MAX - Oppdatering - Curt Lewis

First on CNN: Despite crashes, Boeing proposes no simulator training for 737 MAX pilots Washington (CNN)Boeing's proposal to bring back the 737 Max has included a computer-based training program that, like requirements before two crashes involving the aircraft, does not involve hands-on simulator training before allowing pilots to resume flying the troubled aircraft once it is no longer grounded, CNN has learned. Following the crashes involving Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines in October and March in which 346 people died, some pilots and aviation consultants criticized Boeing for the aircraft's training requirements that previously involved a short, self-administered online course and no simulator time. While the Federal Aviation Administration has not yet announced any decisions on final training requirements, Boeing's training proposal for the aircraft's updated software included computer lessons without mandated simulator training, according to a pilots' union and a source familiar with the discussions. The training proposal has not been previously reported. The proposal to require only computer-based training could save airlines money and time when the FAA lifts flight restrictions on the Boeing-made aircraft. When the 737 Max initially went into service, as a selling point, Boeing told airlines it was similar enough to previous versions of the aircraft that they could avoid more extensive simulator training, CNN previously reported. A full-flight simulator can range in price from roughly $6 million to $15 million and can cost hundreds of dollars per hour to use, according to a spokesperson for CAE, a simulator manufacturer that has sold 737 Max simulators to airlines. Dennis Tajer, spokesperson for the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American Airlines pilots, said some pilots in his group found Boeing's draft training materials to be "inadequate." Tajer said his group believed Boeing's proposed training materials related to the plane's MCAS system, which is designed to push the nose of the airplane down if it senses an imminent stall and is believed to have played a role in both crashes, needed improvement in terms of presentation and content. "If you are going to hang your hat on computer-based training, it better be the best of the best if you don't have simulators going with it," Tajer said. One person familiar with the proposal says pilots on one major US airline could complete re-training its 737 Max pilots in 30 days. Tajer said the Allied Pilots Association does not oppose additional simulator training if consensus is reached that that should be required, but he said his group remains more concerned about ensuring pilots have the information they need in flight checklists that explain procedures. He said Boeing did provide supplemental training modules that contained informative diagrams his group found "to be quite good." "We want to tell Boeing that this is a global issue, and we are imploring Boeing not just to provide optionality about how deep the training goes. Tell the FAA what you think should be mandatory," Tajer said. Mike Trevino, a spokesperson for the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, told CNN his group does not believe simulator training should be a prerequisite for returning the 737 MAX to service. A spokesperson for Boeing said the company is in the process of finalizing 737 Max training requirements for submission to the FAA. The crashes involving Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air sparked international debate about training requirements for pilots learning to fly updated aircraft models. In April, an FAA panel concluded in a draft report that simulator-based training is not necessary for pilots who flew the previous version of the 737. While international regulators met with the FAA in Fort Worth, Texas, last week and discussed training requirements for the 737 MAX, no conclusions about those requirements have been announced. An FAA spokesperson said in a statement, "Acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell has said repeatedly that no final decisions have been made on pilot training or modifications to emergency procedures on the Boeing 737 Max. The FAA is focused on the 737 Max and ensuring its safe return to service." Following the FAA meeting, Canada's director general of civil aviation, Nicholas Robinson, said his agency Transport Canada wants to see Boeing's final training proposal before deciding on whether simulator training should be required. Paul Hudson, president of FlyersRights, a nonprofit travel-consumer group, told CNN flight restrictions on the 737 Max should not be lifted unless pilots receive additional simulator or in-flight training that involves handling the plane with the updated MCAS system turned off and on. "Boeing and the FAA said in 2017 this plane was safe. Then after the Lion Air crash in October they said it was safe. Now we should trust them a third time without any real re-training?" Hudson said. https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/30/politics/737-max-computer-simulator/index.html Back to Top

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg Offers Hope - but Few Details - on the 737 MAX The latest good news from Boeing is that there isn't any new bad news. CEO Dennis Muilenburg met with investors at a conference on Wednesday and gave no indication that new trouble has cropped up in the effort to fix the grounded 737 MAX jet. The CEO is focusing on updating the software that underpins the jet's flight-control system. "Once we complete the software update on the MAX, I'm very confident that airplane will be one of the safest airplanes ever to fly," he said to the crowd. "And we know getting the MAX back to a healthy state is key to a broader, healthy business." The back story. The Federal Aviation Administration met with its international counterparts on May 23 in Texas to review the software changes-Boeing's proposed fix for the jet, which has been grounded world-wide since mid-March. Investors had hoped for news about when the MAX can carry passengers again, but acting FAA administrator Dan Elwell didn't provide a concrete timeline. What's new. Boeing has been making "clear and steady" progress since the FAA meeting, Muilenberg told the conference. He also said Boeing has made progress on pilot training, another key issue. The 737 MAX was designed to fly like the prior iteration of the 737 platform, called the 737 NG, which means people qualified to fly the NG could pilot the MAX as well, without additional flight-simulator training. That could change. If it does, reintroduction of the MAX into commercial service might be delayed. "[We've had] a good discussion [with pilots and regulators] around training requirements and capabilities like computer-based training and simulator training," Muilenburg said in response to a question. "So I saw that as another way point of progress." It wasn't a lot of detail from the CEO, but at least it indicates no new issues have surfaced recently. Looking ahead. Cowen analyst Cai von Rumohr revisited his timeline for a reintroduction of the MAX in a Wednesday research report. He believes the FAA could still approve Boeing's fix by the end of June, but said the potential for additional pilot training could add some time before the MAX is flying again world-wide. That would have a transitory impact on cash flow and earnings, but implicit in Muilenburg's comment and von Rumohr's report is a belief that the 737 MAX will fly again, with only minor modifications. That is a controversial idea to some stakeholders, but it is still the prevailing sentiment on Wall Street. Boeing stock was down 1.9% in Wednesday afternoon trading, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off by 1.2%. Boeing shares have fallen 18% since a MAX jet flown by Ethiopian Airlines crashed on March 10, raising concern about the safety of the jet following a crash last fall. The Dow is down 1.7% over that period. https://www.barrons.com/articles/boeing-ceo-progress-fixing-737-max-jet-51559153208 Back to Top