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Author Topic: Boeing 737 Max might be grounded through holiday season  (Read 3388 times)

Offline KB4TEZ

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Boeing 737 Max might be grounded through holiday season
« on: July 16, 2019, 08:05:57 AM »
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/boeing-737-max-might-be-grounded-through-holiday-season/ar-AAEmqLQ?ocid=spartanntp

As the global grounding of Boeing's 737 Max drags on, airlines are eyeing a new challenge on the horizon: a holiday travel season without a full fleet. When all variations of the 737 Max were grounded in March, following the second deadly crash in five months, Boeing and airlines that fly the plane were optimistic that it could be returned to service quickly. A relatively simple software update was expected to be approved and implemented this summer.

The software fix initially addressed a potential flaw with the plane's MCAS, or Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System. MCAS is an automated system that compensates for the fact that the 737 Max has larger engines than previous 737 generations. The larger engines could cause the plane's nose to tip upward, leading to a stall - in that situation, MCAS could automatically point the nose downward to negate the effect of the engine size.

However, as the grounding has extended into the summer, several new issues have emerged that raise additional safety concerns, including problems with electronic components and with emergency recovery procedures. Many FAA officials and airline executives now doubt that the plane will return to service before 2020, according to a Wall Street Journal report.