A Boeing 737 Max 8 airplane being built for American Airlines at Boeing.'s assembly plant in Renton, Wash. The entire global fleet of its Max planes is grounded after two deadly crashes in a matter of months. By Aaron Gregg and Aaron Gregg Reporter covering the defense industry and government contractors. Email Bio Follow Douglas MacMillan Douglas MacMillan Email Bio Follow March 27 at 10:01 AM RENTON, WASH.
While Boeing hosts its meeting, lawmakers in Washington are staging a Senate hearing on aviation safety and oversight on Wednesday afternoon. Among those expected to offer testimony are Daniel K. Elwell, acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, and Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board and Calvin L. Scovel III, the Transportation Department’s inspector general.
“Virgin Australia will be sending two of its most senior flight operations team members to Seattle for an information session on the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, and we look forward to hearing what Boeing has to say," a Virgin Australia spokeswoman said."We remain firm in our position that we won’t receive any new aircraft into our fleet until we are completely satisfied with their safety.
Safety concerns over the 737 Max emerged around the world after March 10 when a Boeing Max 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed minutes after takeoff, killing 157. It came just months after another Max 8 crashed off the coast of Indonesia under similar circumstances, killing 189. The FAA concluded, based on satellite data and evidence from the wreckage, that the two accidents had enough in common that the Max 8 should be grounded.
“As the duration of the Max grounding is still unknown, if our next delivery is before the grounding is lifted, we will not take the aircraft,” a WestJet spokesman said Tuesday. “However, if the grounding has been lifted and the aircraft is approved for re-entry into service by all relevant regulatory bodies, we will take all deliveries as intended.”
A Boeing official speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations said the company has used lab and flight simulators to test how the new software would work in different scenarios, all of it in close coordination with FAA officials. Boeing flight-tested the software on a Boeing jet on Feb. 7 and again on March 12, the person said.
I am going to avoid this platform until we get a full accounting of all of the differences from from the NG. I’m concerned that financial pressures and not passenger safety are driving their high level decision making. Airbus A320neo looks like a better, and safer plane for now.
I believe Boeing execs should fly in their planes and NOT BE ALLOWED TO USE SAFETY FEATURES OR DISABLE FAULTY SENSORS AND SEE HOW THE TRIP GOES.
Hotel rooms where the maid does the laundry?!
Markuh21