Boeing 737 MAX Could Fly Again Very Soon
The Boeing 737 MAX aircraft could soon start flying again. 737 Max is an update to the 737 and has been flying since 2011 but was grounded in March 2019. The grounding was caused by two crashes that resulted in the death of 346 people.
Besides the design issues, Boeing’s training practices were also questioned after the two crashes. When the 737 MAX was rolled out, pilots were only required to take a brief tablet-based course, rather than the common practice of training in a simulator. Boeing claimed that 737 MAX had enough in common with previous models that pilots could switch back and forth without issues.
Since grounding the plane, Boeing has been working on a complete redesign of the plane’s flight software. Now it has received positive feedback that could see the plane take to the skies again. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency Executive Director Patrick Ky said he’s satisfied with the steps that Boeing has taken to make the plane safe. He added that the 737 Max could begin flying in Europe before the end of 2020.
The agency will still require Boeing to make additional software upgrades for an extra layer of redundancy. That could take another two years to complete, he said as per Travel Pulse.
On the other had, Federal Aviation Administration Director Steve Dickson took the plane for a test flight of his own. He said he was encouraged by the progress that Boeing had made, but added that he would make some changes to the pilot training.
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FYI the plane was announced in 2011 but didn’t fly until 2016 (certified in 2017, delivery in 2018, grounded in 2019)