Automation in Boeing 737 Max
The Boeing 737 Max is in trouble, as it has been grounded worldwide
following two deadly plane crashes within five months of each other. Boeing
maintained that it has full confidence in the safety of the 737 Max and
that it was supporting the decision to ground the jets out of precaution.
But, this has raised concerns over aircraft automation and its price.
In June 2011, Airbus launched A320neo airliner, which was one of many modified versions of its A320 product line. It saw unprecedented success in June 2011 by winning 600 orders within days of launching. Loyal customers of Boeing went to Airbus for this model, making it the fastest-selling plane in civil aviation history. Boeing contemplated whether to go the same path with its 737 or launch a new aircraft. A320neo's success made that decision for Boeing and it came out with its redesigned Boeing 737 Max, instead of a new model.
"The program was launched in a panic. What frightened Boeing most of all, was losing their biggest most important customer. American Airlines was the catalyst," Sash Tusa, an analyst at Agency Partners, told Bloomberg.The decision paid off as 737 Max became the company's fastest seller airplane, even if it did not reach the sale levels of Airbus. Airlines were attracted towards Boeing as they wanted to invest in engines that promise 20 percent or more fuel saving. It raked in over 5,000 orders, giving Airbus a good competition.
The two crashes In October 2018, one Boeing 737 Max operated by Lion Air crashed minutes after taking off in Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. Following that, a 737 Max Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed on March 10, killing 157 passengers and crew members.
Airlines and regulators across the world found similarities in the two crashes. The Federal Aviation Administration said that the track of the Ethiopian Airlines flight was "very close and behaved very similar to the Lion Air Flight".
The 737 Max has come under scrutiny because the crash of two of its models minutes after takeoff goes against the trend of declining aircraft accidents over the past decades. Even US President Donald Trump criticised the complexities of modern aviation after the crash. "Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, rather computer scientists from MIT," Trump said. Role of automation in 737 Max The Boeing 737 Max still has its analog design and features from 1960s when it was launched, far older than Airbus A320, which came into the market around 1980s. When 737 was updated to create the Max model, there were some issues.
The former was much lower to the ground which is why fitting bigger engines under its wings was a structural challenge. Therefore, in the new model, Boeing raised the front landing gear by a few inches, which could change the body's center of gravity and its lift. The software used for the 737 Max models was called Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Some pilots have said that there has not been enough training on the new system.
Data retrieved from the Lion Air crash flight indicates a battle between the pilots and the software in the cockpit before a complete loss of control. Now, the data from the Ethiopian Airlines crash is under scrutiny to see if the same problem had been faced this time as well. Human involvement versus automation has been a long drawn debate in the aviation industry. Reportedly, it is Airbus which has operated a more modern cockpit and Boeing usually leaves more control in the hands of the pilots.
"The big automation steps came in the 1980s with the entry into service of the A320 and the whole fly-by-wire ethos. I don't think automation per se is a problem, we see it in wide-scale use in the industry, and as long as it is designed to work hand-in-hand with pilots and pilots understand how to use it, it shouldn't be an issue," said John Strickland, an independent aviation analyst.
Future plans
Both Airbus and Boeing have said they would not be launching any new models in the next decade as they are waiting for further technological advancement to help in their product development. As both their re-engined models succeeded at the time, it bought them time to research and develop new models.
Credit: mail.co
In June 2011, Airbus launched A320neo airliner, which was one of many modified versions of its A320 product line. It saw unprecedented success in June 2011 by winning 600 orders within days of launching. Loyal customers of Boeing went to Airbus for this model, making it the fastest-selling plane in civil aviation history. Boeing contemplated whether to go the same path with its 737 or launch a new aircraft. A320neo's success made that decision for Boeing and it came out with its redesigned Boeing 737 Max, instead of a new model.
"The program was launched in a panic. What frightened Boeing most of all, was losing their biggest most important customer. American Airlines was the catalyst," Sash Tusa, an analyst at Agency Partners, told Bloomberg.The decision paid off as 737 Max became the company's fastest seller airplane, even if it did not reach the sale levels of Airbus. Airlines were attracted towards Boeing as they wanted to invest in engines that promise 20 percent or more fuel saving. It raked in over 5,000 orders, giving Airbus a good competition.
The two crashes In October 2018, one Boeing 737 Max operated by Lion Air crashed minutes after taking off in Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board. Following that, a 737 Max Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed on March 10, killing 157 passengers and crew members.
Airlines and regulators across the world found similarities in the two crashes. The Federal Aviation Administration said that the track of the Ethiopian Airlines flight was "very close and behaved very similar to the Lion Air Flight".
The 737 Max has come under scrutiny because the crash of two of its models minutes after takeoff goes against the trend of declining aircraft accidents over the past decades. Even US President Donald Trump criticised the complexities of modern aviation after the crash. "Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly. Pilots are no longer needed, rather computer scientists from MIT," Trump said. Role of automation in 737 Max The Boeing 737 Max still has its analog design and features from 1960s when it was launched, far older than Airbus A320, which came into the market around 1980s. When 737 was updated to create the Max model, there were some issues.
The former was much lower to the ground which is why fitting bigger engines under its wings was a structural challenge. Therefore, in the new model, Boeing raised the front landing gear by a few inches, which could change the body's center of gravity and its lift. The software used for the 737 Max models was called Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Some pilots have said that there has not been enough training on the new system.
Data retrieved from the Lion Air crash flight indicates a battle between the pilots and the software in the cockpit before a complete loss of control. Now, the data from the Ethiopian Airlines crash is under scrutiny to see if the same problem had been faced this time as well. Human involvement versus automation has been a long drawn debate in the aviation industry. Reportedly, it is Airbus which has operated a more modern cockpit and Boeing usually leaves more control in the hands of the pilots.
"The big automation steps came in the 1980s with the entry into service of the A320 and the whole fly-by-wire ethos. I don't think automation per se is a problem, we see it in wide-scale use in the industry, and as long as it is designed to work hand-in-hand with pilots and pilots understand how to use it, it shouldn't be an issue," said John Strickland, an independent aviation analyst.
Future plans
Both Airbus and Boeing have said they would not be launching any new models in the next decade as they are waiting for further technological advancement to help in their product development. As both their re-engined models succeeded at the time, it bought them time to research and develop new models.
Credit: mail.co
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