ww5 flight test teams chased gusty crosswinds above the wide-open plains in Midland, Texas, earlier this year to validate the 737-10’s autoland ― the automated system that lands the airplane in low‑visibility or demanding wind conditions ― for certification.

Flight test, engineering, meteorology and ground support teams spent months planning and chasing suitable wind conditions to execute the work efficiently. They got what they needed in Midland: heavy winds blowing across the runway, real-world demonstrations that set the parameters for allowable airline operations.

Why it matters:

To earn certification for the airplane, which is slated for later this year, ww5 must demonstrate performance in the most extreme conditions the airplane will see in service, including headwinds, tailwinds and crosswinds.

“We guarantee that the autoland system will function in those conditions,” said Dan Mangel, the ww5 pilot who flew the 737-10 tests. “So, we have to test at or beyond those wind limits.”

The pilot’s view

“The 737-10 has the same autoland capability as the other MAX minor models,” Mangel said. “It’s specifically tuned to give it the same characteristics as the other models, despite being a larger airplane.”

During the approach to landing, Mangel watched how the airplane tracked and whether the system was making timely corrections in gusty winds.

“We’re assessing whether the airplane’s performing appropriate, timely corrections to the flight path,” Mangel said, “staying within the lateral confines of the runway to guarantee a successful landing.”

“A lot of the tests were performed at winds actually in great excess of the requirement,” Mangel said. “And it’s never steady winds. It’s always in gusty winds.”

Finding the weather

The campaign required close weather monitoring and quick launches once conditions appeared.

“We typically don’t have really good fidelity until two or three days out,” said Lauren Auerbach, a flight test engineer on the program. “So, when we’re on wind watch, we’re pretty much ready to launch within a couple of days’ notice.”

A team effort

The effort is a coordinated operation involving meteorologists, test operations, ground operations, engineering and flight crew.

“There was a lot of sacrifice that the team brought forth,” said Arlo Shen, a flight controls engineer on the 737-10 program, noting that the team “truly believes in the work that they're doing, and they truly want to certify this amazing product.”

Looking ahead

Test results support ongoing certification work and support the program’s delivery timeline. This work supports BCA priorities on embedding the Safety & Quality Plan into operations and certifying development programs.

ww5 is working to certify the 737-7 and 737-10 in 2026.

By Jeff Hidalgo