Bottom Line: When it's your time, it's your time.

also, what goes up must come down.

Airlines are 100% successful; they've never left anyone up there!

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

One significant difference - the Boeings were still airworthy enough to continue to fly and then land safely.

Just don't let vapors in your center tank heat up too much in one of these - oh wait, wrong manufacturer. At least they got their tail elevator jack screw problem fixed - dang-it!, wrong manufacturer again.

__________________
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/l...aman/Fleet.jpg

Peach Parts W124.128 User Group.

80 280SL
85 300SD
87 300TD
92 300D 2.5 Turbo
92 300TE 4Matic

I didn't say Boeing had no problems. But even the problem with the rudder in the 737 tails was still a specific component that was identified and corrected. There is an uneasy feeling developing that Airbus has gone too far too fast with composite materials and that such planes are simply not strong enough for severe conditions. Just like rust developing in cars, such problems might only show up a few years into a planes life.

Therefore if that is in fact the issue with Airbus composites (and their fly by wire concept) this could be the start of a major issue.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

The news pointed out that this particular plane was 19 years old and had a history of failing inspections....most recently while in France in 2007! Who knows how many neglected components that plane was flying with....those 3rd world air lines run their planes into the ground (literally!) and then people are surprised and point the finger at the plane's manufacturer.....

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

A telling sign would be whether Airbus still uses the same design in the tail structures of its new planes.

__________________
1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

If Airbus's structure is so bad, then why aren't they falling out of the sky left and right? There are thousands flying every day. I just read today that there's new evidence that the recent Air France crash involved the plane hitting the water belly first, meaning it didn't disintegrate in flight as was previously thought.

__________________
2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

Nobody really knows wether their structure is actually bad or not. Composites are not Aluminum. They are new materials and it looks as if there may be problems with them over time that might not be fully understood. Without the CVR and FDR from AF 447 I doubt there will ever be any conclusive evidence as to what happened. And the point about the referenced "hockey stick" curve of incidents is that things will be fine for a while until the material reaches a certain age and then accidents start to occur. Hopefully this is not the case but if it is then the aviation industry is in for a trying time.

- Peter.

__________________
2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Understand that any aircraft is designed for loads that are significantly higher than typical flight conditions. A B-747 can experience turbulence that is so violent that the wingtips will stand straight up to 90 degrees and the wing will not fail. This is a very well designed and durable airplane.

If the Airbus suffers from deterioration of the carbon fiber over time, the typical flight with average flight loading will not present any issues. However, in a situation of significant turbulence, or when the flight controls are moved to the maximum deflected positions, the airframe is now tested in a situation that is much closer to its design limitations. If the carbon fiber is not up the the task, the component fails.

961 does concern me in this regard.

At first there were reports of automated messages signaling loss of cabin pressure. If the plane was still intact, why was it losing pressure? Some other system(s) must have been failing, but lately there has been nothing in the news about the cabin pressure part.

__________________
1985 380SE Blue/Blue - 230,000 miles
2012 Subaru Forester 5-speed
2005 Toyota Sienna
2004 Chrysler Sebring convertible
1999 Toyota Tacoma

I wonder if power fluctuations can trigger incorrect fault messages?