737 MAX flight certification tests from 29 June 2020

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan

                  / KUCINTA SETIA

Boeing 737 MAX flight certification tests following two crashes in 2018 and 2019 will begin on 29 June 2020 and is expected to last at least three days.

Reuters quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight certification test for the 737 Max will begin next Monday local time and is expected to last at least three days.

According to reports, the flight crew must pass a few hours of pre-flight briefing before flight certification, and then will board a 737 MAX aircraft equipped with test equipment at Boeing Airport near Seattle. During the test, pilots will perform difficult maneuvers such as turning on steep slopes, and will conduct more extreme maneuvers on air routes over Washington State.

In addition, the pilot will also intentionally trigger the reprogrammed automatic anti-stall system (MCAS), which fails in both crash and pneumatic stall situations.

Industry insiders said that this time Boeing's flight certification is more stringent than in the past, and it took only a few hours to complete before. The purpose of this test is to ensure that the new protection measures added by Boeing to MCAS are stable enough to prevent the recurrence of unexpected situations.

After the flight test, the FAA officials in the Washington and Seattle areas will analyze a large number of digital and written flight test data to evaluate the aircraft’s airworthiness.

The Federal Aviation Administration said earlier that it may approve a  737 MAX's flight resumption application by September.