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Capt. 'Sully' Sullenberger Slams Boeing for Inadequate Pilot Training on the Troubled 737 Max

Airline union leaders and a famed former pilot said Wednesday that Boeing made mistakes while developing the 737 Max, and the biggest was not telling anybody about new flight-control software so pilots could train for it.

Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, who landed a crippled airliner safely on the Hudson River in 2009, said he doubted that any U.S. pilots practiced handling a specific malfunction until it happened on two Max jets that crashed, killing 346 people. Max pilots should train for such emergencies in simulators—not just on computers, as Boeing proposes, he said.

"We should all want pilots to experience these challenging situations for the first time in a simulator, not in flight, with passengers and crew on board," Sullenberger said, adding that "reading about it on an iPad is not even close to sufficient."

Sullenberger's comments to the House aviation subcommittee came during the third congressional hearing on Boeing's troubled plane, which has been grounded for three months.

Daniel Carey, the president of the pilots' union at American Airlines, said Boeing's zeal to minimize pilot-training costs for airlines buying the 737 Max jet contributed to design errors and inadequate training. That has left a "crisis of trust" around aviation safety, he said.

Submitted via IRC for Runaway1956

'Sully' Sullenberger blasts U.S. aircraft certification process, says 737 MAX pilots need new simulator training

Sullenberger, who has blasted Boeing Co and the Federal Aviation Administration for their roles in the two 737 MAX crashes since October that killed 346 people, also said the U.S. system of certifying new aircraft is not working.

"Our current system of aircraft design and certification has failed us," he said.

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Defying expectations, Boeing wins interest for 737 Max at Paris Air Show

There's still no schedule for getting the grounded 737 Max back in the air, but Boeing's troubled airliner won a huge and unexpected lift on Tuesday when a major airline group promised to buy 200 737 Max 8s and 10s. International Airlines Group (IAG), a London-based holding company that includes British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and the Spanish low-cost carriers Vueling and Level, signed the letter at the Paris Air Show, one of the most important events in the aviation world.

"We are truly honored and humbled by the leadership at International Airlines Group for placing their trust and confidence in the 737 MAX and, ultimately, in the people of Boeing and our deep commitment to quality and safety above all else," Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Kevin McAllister, said in a statement.

Though the letter doesn't guarantee that IAG will eventually place Max orders, it's still a win for Boeing following two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people. Prior to the crashes, the Max was the fastest selling airplane in the company's history. As of the end of May, Boeing still has 4,550 Max orders on its books.

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow4463

"We are very sorry"—Boeing division CEO apologizes for 737 Max deaths

On Monday, Boeing's head of commercial aircraft, Kevin McAllister, apologized for the deaths of 346 people in a pair of recent airplane crashes. Speaking at the Paris Air Show, McAllister told a press conference that "we are very sorry for the loss of lives as a result of the tragic accidents," referring to the October 2018 crash of a Lion Air 737 Max into the Java Sea and the March 2019 crash of an Ethiopian Air 737 Max. "Our priority is doing everything to get this plane safely returned to service. It is a pivotal moment for all of us," he said.

Additionally, McAllister apologized to his airline customers. "I'm sorry for the disruption," he said. Air travel authorities around the world—including in the US, European Union, and China—have grounded Boeing 737 Max airliners while the company works to fix the problem.

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