Agency Chief Steve Dickson Is Planning A Test Flight With The 737 Max
The head of the US aviation regulator FAA wants to personally convince himself of the safety of Boeing's 737 Max crisis jet next Wednesday.Agency chief Steve Dickson is planning a test flight with the 737 Maxon September 30, the FAA announced in Washington.Dickson is himself a former pilot who has long flew for the United States Air Force and Delta Air Lines.In the re-registration process of the Boeing jet, which has been banned from take-off for over a year and a half because of two crashes with 346 deaths, the FAA boss's "Administrator's Flight" is one of the last hurdles and of great symbolic importance. Before the machine is approved for operation again, according to the authority, a few more final steps are required. The FAA always emphasizes that there is no fixed schedule for the recertification of the 737 Max and that the aircraft will only be allowed to operate again once all safety concerns have been resolved.
Europe also has a say
Other international supervisory authorities such as the European EASA also have a say in the matter so that the 737 Max can be used again in international air traffic. This week, the FAA, EASA and their counterparts from Canada and Brazil discussed Boeing's suggestions for pilot training before restarting.
The main cause of the crashes is considered to be faulty control software from the Airbus rival. Boeing wanted to have fixed the problems long ago, but new defects were added instead. The FAA had already completed its hot test phase for re-approval in early July.