Boeing has released footage from a recent certification campaign that shows the 737 MAX 10 in strong crosswinds during autoland certification flights in Midland, Texas.
The flights are part of the certification process for the largest member of the 737 MAX family. Although the 737 MAX 10 uses the same autoland system already certified on other MAX variants, the FAA requires the capability to be validated on each aircraft model because of differences in size and handling qualities.
According to Boeing, the campaign evaluated the aircraft’s performance in crosswind, headwind and tailwind conditions at — and, in some cases, beyond — the operational limits that will appear in the aircraft’s flight manual.
The objective was to verify that the autopilot could keep the aircraft aligned with the runway and complete a safe automatic landing in low visibility and strong winds. Flight-test crews also evaluated how quickly the system corrected deviations caused by gusts.
Crosswind certification flights are among the most difficult parts of a certification campaign because suitable weather conditions are difficult to find. Boeing said flight-test engineers, meteorologists and ground crews spent months preparing the campaign, although reliable weather forecasts were only available a few days before each sortie.
The company also evaluated failure scenarios with selected aircraft systems unavailable to verify the autoland system’s behavior under abnormal conditions.
According to Boeing, the 737 MAX 10 matched the autoland performance already demonstrated by the smaller members of the 737 MAX family equipped with the same system.
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The 737 MAX 10 is one of two members of the MAX family still awaiting FAA certification. The agency expects the smaller 737 MAX 7 to receive approval during the northern summer, followed by the MAX 10 later this year if the certification campaign proceeds as planned.
