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Boeing Recommends 737 Max Flight Simulator Training for Pilots Boeing Recommends 737 Max Flight Simulator Training for Pilots
(about 2 hours later)
Boeing recommended on Tuesday that pilots train in flight simulators before flying its 737 Max, a move it had previously resisted. From its inception, Boeing’s 737 Max was designed to save airlines the expense of training their pilots on flight simulators. During the initial approval of the plane and after two crashes killed 346 people last year, Boeing argued in conversations with the Federal Aviation Administration that simulator training was not necessary.
The Max has been grounded since March following two crashes that killed 346 people, and Boeing has been working for months on changes to the software that contributed to both accidents. The training requirement further complicates the company’s efforts to return the plan to service. Now, after a worldwide grounding has cost the company billions of dollars over nearly 10 months and caused it to temporarily halt the production of the Max, Boeing has reversed course. On Tuesday, the company said it would recommend that pilots train in flight simulators before flying the Max.
Boeing recently informed the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Stephen Dickson, of its recommendation. The final decision to require the simulator training would be made by the F.A.A., which is likely to follow the company’s advice. The regulator still has to complete testing of the plane. The decision stems from Boeing’s analysis of recent flight simulator tests that were part of the work necessary to return the Max to service, which showed that pilots were not using the right procedures to handle emergencies. Those tests are the latest hurdle for Boeing, which has encountered setback after setback as it tries to fix problems with the Max and persuade regulators that the plane is ready to fly.
The Max was designed, in part, to avoid having pilots train in simulators. The plane is the latest update to the 737, which has been flying since the 1960s. By making the plane similar to the 737 NG, the previous version of the plane, Boeing was able to persuade regulators that pilots did not need to train on simulators. The Max has been grounded since March, and Boeing has been working for months on changes to the software that contributed to both accidents. Boeing, the largest aerospace manufacturer in the world and one of the most important companies in the United States, has been roiled by the Max grounding, which still has no end in sight. Last month, the company’s board ousted its chief executive, Dennis A. Muilenburg, who had presided over a deteriorating relationship with the F.A.A. and key airline customers.
His successor is now grappling with a company in crisis, as Boeing shares have declined by 20 percent and it continues to uncover potential flaws with the Max, its most important jet.
The training requirement may further complicate efforts to return the plane to service. The final decision on whether to mandate simulator training will be made by the F.A.A., which is likely to follow the company’s advice. The agency still has to complete testing of the plane.
The F.A.A. said it would consider Boeing’s recommendation, adding in a statement that it was “following a thorough process, not a set timeline, to ensure that any design modifications to the 737 Max are integrated with appropriate training and procedures.”
At least one airline, United, has considered requiring its pilots to undergo simulator training whether or not the F.A.A. mandates it, recognizing that it may make the public more comfortable flying on the plane, according to two people familiar with the matter.
But simulator training will add another hurdle for many airlines, which have struggled with mounting losses throughout the Max crisis. It could delay the return of the Max even after regulatory approval. It will make it more difficult for airlines to schedule pilots and planes. And they may need to buy new, multimillion-dollar simulators to train pilots who are not already flying the 737 NG, the predecessor to the Max.
Already, Boeing had said it would temporarily shut down the Max factory this month, and new problems with Max unrelated to the software that contributed to the crashes have recently been identified, raising the prospect of further delays.
The Max is the latest update to Boeing’s 737, which has been flying since the 1960s. By making the plane similar to the 737 NG, Boeing was able to persuade regulators that pilots did not need to train on simulators. That was important for Boeing, which faced stiff competition from its chief European rival, Airbus, and was under pressure to produce a plane that could be easily integrated into airlines’ fleets.
In marketing material detailing the “737 Max advantage,” Boeing emphasized that the plane was similar enough to its predecessor that experienced pilots would not need to be taught in simulators. In negotiations with Southwest Airlines while the plane was being developed, Boeing agreed that if the Max required such training, it would give Southwest a discount of $1 million per plane.
But Boeing did make fundamental changes to the plane, including the addition of software known as MCAS, which played a role in both crashes. Initially, pilots were not made aware that the software existed and were not trained on how to react if it was erroneously activated.But Boeing did make fundamental changes to the plane, including the addition of software known as MCAS, which played a role in both crashes. Initially, pilots were not made aware that the software existed and were not trained on how to react if it was erroneously activated.
Avoiding simulator training was beneficial for Boeing. In negotiations with Southwest Airlines while the plane was being developed, Boeing agreed that if the Max required simulator training, it would give Southwest a discount of $1 million per plane. Southwest has ordered 280 Max jets. Southwest made its first Max order in 2011 based on Boeing’s promise that the airline wouldn’t have to educate its pilots on simulators, which can cost tens of millions of dollars to operate over the life of an aircraft.
The decision to recommend simulator testing comes as Boeing is facing continued delays in its effort to return the Max to the air. The company said it would temporarily shut down the Max factory this month, and new problems with the plane unrelated to the software that contributed to both crashes have recently been identified, raising the prospect of further delays. In December, it fired its chief executive, Dennis A. Muilenburg. “You’re out there trying to buy an airplane and negotiate a price and produce your schedule based on a PowerPoint, and you just need to have some guarantees,” Mike Van de Ven, Southwest’s chief operating officer, said in an interview last month.
“Safety is Boeing’s top priority,” the company’s interim chief executive, Greg Smith, said in a statement. “Public, customer and stakeholder confidence in the 737 Max is critically important to us and with that focus Boeing has decided to recommend Max simulator training combined with computer-based training for all pilots prior to returning the Max safely to service.”
The F.A.A. said that it would consider Boeing’s recommendation, adding in a statement that it was, “following a thorough process, not a set timeline, to ensure that any design modifications to the 737 Max are integrated with appropriate training and procedures.”
Boeing’s decision stems from its analysis of flight simulator tests of the Max it conducted with airline pilots from United, Aeromexico, American Airlines and Southwest last month, according to a person familiar with the matter.Boeing’s decision stems from its analysis of flight simulator tests of the Max it conducted with airline pilots from United, Aeromexico, American Airlines and Southwest last month, according to a person familiar with the matter.
In the tests, which were part of the work involved in evaluating the software update, many of the pilots did not use the correct procedures to handle emergencies, instead relying on their flying skills. Those results raised questions about whether simply informing pilots of which procedures to use would be sufficient to prepare them to fly the plane.In the tests, which were part of the work involved in evaluating the software update, many of the pilots did not use the correct procedures to handle emergencies, instead relying on their flying skills. Those results raised questions about whether simply informing pilots of which procedures to use would be sufficient to prepare them to fly the plane.
There are currently 34 certified Max flight simulators worldwide, according to a person familiar with the matter. Getting pilots trained in the machines, which are designed to replicate emergency scenarios, will add another hurdle for airlines, who have struggled with mounting losses throughout the Max crisis. “Safety is Boeing’s top priority,” Greg Smith, the company’s interim chief executive, said in a statement on Tuesday. “Public, customer and stakeholder confidence in the 737 Max is critically important to us, and with that focus Boeing has decided to recommend Max simulator training combined with computer-based training for all pilots prior to returning the Max safely to service.”
Airlines may also be able to use the more than 200 737 NG simulators to conduct the training, though it isn’t clear yet whether that is possible. There are currently 34 certified Max flight simulators worldwide, according to a person familiar with the matter. Airlines may also be able to use the more than 200 737 NG simulators to conduct the training, though it isn’t clear yet whether that is possible.