I heard the MCAS was required to avoid a situation where the MAX, after reaching a certain pitch, would continue pitch up into a stall even if both pilots released the yoke. I don't know if that's considered "inherently unstable", but this is against FAA regulations for any commercial airplane from what I heard. That's probably a big reason why Boeing made it so difficult to completely disable the MCAS system.
My understanding is that MCAS altered fight characteristics not only to match older 737s and avoid additional pilot training. MCAS altered fight characteristics so the FAA would approve the MAX as a commercial aircraft period. The fact they could match older 737s flight characteristics for a more speedy approval from the FAA was just gravy.
My understanding is that MCAS altered fight characteristics not only to match older 737s and avoid additional pilot training. MCAS altered fight characteristics so the FAA would approve the MAX as a commercial aircraft period. The fact they could match older 737s flight characteristics for a more speedy approval from the FAA was just gravy.