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Boeing to brief over 200 pilots and experts on 737 MAX plans

Boeing
Photo: Boeing

Boeing has invited more than 200 pilots, technical leaders and regulators to a briefing Wednesday on its plans to safely return its grounded 737 MAX fleet to service.

The informational sessions at the Renton, Washington, home of the 737 is part of the company’s effort to share more details about its plan to get the grounded 737 MAX fleet back in the air.

It comes after American pilots said last week they were expecting to test Boeing’s software fix on simulators over the weekend in a session that also sought feedback from personnel from other airlines affected by the grounding.

Boeing described the session as productive and it planned to reach “all current and many future MAX operators and their home regulators”.

“At the same time, we continue to work closely with our customers and regulators on software and training updates for the 737 MAX,’’ it said, adding that it was paying for the development of the updates.

The planemaker earlier said it had been “working diligently and in close cooperation with the Us federal Aviation Administration on the software update.

READ: Reports that 737 MAX safety options are lucrative are nonsense

“We are taking a comprehensive and careful approach to design, develop and test the software that will ultimately lead to certification,’’ it said.

The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that US regulators had already “tentatively approved” the software and training changes but a Boeing spokesman said the software could still go through revisions.

Boeing has also put the enhanced software through its paces on an 80-minute test flight.

It began working on changing pilots displays, operations manuals and crew training relating to the new software after the crash in Indonesia last October of a Lion Air plane with 189 passengers and crew.

The pilots were still fighting the aircraft as it plunged into the ocean off Jakarta after the software, known as the  Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), repeatedly pushed down its nose because of incorrect information from a single angle of attack sensor.

However, they failed to follow an established procedure that would have allowed them to shut off the system by flicking two switches.

The global 737 MAX fleet was grounded after a second crash involving the type on March 10 involving Ethiopian Airlines.

The FAA resisted grounding the planes even as other regulators took the step on the grounds there was at that stage no data suggesting the move was necessary.

It did so after new information became available on the Ethiopian crash that indicated similarities with the Lion Air accident.

Ethiopian investigators have yet to release a preliminary report on the crash and it is not yet clear whether MCAS, which was designed to help pilots when approaching an aerodynamic stall,  was involved.

The software is being updated to allow access to more than one angle of attack sensor input, limit the number of stabilizer trim commands when the software receives an erroneous AoA reading and provide a limit to the stabilizer command to allow pilots to retain elevator authority.

The changes are designed to make the system less aggressive and mean it will not activate due to faulty reading from one AoA sensor.

Boeing is also understood to be making standard on the MAX a system that tells pilots when the two angle of attack sensors are not giving the same reading. That system had previously been an option.

The move comes as the company and the FAA face audits of the process used to certify the aircraft and questions about its lobbying in Washington.

US politicians are looking at whether too much of the certification process was handed over to Boeing.

The FAA told The Wall Street Journal that it had been repeatedly directed by Congress to streamline certification.

This included delegating some safety certification tasks under a program introduced in 2005, the Organization Designation Authorization program.

But it added: “FAA has never allowed companies to police themselves or self-certify their aircraft.

“The use of delegation has been a vital part of our safety system since the 1920s, and without it, the success of our country’s aviation system likely would have been stifled.”

 

 

 

 

American Airlines extends Boeing 737 MAX cancelations

Boeing FAA fine
Boeing's 737 plant in Renton, Washington.

American Airlines has canceled Boeing 737 MAX services until April 24 and says the worldwide grounding of the troubled plane is affecting about 90 flights a day.

The extension from the previous date of March 28 comes as Boeing and the US Federal Aviation Administration are working on changes to the plane’s flight control software.

American said canceling in advance provided certainty to its customers by providing them with additional availability and rebooking options.

READ: Reports that 737 MAX safety options re lucrative are nonsense.

It said both international and domestic flights were available but it had balanced cancelations across its system and the 6700 daily flights it offers on an average day.

American has 24 737 MAX 8 jets similar to two that crashed within five months of each other in Ethiopia and Indonesia.

