The 737 MAX Grounding Is Such A Disaster That Airlines Are Leasing 30-Year-Old 737-200s

[Miloch]

https://jalopnik.com/the-737-max-grounding-is-such-a-disaster-that-airlines-1837144886

With hundreds of 737 MAX planes still on the ground following two fatal crashes,
airlines are frantically trying to lease available 737s to fill gaps left by the
MAX. They’re so desperate that they’re leasing 737-200s, a variant that was
discontinued in 1988.

That means that the newest 737-200s are 31 years old, while the plane itself was
introduced 54 years ago. But, according to a new report by CNBC, airlines are
willing to accept ancient planes if it means avoiding route cancellations.

The most in-demand models, aviation consultant Phil Seymour told CNBC, are the
737-800s. Like the -600, -700 and the -900, the -800 is a member of Boeings 737
Next Generation lineup. The -800 is still in production today, making it more
common among air carriers and easier to lease into their operations.

The 737-200, on the other hand, has not been used by any American airline for
quite some time. Southwest, an all-737 airline, retired its -200s in 2005.
According to the latest airliner census, only 38 737-200s were in service
worldwide as of last summer.

Nolinor Aviation operates 10 of those -200s. While the plane’s low-bypass
engines are less efficient and make the -200 undesirable for most mainline
operations, the small engine openings allow the -200 to be fitted with a “gravel
kit” that deflects debris. With a gravel kit fitted, the 737-200 can land on
unpaved airstrips.

That’s why the -200 remains in service with airlines like Nolinor that serve
remote locations in Canada. The -200 also is used in some developing nations, as
it’s one of only a few commercial jet aircraft that can use unpaved airstrips.

But for most airlines, the old 737s are inefficient stopgaps. Brazil’s GOL
Airlines, CNBC reported, now has to stop in the Dominican Republic on its
flights to Florida operated by the older jets. The 737 MAX would have been able
to fly these routes nonstop

That’s a small sacrifice, though, to ensure that more deadly crashes don’t
occur. And while airlines are sick of cutting routes or losing money, it won’t
be a problem for much longer. Bloomberg reported in June that the FAA expects
the 737 MAX to be flying again by December.





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[Mitchell Holman[_9_]]

Miloch > wrote in
:

> https://jalopnik.com/the-737-max-grounding-is-such-a-disaster-that-airl
> ines-1837144886
>
> With hundreds of 737 MAX planes still on the ground following two
> fatal crashes, airlines are frantically trying to lease available 737s
> to fill gaps left by the MAX. They’re so desperate that they’re
> leasing 737-200s, a variant that was discontinued in 1988.
>
> That means that the newest 737-200s are 31 years old, while the plane
> itself was introduced 54 years ago. But, according to a new report by
> CNBC, airlines are willing to accept ancient planes if it means
> avoiding route cancellations.
>
> The most in-demand models, aviation consultant Phil Seymour told CNBC,
> are the 737-800s. Like the -600, -700 and the -900, the -800 is a
> member of Boeings 737 Next Generation lineup. The -800 is still in
> production today, making it more common among air carriers and easier
> to lease into their operations.
>
> The 737-200, on the other hand, has not been used by any American
> airline for quite some time. Southwest, an all-737 airline, retired
> its -200s in 2005. According to the latest airliner census, only 38
> 737-200s were in service worldwide as of last summer.
>
> Nolinor Aviation operates 10 of those -200s. While the plane’s
> low-bypass engines are less efficient and make the -200 undesirable
> for most mainline operations, the small engine openings allow the -200
> to be fitted with a “gravel kit” that deflects debris. With a gravel
> kit fitted, the 737-200 can land on unpaved airstrips.
>
> That’s why the -200 remains in service with airlines like Nolinor that
> serve remote locations in Canada. The -200 also is used in some
> developing nations, as it’s one of only a few commercial jet aircraft
> that can use unpaved airstrips.
>
> But for most airlines, the old 737s are inefficient stopgaps. Brazil’s
> GOL Airlines, CNBC reported, now has to stop in the Dominican Republic
> on its flights to Florida operated by the older jets. The 737 MAX
> would have been able to fly these routes nonstop
>
> That’s a small sacrifice, though, to ensure that more deadly crashes
> don’t occur. And while airlines are sick of cutting routes or losing
> money, it won’t be a problem for much longer. Bloomberg reported in
> June that the FAA expects the 737 MAX to be flying again by December.


