Whats up skies: Boeing’s 737 MAX return to air will get increase in Europe | United States Information

Test flights and a round of simulator sessions held this month went well, a European aviation official said.

Boeing Co.’s drive to get the grounded 737 Max jet back to the skies by the end of the year was fueled by European regulators, who said they expect to sign their safety clearance by November.

Test flights and a separate round of simulator sessions held this month went well, Patrick Ky, executive director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, told French reporters on Friday. EASA expects it will lift its base shortly after the U.S. Aviation Administration, Ky said. He expects the Chinese authorities to take longer to get the plane back into the air.

According to Ky, Boeing has agreed to install a synthetic sensor called the 737 Max 10 in the next version of the aircraft, the comments of which have been confirmed by EASA. Existing models will be retrofitted after the jet returns, he said.

Boeing worked with regulators to get the 737 Max back into the air after the crashes that killed 346 people and caused the jet to land around the world in March 2019. While the FAA is the primary certification body for the aircraft, EASA approval is being given, which is seen as a major milestone for the return outside the US after other global regulators signaled that they would follow the European agency’s lead.

Boeing climbed 3% to $ 150.47 at 11:56 a.m. in New York, the largest gain over the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The stock fell 55% through Thursday that year, the Dow’s worst fall.

More redundancy

The agreement on a synthetic sensor resolves a key EASA concern that goes beyond the corrections proposed by the FAA. The European regulators wanted more redundancy for so-called angle of attack sensors, which were a factor in the two crashes.

EASA has also asked Boeing to give pilots the option to disable what is known as the stick-shaker alarm system, Ky said. Canadian regulators have also raised concerns about several alarms that could potentially confuse pilots in an emergency.

The FAA has proposed several changes to the aircraft before it can again carry passengers. Among other things, the system that drove the jet’s nose down in both accidents was no longer activated repeatedly. Boeing has taken further steps to minimize the likelihood of a future malfunction.

The upcoming Max 10, a larger version of the single aisle jet, as well as the smaller Max 7 and a version of the Max 8 with a higher density have yet to be certified. While the synthetic sensor will be a requirement on the Max 10, it will be retrofitted on other models as soon as it becomes available, according to EASA.

In a statement, Boeing said it was “obliged to answer all questions from regulators and meet all certification and regulatory requirements” without addressing the third sensor.

Ky also said the regulator expects to take a closer look at the certification of future aircraft models like the Boeing 777X jet in light of the Max debacle.

Test flights

The FAA completed test flights of the Max in the summer. A review period was initiated in August, which could possibly lead to a US clearance of the safety of the aircraft in October at the earliest.

After some planning delays related to coronavirus travel restrictions, EASA conducted flight tests across Canada this month. In subsequent simulator meetings with the Joint Operations Evaluation Board, overseen by regulatory agencies from Canada, Europe, Brazil and the USA, the training requirements for pilots will be determined.

Since the airlines have to retrain the pilots and maintain the grounded fleet, it takes at least a few weeks after certification for the planes to carry passengers.