MAX oppdatering - Curt Lewis

FAA says approaching 737 MAX test flight, awaits Boeing proposals FILE PHOTO: Grounded Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are seen parked at Boeing Field in Seattle SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is narrowing the issues needed before it can conduct a certification test flight on the grounded Boeing 737 MAX, but will not commit to a timetable for lifting a flight ban, its top official said. "We are following a very diligent process and it is important that we stay focused on the process and not on the timeline," FAA Administrator Steve Dickson told reporters. "Having said that we are approaching a milestone: the certification flight is the next major milestone and once that is completed I think we will have a good bit more clarity on where the process goes forward from there," he said during a visit to the Singapore Airshow. The certification flight to be carried out by FAA pilots "is not scheduled yet because we still have a few issues to resolve, but we continue to narrow the issues. We are waiting for proposals from Boeing on a few items," he added. The 737 MAX was grounded last March following two fatal crashes in the space of five months. Boeing has adjusted cockpit software which has been blamed in part for overwhelming pilots and dropped objections to simulator training for pilots. Dickson said he expected close technical alignment between global regulators over the criteria for reversing the grounding, when the time for that decision comes, but noted there could be differences in how the jet is put back to service worldwide.

U.S. Transportation Dept. IG to audit FAA pilot training requirements after Boeing 737 MAX crashes FILE PHOTO: Aerial photos show Boeing 737 Max airplanes on the tarmac in Seattle WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General said on Monday it will audit Federal Aviation Administration pilot training requirements for U.S. and foreign air carriers after two deadly crashes of Boeing's 737 MAX. The audit will also review international civil aviation authorities' requirements for carriers' pilot training regarding the use of flight deck automation. Pilots have been harshly critical of Boeing's decision not to disclose details of a new automation system - known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS - that has been linked to both fatal crashes. The Inspector General cited a report by Indonesia's Lion Air that "responses to erroneous activations of MCAS contributed to the crash, raising international concerns about the role of pilot training." The report said Boeing's safety assessment assumed pilots would respond within three seconds of a system malfunction. But on the fatal flight and one that experienced the same problem the previous evening, it took both crews about eight seconds to respond. Boeing declined to comment on the new review. The FAA said it would cooperate with the inspector general's review. "Raising and harmonizing pilot training standards across the globe are among the FAA's top aviation safety priorities," the FAA said. "We continue to pursue expanded conversations among the world's aviation regulators to identify ways to enhance international aviation safety through robust pilot training programs." Boeing has proposed new simulator training for pilots on a series of scenarios before they are allowed to resume 737 MAX flights. The MAX is not expected to be freed to fly until late April at the earliest. In March, the department's IG said it would audit the FAA's certification of the Boeing 737 MAX. The Trump administration on Monday proposed an additional $30 million in it 2021 budget "to improve aviation oversight, following recommendations from the Boeing 737 MAX investigations." The funding would support 13 new full-time positions for the creation of an office mandated by Congress to oversee the FAA's delegation of some certification tasks to Boeing and other plane-makers. The FAA would also use some of the funds for data collection and for "technological advances that we use to assess safety data," Deputy FAA Administrator Dan Elwell said.