. So all I have to worry about is getting crushed by a crashing 737.
I would love to take a ship. I did many cruises and crossed the Atlantic a few times when my wife was the speaker and I could order free martinis at the bar. But for some unknown reason the cruise lines want to charge me when I travel alone. Besides, when disaster strikes, what's the difference between being 30,000 feet up and 30,000 feet down?
Well, you'd have a chance of floating until you're rescued with a ship. Of course, I guess the same can be said about an airplane crossing the Atlantic.
But enough with these morbid thoughts! You'll be fine, and I look forward to your return and more expert music commentary.
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