American pilots said last week they were expecting to test Boeing’s software fix on simulators over the weekend.

Some media predicted a statement from Boeing on progress would come as early as Monday, although the company dowplayed this.

Other pilots from affected airlines were also due at Boeing facilities at the home of the 737 in Renton, Washington, US media reported.

Boeing said it had been “working diligently and in close cooperation with the FAA on the software update.

“We are taking a comprehensive and careful approach to design, develop and test the software that will ultimately lead to certification,” it said.

“We have been engaging with all 737 MAX operators and we continue to schedule meetings to share information about our plans for supporting the 737 MAX fleet.”

The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that US regulators had already “tentatively approved” the software and training changes but a Boeing spokesman said the software could still go through revisions.

Boeing has also put the enhanced software through its paces on an 80-minute test flight.

It began working on changing pilots displays, operations manuals and crew training relating to the new software after the crash in Indonesia last October of a Lion Air plane with 189 passengers and crew.

The pilots were still fighting the aircraft as it plunged into the ocean off Jakarta after the software, known as the  Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), repeatedly pushed down its nose because of incorrect information from a single angle of attack sensor.

However, they failed to follow an established procedure that would have allowed them to shut off the system by flicking two switches.

MCAS is now being updated to allow access to more than one angle of attack sensor input, limit the number of stabilizer trim commands when the software receives an erroneous AoA reading and provide a limit to the stabilizer command to allow pilots to retain elevator authority.

Boeing is also understood to be making standard on the MAX a system that tells pilots when the two angle of attack sensors are not giving the same reading. That system had previously been an option.

The move comes as the company and the FAA face audits of the process used to certify the aircraft and questions about its lobbying in Washington.

 

 

 

 

New pictures of Boeing’s 777X superjet

777X

More photos have emerged of Boeing’s 777X which was unveiled to the company’s employees on March 13, 2019.

The official media event was canceled due to the loss of the Ethiopian Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Boeing has not released any pictures itself and these are taken by various enthusiasts as credited below.

It is expected to fly later next month.

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Boeing 777X Lovers
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Credit: @sleem_nation
Credit: Woody’s Aero Images

Boeing is building two models of the 777X family: the 400-seat -9, which will be the first to roll out and the longer range -8, which can seat 350 passengers and has a range capability of more than 17,220 km.

SEE Video 777X takes to the sky in Germany

SEE Greenpoint’s luxury 777X interior. 

The driving force behind the new Boeing is Emirates’ President Sir Tim Clark, whose airline is the lead buyer with an order for 150.

Sir Tim describes the 777X as “an absolute peach”.

Key to his enthusiasm is the aircraft’s economics and greater space — it is 20 percent more efficient per seat than the industry’s long-time benchmark the 777-300ER and its cabin is wider with bigger windows.

It combines the best features of the current 777 with a longer fuselage, new engine and the composite wing design from the Boeing 787.

Other airlines that have ordered the 777X are Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, All Nippon Airlines and last week British Airways.

Downunder Qantas and Air New Zealand are also evaluating the aircraft along with its arch-rival the A350-1000.

Qantas’s competition, called “Project Sunrise” demands Sydney to London non-stop capability with 300 passengers.

Both Airbus and Boeing say they can meet the airline’s demands or “close to it.”

Air New Zealand is expected to make a decision by May and Qantas by about June according to various sources.

 

 

 

 

Reports that 737 MAX safety options are lucrative are nonsense

options

The suggestion by some media that safety options for the 737 MAX are lucrative for aircraft manufacturers are utter nonsense.

Options are a nightmare for Boeing and Airbus and snarl production lines leading too expensive delays.

For decades aircraft manufacturers have striven to limit or eliminate options to make the production process smoother and more profitable.

Balanced against that are many low-cost airlines who insist on stripped down versions to get the lowest cost aircraft thinking that the safety features are just toys for pilots.

Ryan Air in Europe even stripped out windows shades and seat back pockets in its seats to save money.

