Category Archives: Automation

CICD

What can Jenkins do for you?

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Topic: “What can Jenkins do for you?” might sound a bit old fashioned and cliched as Jenkins has been around for a while but it has very varied capabilities via plugins & build pipelines to manage many things. Brief list of capabilities which in no way are exhaustive are given below:

  1. Continuous build management
  2. Continuous deployment
  3. Continuous testing
  4. Continuous quality checks and code scans
  5. Continuous security testing
  6. Continous license checks
  7. Continous Kubernetes, cloud & docker deployment / monitoring
  8. Continuous email notifications for events
  9. Integration with JIRA
  10. Integration with notification systems
  11. Continuous monitoring
  12. Continuous reports & test results analysis
Automation

Automation problems in Boeing 737 Max in times of machine learning & artificial intelligence

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Quote – French air accident investigation agency BEA said on Tuesday the flight data recorder in the Ethiopian crash that killed 157 people showed “clear similarities” to the Lion Air disaster. Since the Lion Air crash, Boeing has been pursuing a software upgrade to change how much authority is given to the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, a new anti-stall system developed for the 737 MAX. – Unqoute.

Quote – The captain fought to climb, but the computer, still incorrectly sensing a stall, continued to push the nose down using the plane’s trim system. Normally, trim adjusts an aircraft’s control surfaces to ensure it flies straight and level – Unquote 

Analysis from publicly available news & articles, sources and references at the end of article.

Sequence of events:

  1. 737 Max has heavier engines which are mounted higher than other planes
  2. This may cause stall at lower speeds by pushing nose up
  3. To correct this a mechanical sensor is kept at the front of the plane to detect air flowing in parallel or at an angle known as angle of attack
  4. This sensor is connected to MCAS automation software based system which controls TRIM electro-mechanical system which keeps aircraft level and straight
  5. MCAS typically pushes nose down due to stall created by higher nose level as above
  6. In this case the sensor seemed to be faulty so MCAS wrongly took over
  7. Pilots didn’t know how to disengage the MCAS. They had to cut power to the motor that pushes nose down
  8. Another pilot who was in one of the same flights earlier could disengage MCAS by stopping the motor for a similar problem by cutting power to motor pushing nose down

Sources & references below:

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/all-boeing-737-max-8-aircraft-in-india-will-be-grounded-by-4-pm-today-says-dgca-official-2006734

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/pilot-who-hitched-a-ride-saved-lion-air-boeing-737-max-day-before-deadly-crash/articleshow/68499359.cms

https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/lion-air-plane-cockpit-voice-recorder-reveals-pilots-frantic-search-for-fix-report-2010292

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automation

https://airlinerwatch.com/boeing-737-max-8-design-or-software-problem/