https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/07/b...-training.html
Boeing Will Recommend 737 Max Flight Simulator Training for Pilots
The company had long maintained that the training wasn’t needed to fly the plane, which has been grounded following two deadly crashes.
By Natalie Kitroeff and David Gelles
Jan. 7, 2020
Updated 1:28 p.m. ET
Boeing will recommend that pilots train in flight simulators before flying its 737 Max and plans to inform airlines of its decision soon, according to two people familiar with the matter, a move it had previously resisted.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.