Next Boeing 737 MAX government test flight scheduled for coming days

The next challenge for bringing Boeing’s 737 MAX jets back into service is slated to play out as early as this week, with another government test flight assessing the safety of software fixes. Called an operational readiness review, it is among a series of test flights anticipated over the next several weeks featuring federal pilots along with airline crews from around the world, all intended to vet changes to the fleet’s flight-control system, according to people familiar with the details. Among the goals of the impending airborne checks and ground-simulator sessions is to determine how well average airline pilots globally will be able to handle emergencies using the revised software. The coming test is a previously scheduled follow-up to three days of formal certification flight tests performed by Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration pilots last week. If all goes well, the FAA order that grounded the planes in March of 2019 is expected to be lifted in September. Once pilot-training mandates are finalized and maintenance requirements are completed, government and industry officials familiar with the process envision the MAX fleet being authorized to carry passengers around the end of the year.<br/>