The endless blather about previous and potential software fixes to the Boeing 737 Max seems absurd to the point of disbelief. Can any software be expected to save this airplane? Do fliers really believe software is the way to fly an airplane?
Boeing, responding to intense competitive pressures in the race to develop new commercial aircraft, and hysterically seeking to save time and money, decided against designing a new mid-range airplane. Rather, Boeing decided to modify a standard old warhorse, the 60 year old 737. To achieve the desired results, among other changes two principal modifications were made involving the engines. First, substantially larger engines were added. Second, the engines were placed in significantly different positions on the wings. The result, according to most public reports, was a plane that apparently couldn’t fly without worrying difficulty. Boeing gambled and seemingly ended up with a plane that inherently may not be airworthy.
A change in software will not alter the aerodynamics of the 737 Max. At best, software will help combat the troubling aerodynamics of the plane, at least theoretically. With all the advances in airplane design, the core question is whether this reconfigured antique meets basic aerodynamic principles. If not, it should be taken out of the sky and relegated to the growing graveyard of modern avaricious societal mistakes. Rather than continuing to dither about software magic, is a wholesale evaluation of the basic airframe warranted? Just asking.