READ: Crash expert Greg Feith slams critics of 737 MAX certification

Options evolved as aircraft manufacturers tried to differentiate between their models to win sales and sometimes these options involved multiple engines choices, convertible cargo, and longer-range options and sometimes cockpit gimmicks.

Airlines also wanted – and still demand- a myriad of cabin changes to get one up on their competitors.

This resulted in all sorts of absurd situations such as a famous 101 shades of white paint for the 747.

Boeing also agreed to have switches in the 747 cockpits for one airline going forward and another going backward.

It also offered 27 different clipboard options for 747 cockpits.

Snarled production lines because of a myriad of options forced the famous Douglas Aircraft Company into a disastrous merger with McDonnell Aircraft Company in 1967.

A 1966 photo of Douglas Aircraft at Long Beach California with DC-8s and DC-9s being worked on outside at night to fit missing parts.

The company was developing three new models of its famous DC-8 and three model of the then hot selling DC-9 and production lines became chaotic.

Some DC-8s were rolled out with 30,000-man hours of work to be completed.

Another shot of the chaos from parts shortages with aircraft being worked on at Douglas in what were staff car parks.

In 1997 Boeing was forced to close its 737-production line for three weeks a month when it tried to ramp up production too fast and suppliers could not keep up the supply of parts.

The costs were over $2 billion and claimed one Boeing top leaders.

More recently Boeing and Airbus have opted for a no option policy in the cockpit that 787 and A350 being notable examples.

Driving that trend also are banks and leasing companies that are major buyers of aircraft.

Part of their business is short term lease to fill gaps in seasonal flying and they want to be able to swap aircraft between airlines without any issues of commonality.

 

 

 

 

American Airlines pilots to test Boeing software fix

Boeing and MAX

American Airlines pilots have revealed they expect to conduct simulator tests of a software fix for the Boeing 737 MAX this weekend as Garuda Indonesia moved to cancel its order for the single-aisle plane.

Reuters quoted Allied Pilots’ Association safety committee chairman Mike Michaelis as saying a union pilot and a management pilot would test the new software in simulators in Renton, Washington, the home of the 737.

READ: why are the investigators withholding vital clues into 737 MAX crashes?

“This airplane can be a safe airplane, and there have been great strides on getting a fix in the works, but I’ll have a better feel after we can test it out,” Michaelis told the news agency.

American has 24 737 MAX 8 aircraft, the second biggest fleet in the US, and said last week it had confidence in the planes after operating almost 18,000 flights.

The global fleet of 737 MAX jets has been grounded after two fatal crashes, one involving Indonesian carrier Lion Air in October and another Ethiopian Airlines on March 10.

READ: Lion Air investigators confirm the presence of third pilot.

The US Federal Aviation  Administration, which is facing investigations into how the plane was certified, has labeled review of the new software an “agency priority”.

Boeing began working on changing pilots displays, operations manuals and crew training relating to new software on the 737 MAX after the crash in Indonesia last October of a Lion Air plane with 189 passengers and crew.

The pilots were still fighting the aircraft as it plunged into the ocean off Jakarta after the software, known as the  Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), repeatedly pushed down its nose because of incorrect information from a single angle of attack sensor.

However, they failed to follow an established procedure that would have allowed them to shut off the system by flicking two switches.

MCAS is now being updated to allow access to more than one angle of attack sensor input, limit the number of stabilizer trim commands when the software receives an erroneous AoA reading and provide a limit to the stabilizer command to allow pilots to retain elevator authority.

Boeing is also understood to be making standard on the MAX a system that tells pilots when the two angle of attack sensors are not giving the same reading. That system had previously been an option.

Aviation Week & Aerospace Technology’s Guy Norris revealed this week that Boeing had already completed a flight test of the enhanced software to validate the updates to MCAS and improved pilot displays.

The test on a Boeing 737 MAX 7 prototype evaluated the system under multiple high angle-of-attack scenarios, Norris reported.

He said the enhanced software was demonstrated to the FAA on March 12 and the 80-minute test flight simulated stalls and other maneuvers meant to test the revised automatic stabilizer-trim input at altitudes between 13,500ft and 17,350ft.

