[linuxftw]

> why is the MCAS still needed?

Because Boeing and the FAA are talking out of both sides of their mouth. The planes aren't safe to fly without MCAS, MCAS is unreliable, so the solution is to disable MCAS whenever the plane determines it's best, even if it's going to be highly detrimental to safely operating. We still don't have ANY data on flying the planes safely without MCAS. We only have data on planes where MCAS fails, and those planes crashed.

[bkor]

MCAS is only supposed to activate in extreme circumstances. The planes are perfectly safe to fly and capable of flying without MCAS working.

I think you need to read up on MCAS a bit more.

[salawat]

No, they really don't. The prescriptive testing requirements are both clear, and written in blood. If you can't handle those extremes in the prescribed manner, you don't carry the flying public.

The regulation is clear cut, and unambiguous in that regard. Furthermore, the crashes that occurred happened because a system that is only supposed to kick in at the extremes did so in non-extreme situations repeatedly due to GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out), and to disastrous effect.

I welcome you to look at the FDR telemetry curves for the two flights. The AoA measurement for one of them was 70-80 degrees if I recall, the other was 20ish degrees offset from where it should have been.