In Reversal, Boeing Recommends 737 Max Simulator Training for Pilots

Representative Peter A. DeFazio, who has been investigating the crashes as the head of the House transportation committee, said in a statement that he supported the decision but was baffled that it had taken so long.

“It’s remarkable that it took two deadly crashes, numerous investigations and untold public pressure before Boeing arrived at this decision,” said Mr. DeFazio, an Oregon Democrat.

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.

“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.”

Pilots who are certified to fly both the 737 NG and the 737 Max may have to undergo recurrent training for both models. If a 737 NG has a maintenance problem, it will no longer be easy to swap it out for a Max. And if a pilot certified to fly the Max misses a flight, airlines will have to make sure the replacement is certified on the Max, not just the NG.

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.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/business/boeing-737-max-simulator-training.html?emc=rss&partner=rss