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  • It was sold as the next generation aircraft.

  • But it has now been involved in two fatal crashes in just five months.

  • The Boeing 737 Max 8 entered the market in 2017, a part of the 737 Max class and became an instant hit.

  • Within the first six months more than 4,000 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes had been ordered.

  • It quickly became the company's best selling plane ever.

  • The new model was advertised as a rare win-win for both airlines and passengers.

  • It's going to give them max efficiency, which leads to profitability, max reliability, and to the flying public: max passenger appeal.

  • The demand for something new.

  • Boeing debuted the new planes in response to market pressures.

  • In late 2010, Boeing's archrival, Airbus, had just announced a new fuel-efficient version of its best selling A320.

  • Boeing countered with the introduction of the 737 Max.

  • The Max uses 14% less fuel than current 737s.

  • Its own version of fuel and cost efficient aircrafts.

  • Their message to customers was: these are new planes that aren't that new.

  • Newest arrival in the Boeing family of airliners, the 737 attracts a crowd.

  • Boeing's first 737 model took off in 1967.

  • "A new queen of the sky."

  • For the Max class, Boeing upgraded the engine and design.

  • They added more cabin space, bigger windows and multicolored ceiling lights to help modernize the planes.

  • But the company kept the 737 name because it evoked a legacy of reliability and built trust.

  • I'll tell you what, it's just a beautiful, beautiful airplane.

  • Not only were they able to modernize the airplane with new engines, and new winglets, but they were able to keep that classic iconic 737 look.

  • But that isn't the whole story.

  • The new model was also designed to help carriers save money.

  • Which means CEOs like the Max... Really like the Max.

  • Major changes to the plane would have required pilots to be retrained.

  • But Boeing's position was that the new models handled enough like the old ones.

  • Though the 737 Max 8 planes did actually have a number of changes, including the size and location of the engines.

  • The higher and more forward position of the larger engines can cause the plane's nose to pitch up, a potential danger.

  • To compensate for this, Boeing added a computerized system called M.C.A.S. to prevent the plane's nose from getting too high and causing a stall.

  • But the FAA initially said pilots did not need to be informed of this system update.

  • Experts say that the lack of training for the new system may have helped cause a deadly crash with a Max 8 off the coast of Indonesia in October, killing 189 people.

  • All of the Boeing 737 Max 8s in the world are believed to have been grounded, while a second crash in Ethiopia is investigated.

  • Boeing said it supported the decision to ground the planes and is cooperating with investigators.

It was sold as the next generation aircraft.

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