Creative Speculation
In reply to the discussion: Skygate 911 [View all]delphi72
(74 posts)As Boeing's own Flight Operations Review memo of Jan 8, 1999 states, "At speeds in excess of Vmo/Mmo, however, normal airplane handling characteristics are not assured."
This means there is no definitive speed, altitude, regime, chart, whatever that will specify when an aircraft will start shedding parts, much less fall apart or, as Balsamo posits in one of his movies, have a wing rip off. It is false, and again, done to pull in the more of the aeronautical ignorant to his tree fort.
The amount of time spent in that flight regime was short and limited, despite what Balsamo claims. These are robust, well designed, tough aircraft, built to carry hundreds of souls around the world. The margin for error between "safe" and "unsafe" flight, when it comes to "falling apart" is large - aircraft builders, designers, administrators and the flying public would not have it any other way.