Boeing 737 MAX family NEWS ONLY

While this article is focused on overall orders and deliveries, it does break things down by aircraft type, and the orders lost for 737 are savage, 1,034 out of a Boeing total order drop of 1,026 (Boeing also lost 4 747 orders and 1 777, but gained 11 767 and 2 787, explaining how 737 lost more than the Boeing total).

 
While this article is focused on overall orders and deliveries, it does break things down by aircraft type, and the orders lost for 737 are savage, 1,034 out of a Boeing total order drop of 1,026 (Boeing also lost 4 747 orders and 1 777, but gained 11 767 and 2 787, explaining how 737 lost more than the Boeing total).

Yeah, it's been devastating. my father got laid off today at the SLC plant after working in that same building since 1988, back when it was a McDonnell Douglas facility.
 
"The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing inspections of 25 Boeing 737 Max 9s after determining that a fuel sealant was not applied during manufacturing."

Apparently in the event of a fuel leak in the wing it creates a drain path onto the engine, which is less than ideal. The problem was the work instructions, not a problem with the staff on the shop floor.

 

which references


From Pierson's conclusion:
"In summary, many important questions still remain unanswered. At the top of the list, is whether the 737 MAX, 737 NG and P-8 Poseidon have defective AOA Sensors or electrical system problems that could lead to another preventable tragedy? This question needs to be thoroughly investigated. The FAA’s recertification fixes fail to adequately address these issues."

PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS A NEWS ONLY THREAD AND NOT FOR OUR PERSONAL COMMENTS OR OPINIONS.
 
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Interesting to see how Southwest Airline converted their Max buy from the dash 8 to the smaller 7 serie.
Southwest Airlines on Monday said it agreed to buy 100 of Boeing's 737 Max 7 planes as it plans to retire older jets, sticking with the manufacturer that has been the backbone of its fleet for 50 years.

The Dallas-based low-cost airline said under the agreement it would convert 70 of its firm orders for Max 8 planes to the smallest jets, the Max 7s. It also added 155 options for 737 Max 7 or Max 8 airplanes through 2029.
 
Changing rivets to fasteners should be done according to methods or internal abacks under the supervision of an engineer. Not on the assembly line. This is fairly curious.

Yes, you want to look for innovation that would cut cost and save time but anything has to be reviewed before installation (or at last prior the section internal inspection unwillingly granted the Mod).

On the plus side, we had also today the story of a MAX pilot facing a tailplane motor electrical failure innoperative switch) that landed back his plane using the trim wheel (yes, the famous one that was so much decried in the press). You would think whatever you want but to me that is the sign of a well engineered airframe and a qualified pilot.
 
And related:

It's a systemic issue that would request enquiry at shop level and trace down quality analysis processes.
The good thing is that this bird is also rock solid with even one inspected example having flown that way presumably its entire service life.
 
And related:

It's a systemic issue that would request enquiry at shop level and trace down quality analysis processes.
The good thing is that this bird is also rock solid with even one inspected example having flown that way presumably its entire service life.
I initially expected it to be mis-installed rivets or the incorrect rivet supplied, but if the rivets are correctly installed but are losing their heads later through fatigue cracking, then that argues that it's a design failure, not a build failure - because they've miscalculated the forces on them - which is slightly more worrying.
 
My understanding is that there was an error in material (wrong rivet quality). Can easily happen with unexperienced worker or when delay are tight and a supplier tries to cut end-meet without really understanding the deepness of such apparently minor change.

On overall, and very generally speaking, at equal subcontractor level, quality check time is an inverse function of cost and delay, something that is generally very difficult to hear for people with an accountant or MBA background.
 

"Two US lawmakers have requested additional records from Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration related to “continued issues” involving 737 Max and 787 production and quality-control concerns.

The request comes from Peter DeFazio, chair of the House Committee on Infrastructure and Transportation, and aviation sub-committee chair Rick Larsen."

"In April, Boeing disclosed a “potential electrical issue” that forced airlines to ground about 100 737 Max, all produced since roughly 2019. On 30 April, the FAA issued an airworthiness directive (AD) mandating the jets be pulled from service pending fixes.

“Investigation identified insufficient bonding of certain metallic support panel assemblies installed in two areas of the flight deck, which affects the electrical grounding of installed equipment,” the AD said

Though the AD targets only 100 delivered Max, it applies more broadly to aircraft with production line numbers between 7,399 and 8,082. That range includes hundreds of 737 Max that Boeing has produced but not delivered, according to Cirium fleets data.

The FAA has since approved Boeing’s fix, which the Chicago airframer has said takes several days per aircraft to complete."
 
A good read about the rather stupid problem that led to a second Max grounding:


B/w pilots that can't handle a stick pusher and engineers that don't collectively possess a full understanding of aerospace specifics, the picture that is drawn is concerning. Beyond the finger pointing and the press drame, the FAA should ensure that regulations are here to regulate instead of mandating when it comes to training and education.
 
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"It raises the landing gear’s height during take-off and landing, a design needed to compensate for the MAX 10′s extra length and prevent the tail scraping the runway on take-off."

Of course, this also raises the engine nacelles higher when on the ground. The neat trick is that when in flight, the longer u/c still folds up and away into the same short bays as before. Had its ingenious mechanism been invented earlier, there would have been no need to move the engines forward and no need for the disastrous MCAS. History is full of sad ironies.
 
Malta Air, a subsidiary of Ryanair in Malta, has received their first first 737 Max:



The aircraft is the first to wear their unique livery, with all current Boeing 737-800s flying in the standard Ryanair livery.
 
And now Mark Forkner has been charged.
 

 

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