Boeing has started holding information sessions with pilots, technical leaders and regulators on the Boeing 737 Max as it works towards having the global grounding of the fleet lifted.
The manufacturer confirms that it held a session on 23 March, and is planning a similar one on 27 March at Renton.
“This is part of our ongoing effort to share more details about our plan for supporting the safe return of the 737 Max to commercial service,” it says in a statement.
Boeing adds that it is continuing to work closely with customers and regulators on the forthcoming software and training updates for the aircraft, which was flagged by the US Federal Aviation Administration on 21 March.
A service bulletin for the updated flight computer software and training is being developed, but it is unclear when it will be issued to operators, or if it will convince regulators to lift the grounding of the fleet.
The software enhancement was developed after the October 2018 crash of a Lion Air 737 Max 8, which has been linked to the Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).
There have been some similarities drawn between that accident and the 10 March crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8, which has led to most regulators banning the operation of commercial flights with the type.
Boeing also issued a separate statement from chief engineer John Hamilton insisting that all 737 Max aircraft display all data necessary for the pilot to safely operate the jets.
It appeared to be in relation to some reports that the crew of the Lion Air 737 Max could have been better alerted to the discrepancy between the aircraft’s angle-of-attack (AOA) sensors that was involved in feeding faulty data to the jet’s systems.
Boeing offers the option for an “AOA Disagree Alert”, which is a software-based feature that alerts the crew if the left and right AOA sensors disagree, and can help provide more insight for pilots into those situations.
Similarly, there is an option for an AOA “Attack Indicator” that can display data from the sensors to the flight crew through their primary flight displays.
While those options are available, Hamilton says that the baseline primary flight display provides pilots all the information required to safely operate the 737 Max in accordance with their training.
“Crew procedures and training for safe and efficient operation of the airplane are focused around airplane roll and pitch attitude, altitude, heading and vertical speed, all of which are integrated on the primary flight display,” he says. “All 737 Max airplanes display this data in a way that is consistent with pilot training and the fundamental instrument scan pattern that pilots are trained to use.”
Source: Cirium Dashboard
