787s must be rebooted every 51 days to prevent 'misleading data' being shown to pilots

[Recursion]

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/02/boeing_787_power_cycle_51_days_stale_data/

The US Federal Aviation Administration has ordered Boeing 787 operators to switch their aircraft off and on every 51 days to prevent what it called "several potentially catastrophic failure scenarios" – including the crashing of onboard network switches.

The airworthiness directive, due to be enforced from later this month, orders airlines to power-cycle their B787s before the aircraft reaches the specified days of continuous power-on operation.

The power cycling is needed to prevent stale data from populating the aircraft's systems, a problem that has occurred on different 787 systems in the past.

According to the directive itself, if the aircraft is powered on for more than 51 days this can lead to "display of misleading data" to the pilots, with that data including airspeed, attitude, altitude and engine operating indications. On top of all that, the stall warning horn and overspeed horn also stop working.

[gordianot]

1. Boeing builds high tech crap.

If you going cross country or into space and Boeing designed it and the software your life is at risk.

[A HERETIC I AM]

4. Are you saying....

the old expression, dating back to the pilots of their aircraft of WWII "If it ain't Boeing, I ain't going" doesn't apply any longer?

Critical difference between Boeing and Airbus;

Airbus control yokes are NOT interconnected.

But...they sure have had a shit load of bad crap happening recently up there in Seattle, that's for sure.

[Locrian]

2. I work in aerospace...

And we used to joke how unreliable it would be to have window operation systems or some other commercial software on something like an airplane. The "blue screen of death" , please wait, system errors, or the constant reboots etc.

We thought it was funny because the flight computer etc were designed and programmed to be soooo reliable...

Until.
Now.

Looks like things have come full circle....

We did see some of it coming though with a LOT of the code getting less and less robust, outsourced, etc. All management strategy to save a buck and that in turn largely based on complete ignorance and lack of appreciation for what it takes to do well and do it right.

MBA management types are several generations from having "come up from the low levels" to simply being anointed in business school as the "leaders" when they have ZERO idea of what it takes to actually create anything.

[DFW]

5. Too bad they can't test the competence of the suits that give the directives

They sure as hell don't seem very interested in testing the competence of the planes they build.

But this seems to be the case not just with Boeing. My daughter works for the Frankfurt arm of a U.S. law firm. They regularly send over newbies from their NY central office for internships. My daughter is 35 and was named the youngest partner in the firm several years ago. She looks ten years younger, and these guys from the States assume she's some kind of paralegal. So they waltz on in, waving their diplomas from Harvard Law or Yale Law, and figure they're here for a six month paid European vacation. Many of them have lousy English skills, worse German skills, and a work ethic that would horrify Li'l Abner. My daughter has to regularly call these empty suits into her office and dress them down for their poor work, and for leaving the office promptly at 4:59 PM every day. She tells them to get better or get packing. They start waving their Harvard and Yale diplomas in her face and get all upset. She tells them people's lives and businesses are at stake, and the firm is not paid for sloppy work, and neither are they. Be better or be gone.

If Boeing depended on cost-cutting MBA's to set the rules, and gave them authority to overrule the technicians who spent decades learning from experience what it takes to build a safe aircraft, they deserve to be taken over, either by Airbus or by the Federal Government. No company should get ANY kind of pass for finding shortcuts that end up killing people.

[Locrian]

7. pretty much typical

I see then after they've been employed. **entitlement** is the word that best describes them

Very shallow dept of knowledge - but the watch a lot of TED talks and think they know *everything*. And if you have to explain something to them it has to be very easy to absorb (and fit THEIR framework) or "you're doing it wrong" and "making it too complicated".

No real preparation from them, no real direction, want it "simple" and "grond-breaking" and "game-changing" and whatever buzzword is that they just read.

The all have their little rich people hobbies but *not* include anything that's hard for them: wine, food, skiing, travel, etc.... not that there's anything wrong with it but they treat it like they are too good to do anything else except "enjoy" and lord over everyone else.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

3. How about an alarm clock on the dashboard set for around 45 days?

Seriously, perhaps they should write an automatic warning for pilots into the plane's software.

Showing my ignorance here but otherwise, who's going to remember?........

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Flush the cache do you don't crash

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Tech Folks, A Question

Why would this happen? Why would there be an accumulation of "stable data"?
I believe the article, but it seems like a simple programming patch could be done rather than a cold boot every 51 days.

[Celerity]

9. FUCK Boeing! And those FUCKERS, after buying back billions in stock, get another bailout!!!!

A massive criminal enterprise and murderers (literally, they knowingly built death machines) they be!!!!

They 100% belong in the ash heap of history.