Boeing Makes Changes to 737 MAX Simulator

What Have Boeing Done?

Boeing have recently announced that there is a design flaw in the 737 MAX flight simulator that is used to train pilots. The US aerospace company have made the changes in an attempt to accurately represent the challenges the pilots will be facing in different weather conditions. These simulators are highly sort after, however there is one problem though. They don’t work.
These changes have come about after the two crashes that ended up killing 346 people within the space of 6 months. Since then aviation companies round the world have scrambled to purchase a 737 MAX simulator to bump up the training all pilots have. The problem with the simulators is that they were unable to reproduce a failure of the planes anti-stall system, otherwise known as the MACS (Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System) which is the system that is though to be at fault for the two crashes.

plane cockpit

A Statement From Boeing

Boeing has not said when they first became aware of the problem with its simulator and whether or not they informed regulators. In a statement made on Saturday they said “Boeing has made corrections to the 737 MAX simulator software and has provided additional information to device operators to ensure that the simulator experience is representative across different flight conditions”

The new design of this 737 engine means that they are larger than others, this increases the efficiency of the plan but unfortunately is upsetting the balance of the aircraft. Creating he risk of the nose rising up too high, to compensate for this the MACS was introduced. The “angle of attack” sensor is designed to automatically bring the nose back down in the event of excessive nose incline. The ingenious system was introduced to save lives and make their aircraft as safe as possible, however it ultimately lead to a loss of life when the system kicked in due to errors with the sensor.

Plane Engine

Why Changes Needed to be Made

As the simulators were unable to reproduce this error, no pilot would have ever been trained in what to do. In the simulator the wheel its self was too easy to move, reports have shown that in the case of the Ethiopian Airlines crash the pilots correctly tried to manually adjust it but were unable to move it due to the force against the wheel its self.

This is the first time that Boeing has admitted to any kind of design flaw related to the 737 MAX Aircraft. Although they have only admitted the simulator to be at fault, releasing new information at this late stage of the game sums up the investigation overall.

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