President Trump lamented the complexity of the technology found in modern jets on Tuesday as Boeing faces major blowback after one of its 737 MAX 8 commercial jetliners crashed on Sunday.
“Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better,” Trump said in a pair of tweets. Split second decisions are needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!”
[Related: Ethiopian Airlines crash is the second deadly incident in 6 months for Boeing’s 737 Max]
Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019
….needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019
The Ethiopian Airlines disaster Sunday marked the second time in less than six months that a relatively new model of Boeing crashed killing all passengers on board.
The flight bound for Nairobi, crashed shortly after takeoff killing all 157 people on board, including eight Americans. Last October the same type of plane, a 737 MAX 8, crashed in Indonesia, killing all 189 people on board.
While some countries are grounding all 737 MAX 8 jets, the Federal Aviation Administration put out an advisory mandating specific “design changes” by April.
“Boeing has been working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on development, planning and certification of the software enhancement, and it will be deployed across the 737 MAX fleet in the coming weeks,” the company said in a statement Monday. “The update also incorporates feedback received from our customers.”
