I flew on 737 Max 8 planes for some of my trips to Arizona after my father’s stroke and subsequent death. I remember my first flight on a Max, taking my seat and looking out the window. The engine was much bigger and closer to the ground than I’d seen before on 737’s. The first overseas 737 Max crash, Lion Air Flight 610, happened just one month after my final return flight from Phoenix.
The recent near-disaster on a Max 9 highlights that Boeing has yet to put its house in order. I’ve been waiting for the main story from last Sunday’s Last Week Tonight to be posted. It popped up on YouTube this morning.
John Oliver notes the poor safety record of the McDonnell Douglas DC-10, with its triple engines. During my busiest business travel years I flew on DC-10’s. Even more frequently I found myself on another triple-engine plane, that Oliver doesn’t mention, the Lockheed L-1011. Fortunately, I never had a scare on either aircraft, but overall I preferred the L-1011 because it was quieter at cruising altitude, which gets back to my recent comment about tinnitus.