The largest and the newest variant of the 737 MAX, the Boeing 737 MAX 10, completed its first test flight yesterday evening after months of delays to the 737 MAX programme. The test aircraft departed Renton Municipal Airport (RNT) shortly after 17:00 local time and airborne for about 2 and a half hours over the north-western state before eventually landing in Seattle.
In a company statement after the flight, Boeing’s Chief Test Pilot, Jennifer Henderson said “The airplane performed beautifully. The profile we flew allowed us to test the airplane’s systems, flight controls and handling qualities, all of which checked out exactly as we expected.”
The test flight of the newer variant comes after Boeing began an extensive recertification process for the MAX aircraft type lasting over 20 months. The aircraft was eventually allowed to reenter commercial service after being grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes involving the aircraft type.
The newer 737-10 variant, is certainly different from the other MAX aircraft variants that Boeing have produced to date. The MAX 10 has a significantly longer fuselage than the preceding variants, allowing it to carry more passengers and cargo, however, on a shorter range.
According to the US aircraft manufacturing, the Boeing 737 MAX 10 can carry around 230 passengers. Like Ryanair’s Boeing 737 8200, the Boeing 737 MAX 10 features two additional emergency exit doors, in order to meet aircraft evacuation requirements. Deliveries for the aircraft were expected to start last year but were delayed as a result of the groundings and the current COVID-19 pandemic.
President and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Stan Deal remarked that “The 737-10 is an important part of our customers’ fleet plans, giving them more capacity, greater fuel efficiency and the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle airplane.”
While deliveries of the Boeing 737 MAX jets have since resumed following the temporary grounding of some aircraft due to an electrical grounding issue. As of now, Boeing is hoping that the aircraft will be ready for “its scheduled entry into service in 2023.”
However, due to a number of previous incidents involving the 737 MAX, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to take on a more in-depth approach when it comes to certifying the aircraft for commercial service, which could potentially delay the aircraft’s launch.
Coinsmart. Beste Bitcoin-Börse in Europa
Source: https://aeronewsx.com/boeings-737-max-10-completes-first-test-flight/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=boeings-737-max-10-completes-first-test-flight
