Is The Boeing Starliner Spacecraft "A Flying Coffin" For Astronauts?

       The Boeing Company started life in 1916 in Seattle. In World War II, my Uncle John Robert commanded a B-17. He survived his 26 combat missions over German. Crews of these planes marveled at the ruggedness and dependability of these planes.

     After World War II, Boeing produced the B-47 bomber and B-52 bomber. The B-52 is still in service and could make 100 years of service. Boeing also produced incredible airliners that one could find in airlines all over the world.

     Boeing was a company that was run by engineers. Then the company merged with McDonald Douglas. Finance executives started to replace engineers in senior management positions. What followed were nightmares like the 737 crashes and the failures associated with the Starliner manned spacecraft. Boeing was given a $400 million US contract to build this spacecraft. The spacecraft finally made it to the International Space Station. It will separate and make its reentry later today. You know that old saying about "a day late and a dollar short." The Starliner had a systems failure on the way to the I.S.S. concerning thrusters. The Angry Astronaut is warning everyone that the spacecraft is not ready to carry astronauts. NASA is not listening to him.

    When returning from New Orleans, I found myself seated next to a 56-year-old United Airlines senior captain named Dave. He was getting a free ride to his home in San Diego. He gave me a fascinating briefing on the various airlines that he had flown during his career spanning 17,000 hours in the air.

         He gave me a startling revelation about the 737-software disaster. I commented that United was wise to buy 737s with two sensors whereas the airlines that bought 737s with one sensor experienced crashes.

    Dave told me that the perfect configuration was a 737 with three sensors. Then he surprised me. When the 737s got grounded, United showed up and bought over 100 of these troubled aircraft at "bargain-basement prices." He characterized the whole problem of the aircraft as a massive training failure. Pilots should have disengaged all automatic systems and flown the planes "the old-fashioned way" when the trouble started. He also told me that the 737 had a small and cramped cockpit that became very uncomfortable on flights of 5 hours or more. I kidded him that the cockpit was designed for female pilots