Talk:Boeing 737 MAX

Mileage conversion

I see no reason to exclude "miles" when nautical miles and kilometers are still included. DonFB (talk) 07:09, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

This has been discussed before in Talk:Airbus_A350#Units. The resulting consensus used in the article since the discussion in Oct-Dec 2019 is to use the kilometer and the nautical mile, not the statue mile.--Marc Lacoste (talk) 06:23, 16 April 2023 (UTC)

@DonFB, @Marc Lacoste: I believe this deserves a broader discussion, so I've created a topic at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Aircraft#Units conversion -- RickyCourtney (talk) 14:44, 16 April 2023 (UTC)

737-8 is mentioned without introducing the rebrand

Under the "737 MAX 7" it's mentioned that the design includes 737-8 features but the article never talks about the rebranding of the 737 Max 8 before the reintroduction. 209.33.83.25 (talk) 23:43, 20 May 2023 (UTC)

• Can you be more specific about this rebranding? 737 MAX 7 is a another form of 737-7; same for 737 MAX 8 / 737-8 and 737 MAX 9 / 737-9. The higher density 737 MAX 200 has a 737-8200 designtation from -8 and 200. Regards, -Fnlayson (talk) 00:01, 21 May 2023 (UTC)

Infobox image (again)

About a month ago (not sure how I missed this for that long), DReifGalaxyM31 changed the infobox image from File:Ethiopian Airlines ET-AVJ takeoff.jpg to File:United Airlines Boeing 737-9 MAX AN5165061.jpg without discussion. As far as I am aware, this image was never proposed in any of the previous discussions. I've reverted the change, but it's probably worth discussing.

Here's my opinion. The United 737 is of a lower resolution of only 1,024 × 680 pixels (compared to 3,240 × 2,160 of the Ethiopian aircraft), which isn't necessarily bad as the images are scaled down in the infobox. However, the aircraft in the image has its landing gear down, rather than being in a clean configuration, and is backdropped by a dull, cloudy sky. Both of these were reasons for other images being rejected in favor of the Ethiopian image.

Based on the edit summary, it is clear to me that the main reason for the change was because the Ethiopian aircraft was involved in Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. As I have stated in the previous discussions, "it crashed" is not a valid reason to change an infobox image. Any replacement image should be demonstrably better from an encyclopedic point of view. - ZLEA _T\^C 02:47, 4 October 2023 (UTC)

Concur, no consensus here for change. BilCat (talk) 03:11, 4 October 2023 (UTC)

I simply suggest File:Boeing 737-8 MAX N8704Q rotated.jpg. It's a perfect picture showing all of the MAX's characteristics (such as the clear view on the winglets and big engines), and since it sports Boeing livery but not any airline's color, it can be considered as a neutral option to represent the 737 MAX. Yes it is a little bit blurred, but it can look fine since it will be scaled down inside the infobox.
And I know...there's no formal regulations or rules preventing us from setting a crashed airframe as the thumbnail, but we should avoid painful memories, aren't we...?  Hwi.padam   23:06, 6 October 2023 (UTC)

The Ethiopian image was actually chosen to replace File:Boeing 737-8 MAX N8704Q rotated.jpg in this discussion. "Painful memories" isn't a reason to downgrade the infobox image quality. The aircraft had the same livery as every other Ethiopian Airlines aircraft, so most readers wouldn't even recognize it as an accident aircraft unless they knew to check the registration. - ZLEA _T\^C 01:10, 7 October 2023 (UTC)

To be fair, just let someone make a challenge to all aviation photography sites (forums, comments, etc.) to find a worthy hero image or find another ET-AVJ photo to avoid the duplication with the current at infobox. Licensing included, of course. ～ POKéTalker（═◉═） 00:23, 23 October 2023 (UTC)

If you feel so strongly about it, by all means go ahead. I cannot guarantee that such an endeavor would be successful, especially if the goal is specifically to change the infobox image. I personally do not think it would be worth the trouble to coordinate such a challenge. Trust me, I once tried to coordinate a competition in Commons and I ended up being one of only three users to participate (my Silver Wiki is little more than a participation trophy and a reminder why I never coordinated another Commons competition since). Most likely, a better image will eventually pop up on Commons, but until then consensus is that the Ethiopian image stays. - ZLEA _T\^C 07:27, 23 October 2023 (UTC)

For ET-AVJ, JetPhotos has a few good ones: clean configuration, but facing right and taking off(?) from Boeing Field. Planespotters.net and Airliners.net only have the latter photo. Contacting photographers through the form, let's see how it goes... ～ POKéTalker（═◉═） 01:34, 25 October 2023 (UTC)

I want to point out that a new infobox image does not have to be of any specific MAX, but it just has to be demonstrably better from an encyclopedic point of view at representing the type. I will also say that duplication of the infobox image with the accident article is not a problem, and if a better image is uploaded of ET-AVJ, it likely would be used in both articles anyway. - ZLEA _T\^C 03:17, 25 October 2023 (UTC)

Scoured all the MAX 9s in JetPhotos; here are the potential candidates (in chronological order, oldest to latest): United 1, Turkish, flydubai, United 2, AeroMexico 1, Alaska, and AeroMexico 2. I have already received correspondence from the photographer of the Alaska (Kirk) and he is "more than willing"; however, the first United's pose is exactly like the Ethiopian and fits with your "consensus" requirements...

