Boeing invites pilots, regulators to brief about plan to support 737 MAX's return

[webfact]

Boeing invites pilots, regulators to brief about plan to support 737 MAX's return

 

An aerial photo shows Boeing 737 MAX airplanes parked on the tarmac at the Boeing Factory in Renton, Washington, U.S. March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson

 

(Reuters) - Boeing Co said it invited more than 200 airline pilots, technical leaders and regulators for an informational session on Wednesday, as part of an effort to share details about its plan to support the return of the 737 MAX to commercial service.

 

The meeting is a sign that Boeing's planned software patch is nearing completion, though it will still need regulatory approval.

 

The session in Renton, Washington on Wednesday is part of a plan to reach all current and many future 737 MAX operators and their home regulators, Boeing said in a statement.

 

"We continue to work closely with our customers and regulators on software and training updates for the 737 MAX," the manufacturer said. "Boeing is paying for the development of these updates."

 

Teams from the three U.S. airlines that own 737 MAX jets participated in a session in Renton reviewing a planned software upgrade on Saturday.

 

U.S. regulators are preparing to receive and review the fixes in the coming weeks following deadly crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.

 

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru and Jamie Freed in Singapore; Editing by Chris Reese and Michael Perry)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-03-25

[Basil B]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The meeting is a sign that Boeing's planned software patch is nearing completion, though it will still need regulatory approval.

Microsoft comes to mind... But with Microsoft when your computer crashes it is lose of data, time, and inconvenience, here lives are at risk.

 

So are we info "another crash, another patch" syndrome?

 

 

[zydeco]

Get rid of it. It's a flying coffin. I will never, ever fly on a 737 Max no matter how cheap the ticket.

[Jan Dietz]

Instead of using software to fix airframe design issues, how about doing things the 'old' way:

Design the airframe to be flight stable, like all other planes, instead of actively trying to kill you without a computer trimming you back, or in case of a sensor failure the computer actively trying to kill you.

Just a suggestion

 

[tomacht8]

The changes to the aircraft ( weight and balance point) are probably so serious that it is no longer safe to fly without a software based correction system. 

The larger, forward-facing engines have made the aircraft more nose-heavy.

When starting and going up, the plane suddenly becomes more tail-heavy.

The balance point changes and can probably only be maintained by a software running, computer-based change of trim.

 

[atyclb]

3 hours ago, tomacht8 said:

The changes to the aircraft ( weight and balance point) are probably so serious that it is no longer safe to fly without a software based correction system. 

The larger, forward-facing engines have made the aircraft more nose-heavy.

When starting and going up, the plane suddenly becomes more tail-heavy.

The balance point changes and can probably only be maintained by a software running, computer-based change of trim.

 

 

reminds me of advanced fighter jets that could not even be airworthy without the computer controlled systems.

[Pilotman]

3 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

reminds me of advanced fighter jets that could not even be airworthy without the computer controlled systems.

That's needed to make them more agile and manoeuvrable in hostile airspace, hardly  a requirement for a civilian airliner.  The fact is that Boeing have tried to save money by recycling an old airframe design beyond its ability to remain stable. Their cover ups, obfuscation and downright lies border on the criminal.