alt Hacker News“ The increasing reliance of computers in fly-by-wire systems in aircraft, which use electronics rather than mechanical systems to control the plane in the air, also mean the risk posed by bit flips when they do occur is higher.”
Bit of an understatement. I don’t think there any active passenger airliners in the first world today that aren’t fly-by-wire. The MD-80 was the last of its kind and it’s been out of passenger operation for what, 10 years now?
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Boeing 717 is still in service and it's essentially an MD-80. Many 737s are in service and flight controls are hydraulic-boosted cable-and-pulley operated; the type design dates to the 1960s.
Don't passenger aircrafts have redundant systems, so if one computer flips, the backup takes over?
Not to mention, the system affected by the bit flips were designed in the 90's AND newer designed systems have EDAC so they are not susceptible to the same kind of issue. Honestly, if you look into the thing, the press coverage of the event is atrocious.
Any Boeing other than 777/787 does not use fly-by-wire.
However, that doesn't illuminate the possibility of these errors. Whilst the flight-controls are mechanically linked, the autopilot/trim is electric, so is still suspectable to bit-flips.