It’s difficult to feel sorry for either party here. If the FAA is really waiting for additional documentation then why is Boeing not forthcoming with that documentation? We all know how the FAA has in the past dragged their feet on making decisions. I would be surprised if Boeing is able to convince enough politicians in Washington to extend the deadline. I would not be shedding any tears if Boeing decides to cancel both projects. It is time for Boeing to come up with another up to date design for an airliner.
You reap what you sow. Boeing cancelled the new airframe to beat Airbus to market. The FAA certified the B737 modified to carry the remarkable LEAP turbines. It is equally responsible for these problems but government never faces the consequences of its bad decisions. The long term solution is a new airframe.
The MAX has an aerodynamic problem; it needs an aerodynamic solution, not a software kluge!
As the angle of attack increases, he larger nacelles provide lift forward of the center of lift cause the stick force to reduce; the opposite of what is acceptable.
The normal solution for too much area forward, is to add area aft; a larger horizontal stabiliser.
This would have solved the problem, been a lifetime solution with no special maintenance, training, or warning systems required.
It would have cost a fraction of what Boeing has spent and lost by installing a system to run the trim to the limit, overpowering the pilots ability to control the aircraft.
That system, also subject to a single point failure; a cardinal sin, should never have been installed, but Boeing wanted to save money, so they lied about the system to the FAA, and hid it from crews.
Trying to fix the flawed software system is a red herring; Boeing should be made to install a larger horizontal stabiliser, or discontinue the MAX.
The whole situation is craziness.
Shocking that Boeing cannot get its act together to respond quickly to the FAA, and earlier to do documentation better.
But ‘Brian H.’ omits that MCAS has been whacked back closer to what it should have been - a nudge, that Boeing has changed the design to use two computers running in parallel, and that indications and training have been improved.
Adding to your comments Lewis:
If they would put solar panels all over the plane and claim it will stop climate change congress/faa will approve the MAX by morning.
They should also put the word “HYDROGEN” on the sides and congress will give boeing grant money besides. The MAX will be declared the greatest aviation achievement in history and be given awards. ?
Congress Eyes MAX 7, 10 Certification Extension. That’s the problem. Congress. Any time that Congress becomes involved in anything, means that the process has been politicized. The politics of public opinion (mostly an uninformed general opinion) always takes over in politics. Bad for any industry.
It is not just the FAA that has to agree to the extension, other regulators have to sign on too. I believe Transport Canada and EASA are not going to like an extension and the FAA burned a lot of bridges with the initial MAX certification as other regulators accepted the FAA certs without their own review. They are not going to be so gullible this time.
As for the politicized process, well Boeing only has itself to blame
Boeing has gobbled up all the other major airliner mfr’s in America and Brazil, China, France, and others are now producing fine alternatives while Boeing (and American Workers) are losing out on Boeings’ self-induced down-hill slide.
It’s time to break Boeing up so that competition can be re-introduced to the American aviation workplaces.