Re: So what happened
The FAA are notorious for "going easy" on big American plane makers, whilst giving the Foreigners a hard time. That's just one part of the problem. The "grandfathering" permits should also be stopped.
The biggest problem is the fundamental design flaw that made the anti-stall software necessary. This stupidity needs to stop - the underlying design problem is one of physical balance.
Rather than try to frig the flight envelope with software, they should have redesigned the whole airframe correctly. It would have cost a lot more, but when weighed against the lives already lost, the reputational damage, and the future orders that they're going to lose to Airbus (and others), getting it right would work out in everyone's favour.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
