Originally Posted by
OldnGrounded
I guess the most meaningful answer is that it just doesn't matter how necessary the training might be, if the question were being considered under other circumstances. In the context of the events since October, 2018, no one is going to take the risk of letting the MAX return to service without an approved fix and training. You might think of it as a belt-and-suspenders (braces) approach or you might think of it as a gigantic, multi-entity CYA operation -- but it ain't gonna happen any other way.
The official answer, I'm sure, is the same as before: MCAS is just there to make the stick force gradient compliant with the regs. Lots of folks would like to see the results of bare airframe testing to help them decide whether they believe that.
In the low speed environment MCAS exists solely for training avoidance. As in costs to airlines.