Tag Archives: 737-10

They Continue to Fly the Max10 But it Is Going to Be a While

The 737 Max program continues to be a total bear for Boeing. As I write this, they are just recovering from the Max9 door plug incident. Prior to that, it was issues with rudder components not rigged properly and then it was rear bulkhead production issues. All of these follow on from the disaster that was MCAS. The Max7 and Max10 have both been flying for ages but still haven’t achieved certification. The Max7 was thought to be close, but it needed an exemption for inlet heating which Boeing had applied for. In the aftermath of the door plug incident, that exemption application has been withdrawn and now the Max 7 might be a year away from approval.

The Max10 is behind the Max7 so it is possible that it might get approval by 2025 but, at this point, who knows when it will actually be. Meanwhile, there is still testing underway. The first Max 10 jet is active at the moment undertaking testing work. It was due out from Boeing Field on another test heading off to Texas. I figured it would run a little longer given that it would be heavier so chose my spot for the shots. However, I did still use a longer lens to get a tighter shot for rotation. The light came out nicely as they rolled and the rotation was ideal for where I was. It is going to be a while before I see these in service but at least I get to see them on test periodically.

The Return of the DC-8 and Max 10 After the Storm

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There was an evening when the weather was awful and the NASA DC-8 was out on a mission. The forecast suggested things might get a bit clearer late in the afternoon and so, while the light was awful, I thought I might take a chance and head to Paine Field after work. The sky was dark and ominous but I was there so I might as well wait. As the Max 10 was first on approach, it was the one I would try out first. There was a hint of the sun starting to punch through the cloud and it did look okay.

Then, when the DC-8 showed up, the clouds parted. The backdrop was still and evil looking sky but the sun was on the plane as it came down the approach. I had thought of shooting video but, when I saw the light, I couldn’t resist shooting stills. The joy of modern cameras is the ability to switch rapidly from one to the other. I got video down the initial approach and then stills as it was close in. Then back to video once it was by me. This actually didn’t make for a bad video edit.

A moment with light like this is very rare and you have to be excited when it all works out.

United’s 737-10 Being Used for SAF Tests

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The NASA DC-8 was up in the Pacific Northwest for the trials sampling the air when burning sustainable aviation fuel. The aircraft that was actually burning the fuel that they were sniffing was a 737-10. This Max 10 is ultimately destined for United Airlines. Since the Max 10 is not certificated yet, I guess the jet was free for Boeing to use. It had a special livery for the trials program. Not sure whether this will be kept for service or not. However, when I was shooting the DC-8, I usually got to shoot the Max as well. It didn’t always get the best light, but I still got a few good shots of it.

United’s First Max10 (Sort Of)

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I saw this jet on the flight line at Renton a while back. It is a 737-10 and is the first one to be in the colors of United Airlines. It will probably be their first jet in service (assuming the 737-10 ever gets certificated) but, in truth, the development jets are also going to United (again assuming that ever happens) so they are really United’s first jets. However, you get the gist of what I am saying.

Boeing 737 Max 10 in Flight

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I missed out on the first flight of the first Max 10 version of the Boeing 737 family. I got to Boeing Field as it was landing on its initial flight which I watched from the freeway as I got close to the airfield. However, a flight test airframe is going to get a lot of use so I knew I would have more opportunities. The Max 10 rolled out a long time ago so the start of flight test was heavily delayed, presumably as a result of the overall Max grounding and the more intense scrutiny being given to Boeing as a result.

I have now seen it flying a few times. It is still flying around with a trailing static cone so they either haven’t completed calibration of the air data system or just haven’t got around to removing the cone yet. It is in Boeing house colors with the large 10 on the fin being the main giveaway. It is longer than the Max 9 but not noticeably so. I’ll need to put them side by side to see where to identify the differences.