After months of toiling on a solution, Boeing is going to brief about 200 pilots on the new fixes for their 737 Max jets, which have been grounded since mid-March after two fatal crashes killed 346 people on board.
The plane manufacturer believes the crashes were caused in part by the plane’s flight control system known as MCAS (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System) and, with a software update, cockpit alerts and some pilot training, the issue should be fixed.
“I think they’ve made the changes that will get these planes back in the air,” one pilot familiar with the changes, told CNBC.
Part of the new update includes using two angle-of-attack sensors instead of just one. The AOA sensors feed data to MCAS letting the pilot know if the plane is pointed too high relative to its speed.
Boeing will also include cockpit alerts for the MCAS system that, prior to the deadly crashes, was a feature that they charge extra for. They will also increase the amount of training airline flight crews receive, specifically how to handle the 737 Max planes when MCAS is enabled.
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