Is the Boeing 737 fly-by-wire?

No. Fly-by-wire implies and denotes complete disconnection from the mechanical systems in the cockpit. The pilots fly the computers and the computers fly the airplane. The 737 is, really, the only airliner in current manufacture that does not feature fly-by-wire, although in the case of the 747–8, it is partial.



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First developed on military aircraft and on Concorde, fly-by-wire technology has equipped all Airbus aircraft including A220 since the first A320, back in 1988 and the most modern version of concurrent aircraft, such as the B777, B787 and Embraer E-jets.

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The FAA ultimately grounded the MAX on March 13, 2019 and lifted the flight prohibition order in November 2020 after Boeing made a series of software upgrades and training changes.

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After the President's announcement, the FAA officially ordered the grounding of all 737 MAX 8 and 9 operated by U.S. airlines or in the United States airspace. The FAA did allow airlines to make ferry flights without passengers or flight attendants in order to reposition the aircraft in central locations.

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Despite the FlyersRights concerns, the FAA, Boeing and many pilots deem the 737 MAX safe to fly and many airlines have the plane in service. “I can say categorically that the 737 MAX product is safe,” then-acting FAA administrator Bill Nolen told members of the US Senate Commerce Committee in March.

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“If you could book a 737 500, and you find out it's a 737 MAX, technically they don't have to honor your request. … So you don't have a right to specify you are not going to go on a 737 MAX.”

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The move away from the MAX name has been a subtle process and Boeing has begun to use the name 737 MAX and 737-8(7 through 10) interchangeably. This way they are transitioning away from the MAX name toward the normal naming convention of modern Boeing aircraft.

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Therefore, Boeing decided to make the 737 as low to the ground as possible. This allowed baggage handlers to load luggage without requiring much ground support equipment, and to climb into the cargo hold to load, organize and retrieve the bags.

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It was found that Boeing had more accidents than expected, while Airbus had fewer (p = 0.015). In terms of fatalities, Boeing had more than expected, with Airbus fewer (p < 0.001). Looking at accidents alone, only the number of fatalities was statistically significantly different.

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