Boeing has said the software will be released no later than April but it may take longer for the affected planes to return to service.

Meanwhile, both Reuters and AFP  reported that Garuda has sent a letter to Boeing asking if it could cancel its 737 MAX order and switch to other Boeing models.

“We have sent a letter to Boeing requesting that the order be canceled,” Garuda spokesman Ikhsan Rosan told AFP.

“The reason is that Garuda passengers in Indonesia have lost trust and no longer have the confidence (in the plane).

Garuda is still awaiting a response from Boeing and there were suggestions the airline had already been having second thoughts about the order.

It has already received one 737 MAX as part of a 50-plane order worth $US4.9 billion at list prices, although airlines never pay the list price.

Lion Air has also had delayed deliveries of the MAX.

 

 

 

 

Maintenance error leaves Jetstar plane without thrust reversers

Jetstar ATSB
A Jetstar A320.

Operational pressures on maintenance engineers likely resulted in an error that saw a Jetstar Airbus A320 land in Sydney last September with its thrust reversers deactivated, an investigation has found.

A lock-out pin was not removed when engineers at the Qantas maintenance facility in Brisbane were working on the plane

READ: Crash expert Greg Feith slams critics of 737 MAX certification process

The pilots of the Jetstar flight were unaware that the thrust reversers were inoperative until they tried to use them after the plane landed in Sydney. Thrust reversers help slow the plane during the landing roll by redirecting the thrust from the engines.

The captain of the flight from Brisbane called “no reverse” and the first officer completed the landing using normal braking. There was no damage to the aircraft or injuries to the 184 passengers and crew.

READ: Lion Air investigators confirm the presence of third pilot.

The captain later recalled that pre-flight checks had not revealed any indications that the thrust reversers were de-activated.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators later found a maintenance team had deviated from procedures, probably due to operational pressure.

Prior to the incident, the aircraft had undergone a three-day maintenance check during which engineers identified that the horizontal stabilizer actuator required replacement.

This added a half day of work to the schedule and to recover the lost time, the team was brought in to start work at 4 am the next day.

Adding to the pressure was the fact the aircraft departure time was brought forward, and the engineers were instructed to complete the maintenance by the end of first shift.

Many worked through their lunch breaks to ensure they could complete the maintenance on time, with some later reporting they were feeling tired and felt a responsibility and pressure to finish the work on time.

The thrust reversers needed to be deactivated so the engineers could perform engine leak tests.

To save time, they used a lock-out pin that did not have required “remove before flight” warning flags on them. They also did not put additional notices in the cockpit warning the thrust reversers were deactivated.

This meant the installed pins were missed after the engine leak test and the engine cowlings were closed with them still in place.

“While working under the compressed schedule, engineers deviated from the written procedures, and the incorrect lockout pin was installed and then not removed later,’’  the ATSB said.

“As a result, the aircraft was returned to service with the thrust reverser system inadvertently deactivated.”

Qantas conducted an internal review and said the engineers were working in compliance with an approved fatigue management framework but said awareness of certain safety precautions “was not as robust as it should be”.

The company took a number of actions as a result of the incident which included issuing an alert to staff, discussions with Jetstar aircraft-certifying staff and review of lockout pin management in Brisbane to ensure there were no systemic problems.

The ATSB said the safety message from the investigation was that functional checks were the last line of defense in maintenance work.

“Failure to follow procedures, such as functional checks, can result in unintended consequences,’’ it said. “Additionally, it is imperative that aircraft maintenance engineers feel empowered to stop a process when they observe procedural violations or foresee that an error is likely to occur.”

Jetstar Asia showcases Australia’s red Top End

Jetstar Asia livery Northern territory
The Jetstar Asia Northern Territory livery in Darwin. Photo: Darwin International Airport

Travelers in Asia are about to get a dose of camels, kangaroos and red dust thanks to a unique Jetstar Asia livery showcasing Australia’s Top End.

