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Comment by keyle | Hacker News Reader

"too big to fail" they said.

"whatever it takes they will fix it".

I'm personally glad this model is getting shelved. You'd just have a bad taste flying in one of those regardless of tweaked the design is or how good the software is going to be.

I'm also glad this is happening because it's a win for humanity and a loss for bureaucracy.

I have full confidence that the next model will be rock solid and much better overall.

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They're not abandoning the model. At least not yet. They've been still assembling new planes even after March's grounding. The FAA told them to stop pretending the plane would be recertified soon. They are halting production until the mess gets sorted out and the planes can hopefully fly again.

The next model is 10 years and north of a billion dollars away.

The next model would be drawn up already. They knew where it went wrong.

The next model isn't a 737-something, it's an entirely new airplane, one that can replace the 737 and 757. There is nothing wrong with the MAX that is not fixable with software and some artful rebranding. But its still a 737, and comes with all of the discomfort and limitations thereof inherent to the platform. It's not a comfortable airplane to fly in, fly, and its limited in how fast you can evacuate it too.

How does the 737 restrict passenger evacuation?

A billion dollar would be dirt cheap for a clean sheet design. The MAX program (including its engine) is estimated at $2B-3B. For a clean sheet successor a safe assumption would be 7 to 8 years to EIS and $15B in investment.

I assumed it was north of 5b, but I was on my phone at the time and didnt look up costs.

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