President Trump lamented the complexity of modern airplanes today in the wake of two deadly crashes, appearing to speculate on the cause of the disasters before aviation experts from the United States complete their investigations.
Trump commented as several countries announced that they were grounding their fleets of the Boeing 737 Max 8 model involved in both crashes, or closing their airspace to the planes.
Trump tweeted that “airplanes are becoming too complex to fly” and that he did not want “Albert Einstein to be my pilot.”
Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better. Split second decisions are….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019
….needed, and the complexity creates danger. All of this for great cost yet very little gain. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want Albert Einstein to be my pilot. I want great flying professionals that are allowed to easily and quickly take control of a plane!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2019
Trump flies in Air Force One, one of the most complex aircraft on earth, with some of the most highly trained and skilled pilots.
While he did not specifically mention the crashes, Trump’s comments come just two days after an Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people aboard and as a cascade of countries worldwide began suspending use of the plane.
Trump’s tweet came as lawmakers were examining the future of the aviation industry during a congressional hearing this morning.
“I have a hard time interpreting anything the president says,” Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nevada, said after reading the tweet aloud. “I don’t know if this is a knock at Boeing, or if it’s a knock at pilots or if it’s a knock at Einstein, or just that he’s a Luddite and it’s a knock at technology in general. But it doesn’t seem to be the right attitude at this moment.”
Trump participated in a signing ceremony for a $15 billion deal between US-based Boeing and the Vietnamese government during his trip to Hanoi for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last month.
The lucrative deal includes Vietnam’s Bamboo airways agreeing to purchase ten 787-9 Dreamliners worth about $3 billion, while airline VietJet’s order is for 100 737 Max planes valued at $12.7 billion, Boeing said.
The 737 series is one of Boeing’s most popular planes but the Max 8 model has raised safety concerns for possibly hindering pilots’ ability to overpower automated functions.
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) said on Monday that it believes the Boeing 737 Max is airworthy.