FAA proposes simulator training for Max pilots Boeing resisted

Proposed new pilot-training requirements for Boeing’s grounded 737 Max -- one of the final hurdles needed before the plane can return to the skies -- includes simulator training that the planemaker once sought to avoid. The training would require that flight crews are trained and tested on the fixes to the plane, including changes to the automated system implicated in two crashes and a redesigned flight-control computer, the report posted by the FAA on Tuesday said. The plan could be altered as the agency considers comments from pilots, airline unions and the public. The package is the latest milestone toward the plane’s return after a grounding that is nearing 19 months. The FAA is also finalizing a package of physical changes to the plane to improve its safety. The training proposal formally upends what had been a critical marketing tool for the 737 Max: Boeing’s initial insistence that simulator sessions weren’t needed for pilots transitioning to the plane from its popular predecessor models. Boeing in January reversed course and endorsed simulator training in the face of a lengthening grounding and widespread criticism, making the FAA finding all but inevitable. Before flying a Max, pilots must practice in a flight simulator how to respond to an activation of the feature known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, the proposal said. MCAS malfunctioned and helped lead pilots to lose control in both crashes. They must also conduct exercises on other factors involved in the crashes, such as preventing the plane from diving aggressively and diagnosing cockpit failures.<br/>