Also: AEA Week 2018 Schedule, Greater Binghamton Airshow, Aspen/Sensurion Team Up, New IAC President

Boeing's new 737 MAX 7 has successfully completed its first flight.

The airplane remains on schedule and now begins a comprehensive flight test program leading to certification and delivery in 2019. Piloted by Boeing Test and Evaluation Captains Jim Webb and Keith Otsuka, the airplane completed a successful 3 hour, 5-minute flight, taking off from Renton Field in Renton, WA at 10:17 a.m. Pacific on Friday, and landing at 1:22 p.m. at Seattle's Boeing Field. The airplane was put through tests on its flight controls, as well as checks of its systems and handling qualities. Following the accident last week in which a sightseeing helicopter went down in the East River in New York City, resulting in the fatal injury of five passengers on board, aero-ignorant US Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), are calling for an Inspector General and NTSB investigation to examine exactly how "doors off" helicopter sightseeing flights and the harness systems used on the aircraft ever received FAA approval. The number of jets departing Santa Monica Airport fell sharply in February compared to the same month in 2017, but overall departures mostly remained steady, even showing a slight increase over the previous year. In February 2017, there were a total of 599 jet departures from KSMO and only 139 in February 2018, a 77 percent decrease. Turboprop activity increased from 303 in January to 331 in February. Suja Lowenthal, the City Manager's advisor on Airport Affairs, said that the statistic may indicate that some jet activity might have shifted to turboprop aircraft. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne!!!

Airborne 03.23.18 is chock full of info in this Daily News Episode, Friday, March 23rd, 2018... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Brianne Cross, Christopher Odom, and Laura Hutson, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers:
 

• Boeing 737 MAX 7 Completes Successful First Flight
• New York Senators Call For IG Investigation Of 'Doors-Off' Flights 
• KSMO Sees Sharp Decline In Jet Traffic 
• AEA Week 2018 Schedule
• Greater Binghamton Airshow Returns To Southern New York State 
• Aspen Avionics, Sensurion Aerospace Team To Co-Develop Commercial UAV Avionics
• Robert Armstrong Appointed New IAC President

Get Comprehensive, Real-Time, 24/7 coverage of the latest aviation and aerospace stories anytime, at aero-news.net. And be sure to join us again tomorrow, LIVE from Oshkosh 2017, for the next edition of "Airborne Unlimited" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!

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