MAX oppdatering - Curt Lewis

Boeing's CEO explains why the company didn't tell 737 Max pilots about the software system that contributed to 2 fatal crashes Boeing 737 MAX 8 airliner Boeing has come under scrutiny in recent months for its failure to disclose the presence of the Maneuvering Characteristic Augmentation System (MCAS) on its Boeing 737 Max airliners. The existence of MCAS came to light only after the crash of Lion Air Flight JT610 in October. On Monday, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg explained why the company didn't disclose the existence of the system to pilots while challenging the media's characterization of MCAS as an anti-stall system. "It's fundamentally embedded in the handling qualities of the airplane. So when you train on the airplane, you are being trained on MCAS," Muilenburg said. "It's not a separate system to be trained on." Boeing has come under scrutiny in recent months for failing to disclose the presence of the Maneuvering Characteristic Augmentation System (MCAS) on its Boeing 737 Max airliners. In fact, the existence of MCAS came to light only after the crash of Lion Air Flight JT610 in October. In a NASA-maintained database, pilots of the Boeing 737 Max expressed outrage at not being alerted to the presence of the system aboard the plane they fly. The furor around MCAS broke out once again in March after the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302. On Monday, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg explained why the company installed MCAS on the 737 Max but didn't disclose the existence of the system to pilots, all while challenging the media's characterization of MCAS as an anti-stall system. "When you take a look at the original design of the MCAS system. I think in some cases, in the media, it has been reported or described as an anti-stall system, which it is not." Muilenburg told reporters shortly after Boeing's annual shareholder meeting. "It's a system that's designed to provide handling qualities for the pilot that meet pilot preferences." Muilenburg added, "We want the airplane to behave in the air similar to the previous generation of 737s. That's the preferred pilot feel for the airplane and MCAS is designed to provide those kinds of handling qualities at a high angle of attack." "It's a purposeful design. It's something that's designed to be part of how the airplanes fly. So it's part of the certification process," the Boeing CEO said. "It's not something that's a separate procedure or something that needs to be trained on separately." "It's fundamentally embedded in the handling qualities of the airplane. So when you train on the airplane, you are being trained on MCAS," he added. "It's not a separate system to be trained on." The need for MCAS is a direct result of an issue arising from the design of the 737 Max. To fit the Max's larger, more fuel-efficient engines, Boeing had to position the engine farther forward and up. This change disrupted the plane's center of gravity and caused the Max to have a tendency to tip its nose upward during flight, increasing the likelihood of a stall. MCAS is designed to automatically counteract that tendency and point the nose of the plane down when the plane's angle-of-attack (AOA) sensor triggers a warning. Boeing confirmed earlier this month that false readings from one of the 737 Max's AOA sensors triggered MCAS on both the Lion Air and the Ethiopian jets. As a result, MCAS improperly pushed the nose of the plane down during takeoff. Boeing is currently working on a suite of proposed software fixes for MCAS.

Boeing Hit With New FAA Safety Directive Ahead of Shareholder Meeting Boeing shares extended declines Monday after the U.S. Federal Aviation Commission said it would impose new safety checks on the planemaker's 787 series of aircraft. Boeing Co. (BA - Get Report) shares extended declines Monday after the U.S. Federal Aviation Commission said it would impose new safety checks on the planemaker's 787 series of aircraft. The new Airworthiness Directive, which will come into effect on June 3, will including inspections and checks for some of the planes parts, as well as inspections of aileron and elevator power control units. The FAA said the new directive was prompted by reports of hydraulic leakage to the units caused by lightnings strikes. Last week, a New York Times report, citing hundreds of internal emails, federal records and corporate documents. suggested Boeing's ten-year-old South Carolina plant has been "plagued by shoddy production" and "weak oversight" that could raise questions over the safety of the 787 Dreamliner and the company's broader culture. The Times report said Boeing pressured employees into working more quickly to avoid production delays while "at times ignoring issues raised" by those closest to the Dreamliner's assembly. We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 787 series airplanes," the FAA said. "This AD was prompted by reports of hydraulic leakage caused by damage to aileron and elevator actuators from lightning strikes." "This AD requires an inspection or records check to inspect for certain parts, detailed inspections of aileron and elevator power control units (PCUs), and applicable on-condition actions," the Agency said. "We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products." Boeing shares were marked 0.52% lower Monday and changing hands at $378.83 each, a move that extends the stock's decline since the March 10 Ethiopian Airlines crash to around 10%. The FAA move comes just hours ahead of a key Boeing shareholder meeting later today in Chicago, during which CEO Dennis Muilenburg will hold his first press conference since the grounding of the planemaker's 737 MAX fleet following deadly accidents in Ethiopia and Indonesia. Last week, Boeing posted weaker-than-expected first quarter earnings and pulled its earnings guidance for the rest of the year until it has clarity on the fate of its 737 MAX program following the grounding of the flagship aircraft. Boeing also said it would pause its stock buyback program, which had taken down $2.3 billion in shares over the first quarter, and would issue fresh earnings guidance "at a future date" as it deals with the grounding of more than 300 737 MAX planes following last month's Ethiopia Airlines crash and a similar Lion Air tragedy last year in Indonesia. "Across the company, we are focused on safety, returning the 737 MAX to service, and earning and re-earning the trust and confidence of customers, regulators and the flying public," said CEO Dennis Muilenburg. "As we work through this challenging time for our customers, stakeholders and the company, our attention remains on driving excellence in quality and performance and running a healthy sustained growth business built on strong, long-term fundamentals." Boeing said it shipped 89 737 MAX planes for the quarter, down from 132 over the same period last year, adding that commercial airplane operating margins narrowed 100 basis point to 9.9% as division revenues came in at $11.8 billion. Overall company inventories rose by 4.47% from the end of last year to $65.369 billion. Boeing said earlier this month that the preliminary report into the cause of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302's fatal crash, which killed all 157 passengers on board on March 11, as well as the Lion Air 610 disaster in Indonesia in early October, which took the lives of 189 people, were caused by activation of the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, in response to "erroneous angle of attack information" from a broken sensor. Boeing vowed to correct the cause of the tragic incidents while recognizing the "devastation of the families and friends of the loved ones who perished." The FAA said it would "evaluate aspects of the 737 MAX automated flight control system, including its design and pilots' interaction with the system, to determine its compliance with all applicable regulations and to identify future enhancements that might be needed." Virgin Australia to defer deliveries of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft April 30 (Reuters) - Virgin Australia Holdings said on Tuesday it had reached an agreement with Boeing to delay deliveries of the U.S. planemaker's now contentious 737 MAX aircraft. Last month, Australia's civil aviation safety authority suspended Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft from flying to or from Australia, following fatal crashes involving Boeing's latest model in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The country's no. 2 airline said in a statement on Tuesday it had deferred delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from November 2019 to July 2021, and that it would convert an additional 15 of its 737 MAX 8 aircraft on order to 737 MAX 10s.