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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 2020)
B5 THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2020 Boeing says pilots need simulator training for 737 Max By DAVID KOENIG Associated Press Boeing said Tuesday it is recommending that pilots receive training in a fl ight simu- lator before the grounded 737 Max returns to fl ying, a reversal of the company’s long- held position that computer-based training alone was adequate. The recommendation is based on changes to the plane, results from tests involving a small number of pilots and a commitment to the safe return of the Max, Boeing said. The fi nal decision on the nature of training will be up to the Federal Avia- tion Administration and regulators in other countries. The FAA said it will consider Boeing’s recommendation but also rely on upcoming further tests using pilots from U.S. and foreign airlines. Those tests are designed to help regu- lators determine fl ight training and emer- gency procedures, said FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford. “The FAA is following a thorough pro- cess, not a set timeline, to ensure that any design modifi cations to the 737 Max are integrated with appropriate training and procedures,” Lunsford said. The 737 Max has been grounded world- wide since last March after two crashes killed 346 people. Boeing is making changes to fl ight-control software and other systems in a bid to get the plane back in the air. Boeing long held that pilots who can fl y older 737s only needed a computer course — roughly an hour-long course on a tablet — to fl y the Max. That helped airlines avoid timely and costly training in simulators. Boeing even offered to pay Southwest Airlines a rebate of $1 million per plane if pilots needed simulator training before fl y- ing the Max. Last year, an FAA technical advisory board sided with Boeing and recommended that only computer-based training was needed. However, families of victims of the two crashes lobbied for simulator training, arguing that pilots need to experience how the Max differs from previous versions of the 737. “Of course this should be required,” Nadia Milleron, a Massachusetts woman whose daughter, Samya Stumo, died in the March 2019 Max crash in Ethiopia, said after Boeing’s announcement. “Passengers should not have to push for basic safety standards.” Similarly, the chairman of a congres- sional panel investigating Boeing said the company’s endorsement of simulator train- ing was welcome but overdue. “It’s remarkable that it took two Ted S. Warren/AP Photo A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max airplane takes off in the rain at Renton Municipal Airport. Boeing said Tuesday it is recommending that pilots receive training in a fl ight simulator before the grounded 737 Max returns to fl ying, a reversal of the company’s long-held position that computer-based training alone was adequate. ‘IT’S REMARKABLE THAT IT TOOK TWO DEADLY CRASHES, NUMEROUS INVESTIGATIONS AND UNTOLD PUBLIC PRESSURE BEFORE BOEING ARRIVED AT THIS DECISION.’ U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio | chairman of the House Transportation Committee deadly crashes, numerous investigations and untold public pressure before Boe- ing arrived at this decision,” said Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chairman of the House Transportation Committee. He said Boe- ing “put production and profi ts ahead of the public’s safety” by assuring airlines that its 737 pilots could fl y the Max without going through simulator training. Boeing’s interim CEO, Greg Smith, said in a statement that Boeing decided to rec- ommend simulator training because of the importance to Boeing of gaining public and airline confi dence in the Max. U.S. pilot unions stood by Boeing and vouched for the Max’s safety after the fi rst crash, in Indonesia in October 2018. The American Airlines union said last April that pilots should practice certain emergencies in a simulator — but only as part of regu- lar training and not necessarily before the Max returned. Dennis Tajer, a 737 pilot and spokes- man for the union, said Tuesday that as more revelations emerged about the design of key systems, the union grew skeptical. He said Boeing’s endorsement of simulator training now “sounds like a step in the pos- itive direction.” The U.S. airlines that own Max jets — Southwest, American and United — issued muted statements, saying they would wait for a fi nal decision by FAA. It is not clear whether a requirement for simulator training would further delay the return of the Max, which is costing Boe- ing billions and forcing airlines to cancel thousands of fl ights. About 800 Max jets have been built, and they were expected to become a bigger part of the fl eets at many airlines. There are only 34 MAX fl ight simula- tors worldwide — Boeing owns eight of them, and more are being made. But U.S. airlines alone have thousands of 737 pilots — Southwest has nearly 10,000 and Ameri- can and United have more than 4,000 each. The FAA could decide that pilots can practice Max-related emergency proce- dures on simulators meant for older 737s called NG or next generation. Or airlines could split their Max and NG fl eets and train just a small fraction of 737 pilots for the Max. However, airlines want to avoid that extra complexity, according to indus- try offi cials. Shares of Chicago-based Boeing Co. rose $3.54, or 1.1%, to close at $337.28. 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