President Trump on Tuesday warned about the complexity of modern aircraft after the United Kingdom became the latest country to ground Boeing 737 Max 8 planes in the wake of the latest crash involving the aircraft.
“Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly,” Trump tweeted. “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 needed, and the complexity creates danger,” he continued. “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!”
{mosads}The United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority on Tuesday morning banned the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft from its airspace after two fatal crashes involving the plane. The U.K. joined China, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Australia and Singapore.
The aircraft was involved in an Ethiopian Airlines crash over the weekend that killed all 157 people on board. It was also the type of plane that crashed in Indonesia last October.
U.S. officials are assisting in the investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines crash, and Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on Tuesday called for the planes to be grounded in U.S. airspace as well.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement Monday that the planes are safe to fly.
“The FAA continuously assesses and oversees the safety performance of U.S. commercial aircraft,” the agency said. “If we identify an issue that affects safety, the FAA will take immediate and appropriate action.”
Boeing announced late Monday that it would upgrade software systems in the company’s 737 Max 8 airliners after the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
The company didn’t reference Sunday’s crash in the announcement, according to Reuters, which reportedly stated that Boeing had “been developing a flight control software enhancement for the 737 MAX, designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer.”
Trump last year took credit for 2017 being the safest year on record in commercial aviation, touting that he had been “very strict on Commercial Aviation.”