editor’s view
// Stopping the virus // The team
“The damage to
Boeing, its suppliers
and airlines caused
by the 737 Max 8
crisis is massive”
4 MARCH 2020 \\ AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM
EDITOR Ben Sampson
(ben.sampson@markallengroup.com)
ASSISTANT EDITOR Paige Smith
SENIOR ART EDITOR Louise Green
DESIGN CONTRIBUTORS Andy Bass, Anna Davie
PRODUCTION
Sejal Patel
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Chris Jones
PUBLICATION DIRECTOR
Tom Eames (tom.eames@markallengroup.com)
PUBLICATION MANAGER
Jag Kambo (jag.kambo@markallengroup.com)
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Tom Stone
PUBLISHER Simon Hughes
(simon.hughes@markallengroup.com)
COO Jon Benson
CEO Ben Allen
CHAIRMAN Mark Allen
A MARK ALLEN GROUP COMPANY
www.markallengroup.com
The spread of Coronavirus is gripping the world as
governments and individuals take measures to stop
the disease spread. Inevitably this is resulting in travel
restrictions and event cancellations that will impact
the aviation industry.
The priority must be to stop the
virus and minimize risk to people.
To an aerospace engineer,
these priorities should be
easy to understand. Risk
management is a major
tenet of the industry and
underpins customer
confidence in travelling
on aircraft.
However, safety and
risk management are not
the only forces at play within
aircraft development. There
are commercial market pressures
and external and internal politics for a
company to consider, organizational culture factors
and aspects of individual employee behavior to
account for. We have seen all of these issues identified
during the inquests about the Boeing 737 Max 8
crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. Boeing and the FAA
have striven to answer the question – why did this
happen and how can we stop it from happening again?
The technical answer was quickly found to be the
Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System.
But, the discussion on the causes of the problems
with the 737 Max 8 are yet to fully conclude and
the extent to which the certification process and
management systems themselves must change are
still being debated.
The damage to Boeing, its suppliers and
airlines caused by the 737 Max 8 crisis
is massive and still being counted,
notwithstanding the terrible and
tragic deaths of the 346 people
aboard the two airplanes that
crashed. While the aircraft inches
towards recertification and
re-entry-into-service, are we fully
satisfied that a similar incident
can’t happen again?
At this stage it remains to be
seen what the long-term impact of
Coronavirus will be on the aerospace
sector, but the outbreak is a reminder of
the fragility of the industry, which is dependent on
the free international movement of people. An almost
lysergic atmosphere of paranoia accompanies the
spread of Coronavirus. A similar long-term undermining
of confidence in air travel should not be allowed to
become a consequence of the 737 Max crashes.
Ben Sampson, editor
ben.sampson@markallengroup.com
// Contributors
Paul Eden
Editor of the Official
Royal Air Force Annual
Review magazine
and Salute historical
journal, Paul is a
dedicated aerospace
writer, editor and
blogger.
Ian goold
A former air-transport
editor at Flight
International, Ian
began his freelance
writing career in 1993,
specializing in nonmilitary
aerospace and
aviation.
Rob Coppinger
Rob is an engineer
turned journalist, who
has been writing about
aerospace technology
for approaching 20
years. He has recently
relocated to Brittany,
France.
Aerospace Testing International, ISSN 1478-2774 (print),
ISSN 2397-6411 (online), (USPS 020-657) is published
quarterly by MA Aviation and Auto International Ltd,
Hawley Mill, Hawley Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7TJ,
United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 (0)1322 221144
Email: aerospacetesting@markallengroup.com
The annual subscription price is £90/US$120. Airfreight and mailing
in the USA by agent named WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th
Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage
paid at Jamaica, NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes
to Aerospace Testing International, WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th
Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA.
Subscription records are maintained at MA Aviation and Auto
International Ltd, Hawley Mill, Hawley Road, Dartford, Kent, DA2 7TJ,
United Kingdom. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.
© MA Aviation and Auto International Ltd, 2019. All rights reserved.
No part of Aerospace Testing International may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise
without prior written permission of the publishing director. The views
expressed do not necessarily represent those of the editor. The
presence of advertisements in Aerospace Testing International implies
no endorsement of the products or services offered. Every effort has
been made to ensure the accuracy of statements in this magazine but
we cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for matters
arising from clerical or printers’ errors, or an advertiser not completing
their contract. We have made every effort to secure permission to use
copyright material. Where material has been used inadvertently or we
have been unable to trace the copyright owner, acknowledgement will
be made in a future issue.
Please read our privacy policy by visiting
http://privacypolicy.markallengroup.com.
This will explain how we process, use and safeguard your data.
Printed in the UK by Pensord, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood, NP12 2YA
MOVING ON?
If you change jobs or your company moves to a new location,
please contact circulation@markallengroup.com to continue receiving
your free copy of Aerospace Testing International
Average net circulation per issue
for the period January 1, 2019 to
December 31, 2019 was 9,691
COVER IMAGE: Trevor Mogg / Alamy Stock Photo
Aerospace Testing International is the world’s only publication dedicated to
the application of testing, evaluation and inspection in the aviation industry.
The magazine and website presents the latest news, specialist features and
insights on the new technology and test programs most relevant to those
working in civil and military aerospace, launch vehicles and space platforms
Paul Willis
Paul has been a
journalist for the past 10
years, writing for some
of the UK’s largest
newspapers and
leading magazines.
/AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COM
/www.markallengroup.com
/privacypolicy.markallengroup.com
link
link
link