sloboat wrote:
Unlike a boat or truck engine, airplane engines don't "crap out" due to a single failure of a critical electronic system.
"Crap out" is just an expression, it's not exactly a technical term. Our people use "crap out" to describe everything from a precautionary engine shut down to a burned out light bulb. This isn't a technical aviation forum, it's a boating forum.
The majority of inflight engine shutdowns are precautionary and are the result of one or more system failures not an actual physical engine failure. And I'm well aware of the multiple layers of redundancy in aircraft systems as opposed to the minimal or no redundancy in marine systems. But despite all this redundancy, aircraft engines still have to be shut down on occasion.
But that has absolutely nothing to do with the point I was making in response to Forklift's comment. Very complex electronic systems have become the norm in aviation over a relatively short time span. Short enough that as they were developed and implemented there were still people building and testing the planes who were used to and preferred the older mechanical systems.
But unlike the fellow out in his boat, commercial aircraft have a huge 24/7/365 support network on the ground. Many of the current generation of planes can "talk" to the ground in real time and if there is a problem with a system that problem is relayed automatically to the airline's maintenance department. They can make the decisions as to what to do about the problem, round up whatever parts might be needed, assign the mechanics, etc. long before the plane lands and gets to the gate.
Programs like Airplane Health Management, Maintenance Performance Toolbox, our Rapid Response Center and whatever Airbus calls their equivelent services were developed to help an airline minimize a plane's time on the ground because airplanes only make money when they're in the air. Not all airlines choose to take advantge of this capability but more and more of them are.
Contrast all this with the boater who's out on his own. If his EEC engine "craps out," he's on his own to figure out the problem. If it's an electronic systems problem it may be beyond his ability to deal with unless he has a means of diagnosing the problem and then has the replacement component(s) on board. Or a second engine that is unaffected by whatever caused the first one to shut down.
Somebody on this forum awhile back mentioned at least one brand of marine diesel--- Lugger?--- that can continue to run, at least to a degree of performance, with most of the EEC failed except for one critical component. That at least reduces the chances of getting totally stranded by an engine shutdown.
All of which is simply an agreement with Forklift's earlier comment about his preferring an engine with mechanical systems as opposed to one with electronic systems. It's not a slam against electronic engine controls because they can be made to be very reliable. It's simply a matter of what a person is comfortable with.
-- Edited by Marin at 23:24, 2009-01-20