The system, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, was incorporated because the plane has larger engines placed further forward on the craft, and so has a chance of facing a stall at lower speeds than earlier 737 variations.
> has a chance of facing a stall at lower speeds than earlier 737 variations
No, that's not the issue. The issue is that, because of the pitch up moment created by the engines, at higher angles of attack the force required to move the yoke decreases instead of increasing. That's (a) a highly undesirable characteristic since the changing feedback confuses pilots and makes it hard for them to know when a stall is imminent, and (b) a violation of FAA certification requirements. MCAS was added to compensate for the pitch up moment from the engines by adding nose down trim, so the yoke force would be similar to that of previous 737 models.
You're correct, however without MCAS it could be easier for the pilot to accidentally pitch into a stall when flying manually. That is why the requirement for consistent feedback, as you say. So the people who say the MAX engine placement makes it "more prone to stall" are not entirely wrong.
The media has done a poor job of communicating exactly what MCAS does and why it was developed. With today's media motivated by virality, ad clicks and eyeballs, most seem more interested in reporting this as dramatically as possible.
With today's media motivated by virality, ad clicks and eyeballs, most seem more interested in reporting this as dramatically as possible.
In 2019, we need to wise up to these shenanigans. Fear isn't the only mindkiller. It turns out that Outrage Virality is very synergistic with fear. Our society needs to become very skeptical and notice when something is evoking that particular emotion. We need to view people hawking outrage like we now view medicine shows.
EDIT: If someone has gotten one to really hate a person, really want to harm them, and wonder if they're really sentient, or wonder if they're looking at the same reality, or wonder if they're really human -- this is a big red flag. This is precisely the state of having those in-group/out-group instincts tweaked. Word to the wise! Expert tip: It even counts when one is shocked at someone else's groupthink! Perhaps especially so.
> the people who say the MAX engine placement makes it "more prone to stall" are not entirely wrong.
Agreed. But "more prone to stall" in this sense ("easier for the pilot to accidentally pitch into a stall") is not the same as "stalls at lower speeds", which is what the post I responded to was claiming.
Thank you. MCAS is not an anti-stall mechanism and should not be confused with one. Yes, pitch the aircraft too much and you will stall. But MCAS would allow a stall regardless, it is not its job. The job, as you point out, is to keep the aircraft handling similar to existing models.
This is not just splitting hairs. These distinctions matter.
I don't think the comment you are responding to means "the speeds at which it will stall are lower compared to earlier 737 variations," but rather "at low speeds, it has a greater chance of stalling compared to earlier 737 variations."
It doesn't matter which of those two the poster meant; they're both wrong as descriptions of the effect of the new engines on the 737 MAX. See my other post upthread.
The system, known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, was incorporated because the plane has larger engines placed further forward on the craft, and so has a chance of facing a stall at lower speeds than earlier 737 variations.
Would require more training than a few hours.