The Northern Territory-themed “flying billboard” was officially launched at Darwin International Airport Friday, accompanied by an announcement Jetstar Asia would boost the number of seats between Singapore and Darwin by 25 percent with daily services starting in April.

Jetstar Asia has been flying to Darwin for a decade and chief executive Bara Pasupathi said the airline had seen steady and strong demand during that time.

“By offering up to seven regular services a week on our Airbus 320, we are committed to providing more options for travelers from Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia to discover Darwin,’’ he said.

READ: Malindo Air spreads its wings with new Adelaide service.

“The livery collaboration with NT Tourism and NT Airports is the first of a number of opportunities that will see us increase awareness of our services and entice more visitors to explore this incredible destination”.

The livery is part of wider moves by Darwin International Airport to partner with local organizations to stimulate tourism and aims to showcase the NT to a new audience.

In addition to signature wildlife and landmarks, it features the logo of the Top End’s  18-day celebration of art, music, theatre and dance: the Darwin Festival.

jetstatr

Targeted campaigns in Asian markets have combined with investments with Singaporean wholesalers to boost visitors by 14 percent in the six months ended December 2018.

There has also been work with Qantas and Jetstar Asia to create new itineraries through Darwin to Uluru and Alice Springs.

“The new Darwin-Uluru service and additional capacity on services to Alice Springs also opens up the Red Centre to our close Asian neighbours,’’ NT Airports chief executive Ian Kew said.

Kew said the iconic natural earth tones of the Red Centre and Uluru made them “must-do destinations” that were increasingly sought after by Asian travelers seeking a unique experience.

“Being less than five hours from Singapore makes the entire Northern Territory very accessible to Asian markets,” he said.

Disclosure: Steve Creedy also writes for the Australian Airports Association.

Final British Airways retro livery lands in Heathrow

British Airways Negus heriatge livery
British Airways Negus 747 Aircraft. Photo: BA/Stuart BaileyTaken: 21st March 2019Picture by: Stuart Bailey

The collection was completed as the fourth and final aircraft in British Airways heritage livery touched down at London Heathrow Thursday.

The Negus design that adorned the fleet from 1974 to 1980 joins a British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) liveried Boeing 747, a British European Airways (BEA) Airbus 319 and a British Airways Landor 747 sporting the livery used from 1984 to 1997.

British Airways livery heritage
The BOAC 747 livery.

The aircraft were painted to celebrate the airline’s centenary.

READ: BA launches spiffing new business class seats.

The Negus livery was in service from 1974-1980, and was the airline’s first after the merger of BOAC and BEA.

It was the first to carry “British Airways” since 1939, when the original British Airways Limited merged with Imperial Airways to form BOAC.

The airline noted that the Union Flag is not present on the side of the aircraft as it began to be fully celebrated on the aircraft’s tailfin instead.

“Reintroducing four heritage designs into our fleet has been an incredibly nostalgic time for us and our customers, we’re impressed at how popular they’ve been,’’ said BA chief executive Alex Cruz.

“ In our centenary year it’s important that we celebrate our past, and we also have big plans to look to the future. I’m excited about what the rest of this year has in store.”

British Airways heritage livery
The BEA plane

Other centerary year events include a programme, which will lead the debate on the future of flying and explore the future of sustainable aviation fuels, the aviation careers of the future and the customer experience of the future.

The airline will also be working with expert partners to identify BA’s 100 Modern Britons currently shaping the country.

How BA, which only formed as a company after the merger in 1974,  comes to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2019 is convoluted.

The UK flag carrier is celebrating its beginnings as the August 25, 1919 launch of regular flights across the English Channel by a small airline called Aircraft Transport and Travel.

British Airways heritage livery
The Landor livery.

AT&T launched the world’s first scheduled international service by flying between Hounslow, Middlesex, and Paris carrying just one passenger.

It only operated for a year before going bankrupt but some of its assets were later used to start Daimler Airway.

A series of mergers saw Daimler folded into Imperial Airways in 1924 and this was later incorporated into BOAC at the start of World War II.

 

Airlines slam Trump’s $US2.9 billion aviation tax grab

5G
Photo: O'Hare International Airport.

