Page 8 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2019 Online Magazine

the New York Times this past weekend that when he asked the
RACING TO MARKET FAA after the Lion Air crash why more substantial training was not
required he was told that it based its rules for training around the
typical experience of a pilot in the United States, explaining that
“the average caliber, skill, and training of U.S. pilots is extensive,
with countless hours of flight time and training both on the flight
deck and in simulators.” DeFazio said that “overseas pilots, in some
cases, have a tiny fraction of the training that our pilots have.”

Increased Automation
Feith also highlights automation paralysis. “In the Atlas Air 767 crash
last month, the autopilot and auto-throttle were both engaged when
it crashed. The issue that is becoming clear is that these ‘children
of the magenta line’ don’t know when to disconnect automation
Reports that Boeing rushed the development and fly the plane,” says Feith. “We are finding that when ‘an issue’
of the 737 MAX are not correct. In fact, the develops the pilots are waiting too long to intervene or not inter-
opposite is the case with the design and pro-
duction being one of the longest in Boeing’s vening at all and a benign situation quickly becomes catastrophic.
commercial jet history. Boeing designed In both MAX accidents it was daylight and clear skies. Put the nose
and built the all-new 747, plus the factory on the horizon and fly the plane manually, what could be simpler?”
to assemble it, in just under four years from
initial concepts whereas the 737 MAX a deriv- In the case of the Ethiopian accident the airline’s CEO, Tewolde
ative of an existing design, was launched late Gebremariam told CNN’s Richard Quest that both pilots had gone
in 2011 and didn’t fly till early 2016 – 4.5 years through additional training related to MCAS software after the
later. Trade-off studies of a derivative versus Lion Air accident. Feith then asks: “So why didn’t they switch off
an all-new design for the MAX started a year the runaway stabilizer trim?” Feith also highlights the amount of
earlier. The 737 MAX then went through a flying some low-cost airlines are forcing their pilots to perform.
2,000-hour flight test program and also a 180- Some pilots are flying 110 hours a month. They are overworked
minute ETOPS testing that required 3,000
simulated flight cycles. In fact, the 737 MAX and fatigue is a big issue,” he says.
took longer to design and certify than any
other 737 model or major upgrade. Last year Frank Caron, who was brought in as Lion Air’s safety
manager from 2009 to 2011 on orders from insurance firms, told the
The original model was conceived in early New York Times that the airline had an average of one major engi-
1964 and first flew in early 1967, while the neering issue every three days, even though most of its fleet was
Classic 737 series was launched in late 1979 new. “Buying all the latest-generation, state-of-the-art engineer-
and flew in 1984. The next model was the ing will be in vain if you don’t have systems in place that prioritize
737NG which was launched in 1993 and first safety,” he told the NYT. Caron said that pilot logbooks drastically
flew four years later in 1997.
understated the number of hours pilots actually worked. “What I
saw was a company, from the top down, that made saving money a
Even all new designs like the 757 and 777
have taken less time than the 737 MAX to motto — so spend the minimum on pilot training, salaries, manage-
develop and build. The Boeing 757 devel- ment, everything,” he said. Caron told Reuters that “safety is much
opment was four years and was launched in more than running concepts and procedures, safety is a spirit, a
1978 and flew in early 1982 while the 777 was
just over four years being kicked off late in
1989 and flew in early 1994. Only the Boeing
787 took longer due to complications with an
all-new production system and new materials.

The Airbus A320neo – the direct competitor
to the 737 MAX – had a shorter development
time. It was launched in December 2010, and
made its first flight on September 25, 2014,
just four years later. Both major manufactur-
ers are always playing catch up with each
other as each brings out new technology.

In the case of both the 737MAX and A320neo,
the pacing item has actually been the engine
makers that have struggled to keep up with
demand for the two twin-jets.

8 | March/April 2019 WWW .GBP .COM.SG/ AAA