It remains a mystery how a "software glitch"
cannot be found and fixed after 6 months of
trying.

Couldn't they just manually change out the
whole computer system instead?

[Miloch]

In article >, Mitchell Holman
says...
>
>Miloch > wrote in
:
>
>> https://jalopnik.com/the-737-max-grounding-is-such-a-disaster-that-airl
>> ines-1837144886
>>
>> With hundreds of 737 MAX planes still on the ground following two
>> fatal crashes, airlines are frantically trying to lease available 737s
>> to fill gaps left by the MAX. They’re so desperate that they’re
>> leasing 737-200s, a variant that was discontinued in 1988.
>>
>> That means that the newest 737-200s are 31 years old, while the plane
>> itself was introduced 54 years ago. But, according to a new report by
>> CNBC, airlines are willing to accept ancient planes if it means
>> avoiding route cancellations.
>>
>> The most in-demand models, aviation consultant Phil Seymour told CNBC,
>> are the 737-800s. Like the -600, -700 and the -900, the -800 is a
>> member of Boeings 737 Next Generation lineup. The -800 is still in
>> production today, making it more common among air carriers and easier
>> to lease into their operations.
>>
>> That’s a small sacrifice, though, to ensure that more deadly crashes
>> don’t occur. And while airlines are sick of cutting routes or losing
>> money, it won’t be a problem for much longer. Bloomberg reported in
>> June that the FAA expects the 737 MAX to be flying again by December.
>
>
> It remains a mystery how a "software glitch"
>cannot be found and fixed after 6 months of
>trying.
>
> Couldn't they just manually change out the
>whole computer system instead?
>

The Navy has a similar problem with the 'touchscreen' laden helms...

Navy ditches touchscreens for knobs and dials after fatal crash

https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/11/navy-ditches-touchscreens-for-knobs-and-dials-after-fatal-crash/2019/08/11/navy-ditches-touchscreens-for-knobs-and-dials-after-fatal-crash/

A collision at sea that claimed the lives of 10 sailors has led to the Navy
deciding to replace an unpopular touchscreen interface in some ships with more
traditional mechanical controls. “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should,”
a Navy official said of the outgoing technology.

The crash in question involved the U.S.S. John S. McCain and an oil tanker in
August of 2017. The sailors at the helm lost control of the ship and put it in
the path of the tanker, resulting in the collision that killed 10 and injured 58
more.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation was issued recently and
found that essentially, the sailors didn’t know how to control the ship properly
due to a lack of proper training and documentation. The Northrop-Grumman
designed “integrated bridge and navigation system,” or IBNS, is a pair of
touchscreens that incorporate a number of functions — not so different from the
dash touchscreen in a new car taking over the temperature and radio knobs and
buttons. (To be clear, the top image doesn’t show the exact system, but one like
it)

But the complexity of the system led to one sailor thinking he was controlling
the ships entire throttle, while only in fact controlling one side. This led to
the John S. McCain making a sharp turn directly into the path of the oncoming
tanker.

“Their misunderstandings expressed during the post-accident interviews and the
misunderstandings of other crewmembers who were permanently assigned to the John
S McCain point to a more fundamental issue with the qualification process and
training with the IBNS,” concluded the report.

Turns out no one really knew how these systems, which were installed only a year
ago, really worked, and in a crisis situation were unable to quickly perform the
maneuvers necessary. So the Navy is pulling the systems out of the destroyers
they have been installed in.

Speaking at an event hosted by the American Society of Naval Engineers, Navy
Rear Admiral Bill Galinis explained (as reported by USNI News) that the whole
thing was unadvised.

"When we started getting the feedback from the fleet from the Comprehensive
Review effort… it was really eye-opening. And it goes into the, in my mind,
‘just because you can doesn’t mean you should’ category. We really made the helm
control system, specifically on the 51 class [destroyers], just overly complex,
with the touch screens under glass and all this kind of stuff. We got away from
the physical throttles, and that was probably the number-one feedback from the
fleet – they said, just give us the throttles that we can use.

And throttles they can use is exactly what they’ll get, at least on the
destroyer classes featuring this particular interface. The contracting process
is well underway already and the replacement procedure is quite straightforward,
so the ships should get real mechanical controls starting next year. Whether
this will lead to a broader questioning of computer-based and touchscreen
controls in the Navy and military is anyone’s guess, but at least a few ships
should be easier to control going forward.



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