US airlines have hit out at proposed Trump Administration aviation tax increases they estimate will cost passengers an extra  $US2.9 billion a year.

Aviation lobby group Airlines for America (A4A) has said the “unnecessary” tax increases in the 2020 budget would be in addition to the $US25 billion customers already pay each year into government coffers through 17 federal aviation taxes and fees.

The increases include a rise in the Transport Security Administration passenger security fee from $US5.60 to $US6.60 in fiscal 2020 and from $US6.60 to $US8.25 starting in financial year 2021.

READ: Atlanta still the world’s busiest airport.

A4A said this proposal would raise $US600m in FY2020 and $US22.4 billion between 2020 and 2029.

A proposal to boost customs user fees by $US2.10 to $US7.75 is expected to raise $US272 million in FY2020 and $US3.2 billion over 10 years.

Similarly, a proposal to boost the immigration inspection fee from $US7 to $US9 will cost passengers $US273m in FY2020 and $US3.2 billion over a decade.

And a new discretionary quarantine inspection fee would see passengers taxed a further $US20m in FY2020 and $US212m over 10 years, A4A said.

“These are unnecessary tax increases that jeopardize the unprecedented choice, access and affordability that consumers enjoy today,’’ it said.

“Increasing taxes in any form would burden families with higher costs to fly, curtail job growth and limit air service options to small and rural communities.”

The lobby group also called on Congress to end the practice of diverting revenue from security fees away from security to pay for deficit reduction.

The complaint echoes similar gripes in other countries.

“Since 2013, approximately $1.3 billion per year in TSA fees are being diverted away from their intended purpose, which is to pay for aviation security screening,’’ A4A said.

“Similar diversions have also been used for CBP fees. Instead of increasing taxes, there should be a focus on addressing the annual diversion of billions of dollars of security funds.”

 

 

Lion Air investigators confirm presence of third pilot

Lion Air report
Searchers sort through debris from the Lion Air crash. Photo: Seven News

Indonesian investigators have confirmed the presence of a third, off-duty pilot who reportedly saved a troubled Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX the day before it crashed.

Bloomberg reported that the off-duty pilot was in the jump seat in the aircraft’s cockpit when it developed problems and suggested to the flight crew that they turn off the trim stabilizer system as they struggled to control the plane.

READ Crash expert Greg Feith slams critics of 737 MAX certification process.

Why are the investigators withholding vital clues into 737 MAX crashes?

The plane would develop similar problems the next day shortly after taking off from Jakarta and would crash into the sea with 189 people on board as the pilots apparently struggled to work out what was happening.

A preliminary report on the crash did not mention the third pilot despite giving a detailed description of the flight on the day before the crash.  Officials said he had been interviewed but did not reveal details.

“The third pilot, who has not been identified, was qualified to fly Max 8s and was deadheading aboard the Oct. 28 flight from Bali’s Denpasar airport to Jakarta,” The Washington Post quoted  Soerjanto Tjahjono, the head of Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee, as saying. “The aircraft encountered the same problems that appear to have caused it to crash a day later.”

Tjahjono said that data from the cockpit voice recorder did not match media reports detailing how the pilots and co-pilot struggled to regain control of the aircraft prior to its crash on October 29.

Quoting three sources, Reuters reported Thursday that the pilots of doomed Lion Air Flight 610  scoured a  handbook as they struggled to understand why the jet was lurching downwards.

The sources said the first officer said “Allahu Akbar” or “God is Greatest” just prior to the hitting the water.

Denying the leaks came from the NTSC, Tjahjono said Indonesia investigators kept tight control on access to the data from the flight and it was stored on a stand-alone server not connected to the Internet.

“The contents of the reports were just opinions that someone or some people made to look as if they came from the CVR,” he said.

However, the official in charge of the crash, Nucahyo Utomo, confirmed there was panic in the cockpit prior to the crash.

Indonesian investigators have visited Boeing to carry out a reconstruction of the next-to-last flight and Tjahjono said the agency would publish its findings in August or September.

 

 

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