Boeing recommending pilots of 737 Max receive simulator training
The FAA will have the final word on whether to recommend simulator training to pilots of the Max jets
Boeing is recommending pilots who fly its 737 Max receive training in a flight simulator before getting into the cockpit and operating the aircraft.
"Safety is Boeing's top priority," said interim Boeing CEO Greg Smith. "Public, customer and stakeholder confidence in the 737 MAX is critically important to us and with that focus Boeing has decided to recommend MAX simulator training combined with computer-based training for all pilots prior to returning the MAX safely to service."
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The planemaker had previously proposed training for pilots, but that training did not include time in a simulator.
The Federal Aviation Administration will have the final word on whether to recommend simulator training. The agency said it will consider the recommendation during the Joint Operations Evaluation Board, a group that will be made up of multiple flight crews representing foreign and domestic airlines that operate the Max.
FILE - In this March 27, 2019, file photo, a worker enters a Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane during a brief media tour of Boeing's 737 assembly facility in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
The FAA said the crews will be "subjected to rigorous validation testing" that will help the federal agency and international regulators assess Boeing's recommended flight training and emergency procedures.
The FAA has not yet completed its review of the aircraft and will not approve the aircraft's return to service until it completes all parts of the certification process and regulators deem the results to be satisfactory.
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"Data from those tests will be used to develop a Flight Standardization Board (FSB) report that will detail the FAA’s official recommendations for training," an FAA spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business.
Boeing's best-selling jet was grounded worldwide in March after two fatal crashes that killed more than 340 people.
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In the aftermath of the crashes, Boeing has faced increased pressure from lawmakers and suspended production of the Max from January, while its former CEO Dennis Muilenburg resigned in late December.