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 In the aftermath of the door plug incident, that exemption application has been withdrawn and now the Max 7 might be a year away from approval.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.
Kestrels are so small, getting a good shot of them is going to be tricky at the best of times and, unless they come nice and close, you are always working to see what you can get. This little fella landed on a post near the road and was clearly having a snack. Looking very closely at the images, I still can’t work out what it is eating. I then waited for it to fly away and, of course, once I put the camera down for a bit, off it went. I did get another shot of it as it flew to a post but nothing special.
