Flying Blind
by Peter Robison · first published 2021
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Traces how Boeing's engineering culture eroded after the McDonnell Douglas merger, with finance and buybacks overriding safety, leading to the 737 MAX crashes. Suits readers wanting the history behind it.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
A fast-paced look at the corporate dysfunction--the ruthless cost-cutting, toxic workplaces, and cutthroat management--that contributed to one of the worst tragedies in modern aviation Boeing is a century-old titan of American industry. The largest exporter in the US, it played a central role in the early days of commercial flight, World War II bombing missions, and moon landings. It remains a linchpin in the awesome routine of air travel today. But the two crashes of its 737 MAX 8, in 2018 and 2019, exposed a shocking pattern of malfeasance, leading to the biggest crisis in the company's h
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Regarding Boeing, every person, and particularly every engineer, should read https://www.amazon.com/Flying-Blind-Tragedy-Fall-Boeing/dp/0...
on “Rackspace founder says it’s ‘on trajectory of death.’” ↗“Flying Blind” by Peter Robison is a great book on the MAX. I am surprised no one has mentioned it. It digs into the history of Boeing and the changes in the organisation and culture of corporate America that led to…
on “FAA overruled engineers, let Boeing Max keep flying” ↗…https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56816996-arriving-today -- Tim Wu - The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8201080-the-master-switc... -- Peter Robison - Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55994102-flying-blind -- Chris Miller - Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60321447-chip-war
on “Eight Books That Explain How the [Engineering] World Works” ↗The answer to this is "yes" -- and for details, I would recommend Peter Robison's excellent Flying Blind. (Selfishly, I would also recommend the conversation that we had with Robison on Oxide and Friends shortly after the book was published.[0]) For insight into the deep roots of the broken McDonnell Douglas…
on “Did a 1997 merger ruin Boeing?” ↗I’ve just finished reading Flying Blind by Peter Robison (recommended elsewhere on HN recently), which had engineers arguing that the plane’s flight characteristics in extremis were not acceptable, and that the correct fix was by physical redesign,…
on “Updates on Grounding of Boeing 737 MAX 9 Aircraft” ↗Flying Blind by Peter Robison isn't exactly the book you have in mind, but I did enjoy it and it's the closest I know of
on “NASA announces Boeing Starliner crew will return on SpaceX Crew-9” ↗…sacred shareholder OKAY? Never mind that a famed company has been dismantled to pump the stock for a few years (and how long it took is a testament to its former excellence). https://www.amazon.com/Flying-Blind-Tragedy-Fall-Boeing/dp/0...
on “NASA freezes Starliner missions” ↗Mostly non fiction The Vortex by carney and miklian Flying Blind by Peter Robison The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut
on “Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?” ↗…lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison. Flying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization,…
on “Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?” ↗you are 100% correct about retraining. Flying Blind is a great book about the MAX failures at both Boeing and the FAA that I just finished a few weeks ago, highly recommend.
on “5G’s Rollout Rattled Hundreds of Pilots” ↗You might want to investigate the book Flying Blind[0]. It's the true story of how the 737 MAX was cursed from the beginning and is a byproduct of Boeing's haven given up on its engineering culture since the McDonnel Douglas merger. It's not a safe plane.…
on “Boeing 737 Max production hit by a new defect” ↗…that a counter example? Seems like another example of “professional managers” coming in and screwing up a company. The screwing up started at the top by changing metrics and priorities post-McDD. See Flying Blind: * https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/646497/flying-blind... And the screwing up was richly rewarded.
on “Striking auto workers want a 40% pay increase–the same rate their CEOs’ pay grew” ↗I'd also add Flying Blind by Peter Robinson, a book written specifically about the demise of Boeing's culture and how it translated into the 737 Max disaster. Out-Sourced Profits: The Cornerstone of Successful Subcontracting…
on “The 1997 merger that paved the way for the Boeing 737 Max crisis (2020)” ↗…Think of the pilot knowledge as a second line of defense, against an incident that should have never happened (again - not the pilots fault, but the additional knowledge helped). I recommend reading “Flying Blind” for more detailed accounts of the precursor lion air flight that almost crashed.
on “We have used too many levels of abstractions and now the future looks bleak” ↗…stock. There is no evidence they are good for the company, its workers, or the economy. Stock buybacks have destroyed companies like GE and Boeing. This is very well covered in the book about Boeing - Flying Blind. A bunch of Jack Welch mentees did the same trick, selling the company for parts and buying back the stock - until there was nothing left to sell. It was very "profitable" for a while, though! It's not…
on “Brother [printers] have gotten to where they are now, by NOT innovating” ↗