Author Topic: Boeing unveils 737 Max fixes, says planes are safer-UPDATE  (Read 2747 times)

Offline KB4TEZ

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Boeing unveils 737 Max fixes, says planes are safer-UPDATE
« on: March 28, 2019, 07:58:11 AM »
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/27/boeing-unveils-737-max-fixes-says-planes-are-safer.html

Boeing  previewed its software fix, cockpit alerts and additional pilot training for its 737 Max planes on Wednesday, saying the changes improve the safety of the aircraft which has been involved in two deadly crashes since October.

"We're working with customers and regulators around the world to restore faith in our industry and also to reaffirm our commitment to safety and to earning the trust for the flying public," Mike Sinnett, Boeing vice president, said in previewing the changes to pilots, reporters and regulators at its facilities in Renton, Washington.

The company's shares jumped after releasing the fixes at 2 p.m. ET, rising by more than 1 percent in afternoon trading.

Many of the details behind Boeing's plan to fix the Max have come out over the last two weeks.
Among the notable changes to the MAX flight controls:

The plane's Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, automated flight control system, will now receive data from both "angle of attack" sensors, instead of just one.
If those disagree by more than 5.5 degrees, the MCAS system will be disabled and will not push the nose of the plane lower.
Boeing will be adding an indicator to the flight control display so pilots are aware of when the angle of attack sensors disagree.
There will also be enhanced training required for all 737 pilots so they are more fully aware of how the MCAS system works and how to disable it if they encounter an issue.
"We're working with pilots and industry officials," said Sinnett. "We have 200 of them today in our Renton facility and we'll be spending time with them today to explain the updates we're making to the 737 Max, to get their input and to earn their trust."
« Last Edit: April 03, 2019, 07:35:57 AM by kb4tez »



Offline petart

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Re: Boeing unveils 737 Max fixes, says planes are safer
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2019, 07:22:56 AM »
How wonderful Boeing waited to kill a lot of people before they realised that they made a basic developers mistake. Why would you only use 1 sensor when you have 2 for redundancy the second one is there for what?

And also no notifications for the pilots, that's an even bigger mistake!

They should fine Boeing a lot of money and never trust them or the FAA again, there should be a third party that tests the systems.

Offline KB4TEZ

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Re: Boeing unveils 737 Max fixes, says planes are safer-UPDATE
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2019, 07:27:39 AM »
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/boeing-whistle-blower-claims-to-be-investigated-by-senate-committee/ar-BBVxQY7?li=BBnbcA1

The Senate Commerce Committee is investigating whistle-blower claims that Federal Aviation Administration safety inspectors who evaluated Boeing’s 737 Max airplane were not appropriately trained or certified.

On Tuesday, the committee chairman, Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi, sent a letter to the F.A.A. demanding information about whether the agency had investigated those allegations or taken any action to remedy the problem.

After the fatal crashes of two 737 Max jets in less than five months, there is new scrutiny on the regulator’s close relationship with Boeing. The F.A.A. relies on Boeing employees to help certify the airworthiness of its aircraft, a system that critics say creates conflicts of interest.“The committee is concerned that such potential lack of certification and training” could have influenced inspectors’ evaluation of the software, Mr. Wicker said. The inspectors may have been part of a team that determined the level of training the pilots needed to fly the Max, according to the letter. Boeing has come under fire from pilots, who say they were not informed that the new software existed until after the Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October. The 737 Max planes were grounded around the world after an Ethiopian Airlines crash last month.

The committee believes that the F.A.A. may have been informed of the whistle-blower allegations in August and recently completed an investigation of the claims. Mr. Wicker gave the F.A.A. two weeks to respond to the request for information.