Page 3 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2019 Online Magazine

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YEAR EDITOR’S NOTE

CREDIT In Need of Change

LINE

The commercial aviation industry has been buffeted by the twin
accidents of brand-new Boeing 737 MAX airplanes, belonging to Lion
Editor Air and Ethiopian Airlines, which have led to nearly 350 fatalities and
Vittorio Rossi Prudente the grounding of the new jetliner type. The entire global fleet of 371
vittorio.prudente@gbp.com.sg B737 MAX jetliners has now been grounded and Boeing and the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are battling a serious perception
Deputy Editor
Jay Menon issue, that the new single-aisle jetliner was rushed into service. The
jay.menon@gbp.com.sg role of the regulator and its relationship with powerful aircraft OEMs is
another issue that has emerged from the 737 MAX debacle and is an
Bangalore Bureau Chief aspect that demands thorough scrutiny within the industry.
Atul Chandra
atul.chandra@gbp.com.sg
An under-fire Boeing is now rushing to finalize software updates and
Singapore Bureau Chief pilot training revisions to address the Manoeuvring Characteristics
Aprajita Anil Augmentation System (MCAS) flight control law's behaviour in
aprajita.anil@gbp.com.sg
response to erroneous sensor inputs. The updated software will ensure
US Bureau Chief that the flight control system will now compare inputs from both AOA
Arun Sivasankaran sensors and MCAS will not activate if the sensors disagree by 5.5
arun.sivasankaran@gbp.com.sg degrees or more with the flaps retracted. If activated in non-normal
conditions, MCAS will only provide one input for each elevated AOA
Contributors
Geoffrey Thomas event. “There are no known or envisioned failure conditions where
MCAS will provide multiple inputs,” Boeing says. Crucially, the
Operations Director updated software will ensure that 737 MAX pilots always have the
Siva Sachi ability to retain manual control of the jetliner and override MCAS.
siva.sachi@gbp.com.sg
Time is of the essence and Boeing will have to cater not only to its irate
Art Director
airline customers but also restore the confidence of the flying public.
Miamica Khonglah
maya.khonglah@gbp.com.sg Our lead story in this issue, by Geoffrey Thomas, brings out that the
recent aircraft crashes reveal a growing problem with pilot training, skill
Web Director
levels, and automation. It is quite clear that there is a need for change.
Elmer Valencia
elmer.valencia@gbp.com.sg The commercial aviation industry needs to take a long hard look at
these areas.
Circulation Manager
Akshay Satyamurthy
akshay.satyamurthy@gbp.com.sg
Editor
Asian Airlines & Aerospace
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