Should I Buy a Boeing BBJ Max?

As a result of the two recent crashes of B737 Max Boeing's share price and credibility have taken a massive hit. Is the BBJ Max safe? This is a question I have been asked a few times over the last week. As some of you know I have spent almost 6,000 hrs of my life flying the B737NG as a pilot. This is a great airplane and Boeing developed the business jet version, calling it the BBJ1.

Boeing have developed a newer version of this aircraft, taking the 1964 design of the B737-100 into a more modern 2019 derivative called the B737 Max. Boeing went back to the drawing board and developed new engines (bigger & more powerful) and as a result had to modify the wing. They also upgraded the avionics, to make the cockpit similar to the B777 and B787.

As a result of a change on the wing the aircraft does behave differently than the B737NG and this is something that on both crashes (the Indonesian & Ethiopian one) the pilots failed to recognize. Is this the pilots fault or Boeing not addressing the differences in the pilot training.?

Boeing says it has delivered roughly 350 737 Max airplanes worldwide. The company says it has taken more than 5,000 total orders for the latest generation of 737s.

 What is MCAS?

The Max is outfitted with bigger, more fuel-efficient engines than earlier 737s, a change that shifted the center of gravity forward and increases the potential for the nose to pitch up after take-off. Boeing created software known as the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS, to counteract this risk.

MCAS uses sensors to point the nose of the plane down if it detects it has pitched too high and could be at risk of stalling. By measuring the position of the plane's wings relative to airflow, the system's sensor indicate to pilots if the plane is at risk of stalling from going too slow or flying too steeply into a climb. It's a brand new system on 737 Max planes.

However, problems can arise when the MCAS system automatically pushes the plane's nose down, potentially surprising pilots who are unfamiliar with the system and overriding their commands. According to The New York Times, Boeing and the FAA decided pilots did not need to be informed about the change to the flight control system. The Times reported Boeing and regulators decided against informing pilots at least in part to minimize the costs of retraining pilots.

What Next?

The investigation is still underway but it certainly looks like Boeing will end up with most of the blame. Does this mean the B737Max is dangerous? My answer to this is no! Boeing will rewrite some procedures, checklists and develop some training modules to address this. So if you are thinking of buying a BBJ Max as your private jet I say go-ahead and place your order.

In my view the big problem in all this lies in Boeing having 'tweaked' an older aircraft, trying to keep costs down to make it a more attractive product for the airlines. A completely brand new airplane would have cost more money to make and time to market would have allowed Airbus to leap ahead in the race to dominate the commercial airliner market.

If we look at the Cell phone market, where 20 years ago Motorola and Nokia dominated then Apple came on the market with something disruptive and Samsung followed. Could the new electric aircraft being designed bring some new aircraft manufacturers to the market and replace today's two big players, Boeing & Airbus?

Fabrizio Poli is President of Maple Jets Group. He is also an accomplished Airline Transport Pilot having flown both private Jets and for the airlines. Fabrizio is also a bestselling author and inspirational speaker & has been featured on Russia Today (RT), TRT World, Social Media Examiner, Bloomberg, Channel 5, Chicago Tribune, Daily Telegraph, City Wealth Magazine, Billionaire.com, Wealth X, Financial Times, El Financiero and many other Media offering insight on the aviation world. Fabrizio is also regularly featured as an Aviation Analyst on Russia Today (RT) and TRT World. Fabrizio is also aviation special correspondent Most Magazine. Fabrizio is also considered one of the world's top 30 experts in using Linkedin for business. You can tune in weekly to Fabrizio's business Podcast Living Outside the Cube available both in video & audio. You can also follow Fabrizio's aviation videos on Biz Jet TV  Fabrizio is also a published author.