by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:17 AM ET, Wed September 18, 2019
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration will travel to Seattle this week to test the changes made to the Boeing 737 MAX software.
According to Fox Business, FAA administrator Steve Dickson will continue the recertification process for the grounded airplanes by visiting Boeing headquarters and conducting his own hands-on tests inside a MAX flight simulator.
As the former CEO of Delta Air Lines and a veteran pilot, Dickson will test a flight with the automated control system issues that allegedly caused two fatal crashes and left a combined 346 people dead.
"I'm taking a look at how we got to this point and what parts of the process are working as intended," Dickson told the media.
Dickson announced he would not recertify Boeing's fleet of 737 MAX planes until he feels comfortable flying them himself, saying, "my job is to make sure the airplane is safe." As a result, the FAA is working on a complete review of the "system architecture of the aircraft."
Once the findings are analyzed, the FAA will schedule its certification test flight.
One of Dickson's main goals with the MAX certification process is to ensure pilots feel confident about updates to the aircraft's flight control system, including the angle-of-attack sensors which reportedly malfunctioned in both deadly crashes.
As for when the order to ground all 737 MAX planes will be lifted, Dickson remained noncommittal and said the FAA is not operating on a timeline. He revealed the aircraft could fly again this year, but it "could also extend beyond that."
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