Photo: Boeing Media
After two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, the United States Congress established a deadline for new safety standard requirements regarding cockpit alert systems for this month for two 737 MAX variants.
The deadline of December 27th stipulates that all commercial aircraft must have modern cockpit alerting systems that are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The new certification reform requirements that affect the MAX 7 and Max 10 variants of the 737 family came about as the result of the two crashes that led to the planes being grounded for 20 months.
Late Tuesday night, Congress rejected a proposal to extend that deadline, which jeopardizes the future of the two planes; at the very least, pushes out their introduction into commercial service.
Boeing continues to lobby getting a proposal passed before it is too late, still claiming it would be best to have a common alerting system for the entire 737 MAX family of planes. Reuters has reported the issue could slip into 2023 or it could be included in a bill that funds the U.S. Government.
Boeing stated in the past that a lack of an extension could possibly result in the cancellation of the two planes that have garnered almost 1,000 orders to date.
Within the industry and Congress, there is both support for an extension and opposition. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell would be in favor of an extension if Boeing equipped the two variants with enhanced safety systems "such as enhanced angle of attack (AOA) and a means to shut off stall warnings and overspeed alerts, for all MAX aircraft"
One who opposes an extension is C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, best known as the pilot who landed an Airbus A320 airliner on the Hudson River after hitting a flock of geese.
It remains to be seen what kind of behind-the-scenes negotiations will yield, but this cannot be positive news for the beleaguered airplane manufacturer, which has had its share of ups and downs over the last five years.
Late Tuesday night, Congress rejected a proposal to extend that deadline, which jeopardizes the future of the two planes; at the very least, pushes out their introduction into commercial service.
Boeing continues to lobby getting a proposal passed before it is too late, still claiming it would be best to have a common alerting system for the entire 737 MAX family of planes. Reuters has reported the issue could slip into 2023 or it could be included in a bill that funds the U.S. Government.
Boeing stated in the past that a lack of an extension could possibly result in the cancellation of the two planes that have garnered almost 1,000 orders to date.
Within the industry and Congress, there is both support for an extension and opposition. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell would be in favor of an extension if Boeing equipped the two variants with enhanced safety systems "such as enhanced angle of attack (AOA) and a means to shut off stall warnings and overspeed alerts, for all MAX aircraft"
One who opposes an extension is C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, best known as the pilot who landed an Airbus A320 airliner on the Hudson River after hitting a flock of geese.
It remains to be seen what kind of behind-the-scenes negotiations will yield, but this cannot be positive news for the beleaguered airplane manufacturer, which has had its share of ups and downs over the last five years.
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