By the way, how about doing the same for the recently-created Airbus A321neo article? ～ POKéTalker（═◉═） 12:01, 25 October 2023 (UTC)

If the photographer is indeed willing to release the image under a compatible license, then we should have a discussion about the new image. As for Airbus A321neo, I was under the impression that consensus was leaning toward not splitting the A320 family articles, and even merging the "ceo" variant articles back into Airbus A320 family. I don't expect Airbus A321neo to last very long as a standalone article, but if it does, a similar discussion should probably take place. Also, why did you put "consensus" in quotes when it is clearly defined here? - ZLEA _T\^C 13:25, 25 October 2023 (UTC)

Up to page 27 right now for the MAX 200, here's a partial list (have yet to receive replies from photographers yet as of this typing): RyanAir 1, RyanAir 2 (Malta Air), RyanAir 3 (almost like the Ethiopian's pose), and RyanAir 4

If you want to get in touch with Kirk who took the Alaska 73M9 there's the "Contact" button below the photograph. Also got a reply from the photographer of the United 2 (Kevin Cargo) and he is "[h]appy to provide a higher resolution copy if needed as well". Don't know what to do next, so will leave the rest to you and/or your consensus-mates. It's been more than a year since the consensus of the hero image, just haven't the slightest clue; that explains the quotation marks. ～ POKéTalker（═◉═） 13:07, 30 October 2023 (UTC)

I have already contacted the Alaska MAX photographer, and he is indeed willing to allow us to upload the image to Commons regardless of the ultimate consensus of its use here. Be sure to direct any willing copyright holders to WP:PERMISSION, and be sure to clarify that they would have to release the image under a compatable license. I would also ensure that they know that there is no guarentee that their image will be used on this article, as that would be up to the community to decide.

I'm a little worried that you may be going a bit far with your effort to get the image changed. You're not doing anything wrong, but it is unusual to go to such great lengths to get a consensus changed. The fact that the consensus is a year old does not make it any less valid, and it will remain valid until the community decides to change it. Again, there's nothing wrong with what you're doing now, but be careful that this doesn't become disruptive. - ZLEA _T\^C 14:47, 30 October 2023 (UTC)

Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9

Proposed infobox image replacement

Before I forget again, I will formally propose the replacement of the infobox image with the Alaska Airlines MAX 9 image discussed above. I have uploaded the photo to Commons and the permission has been confirmed by the VRT. I will say that I am slightly in favor of replacing the image, as the Alaska photo is better contrasted with the brighter blue sky and white fuselage, compared to the Ethiopian image's dull blue shy and slightly overexposed fuselage. The aircraft is in a mostly clean configuration, with the flaps being slightly lowered (though the Ethiopian image displays the flaps at around the same angle). I don't think the blue tail against the sky will cause issues with colorblind readers as they are two vastly different shades (though again, I have never experienced colorblindness so I'm not 100% sure about this). The left profile view of the aircraft is not unusual, and is similar to that of the Boeing 737 Next Generation infobox image. My only real complaint about this photo is that the glare on the left nacelle causes it to blend into the fuselage slightly, but the nacelle chevrons and new winglets are still clearly visible so I don't think that's a big issue. Overall, it's slightly better than the Ethiopian image in my opinion, but I want to hear what everyone else thinks. - ZLEA _T\^C 05:47, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

I'll vote for the Alaska Airlines pic. Very frankly, I think the Ethiopian picture is better, but the ghoulishness of prominently displaying it is just...creepy. I realize most people probably won't know what they're seeing, but those who do may well wonder what kind of people would show that picture in a kind of congratulatory context, or wonder if Wikipedia even knows what it's showing. DonFB (talk) 06:06, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

As it's been explained before, "it crashed" is not a valid reason to downgrade the infobox image. The Ethiopian image has been consistently shown to be of greater encyclopedic value than all the other proposed changes, and the purpose of this discussion is to determine whether this new image is better from an encyclopedic point of view. Wikipedia is not censored, not that the image would otherwise be censored in the first place. There were over a hundred aircraft in the Ethiopian fleet at the time, including dozens of 737s, so the chances of any of the crew or passengers who died in the accident being inside the aircraft when the photo was taken is slim. With that said, are there any other reasons that you prefer the new image over the Ethiopian image? - ZLEA _T\^C 15:07, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

No, I don't imagine any victims were on the flight pictured. I didn't take part in the previous debate, but I'll stand by my vote for the reason given. DonFB (talk) 20:24, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

On the issue of censorship, the photo is shown at the top of the crash article, which is entirely appropriate. But here, it's another matter. DonFB (talk) 21:14, 14 November 2023 (UTC)

The reason for me scouring JetPhotos is that the current Ethiopian MAX 8 is used twice in this article: first as the hero (infobox) image, the other under the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 header. As the initiator, naturally accept such a replacement.

By the way, both of you might have overlooked considering Kevin Cargo's United MAX 9 above; if you had contacted him he would also be happy to send you a larger/higher quality photograph. Though this one is dark-blue on blue (latest livery), and the colorblind issue would be taken into account. ～ POKéTalker（═◉═） 04:16, 15 November 2023 (UTC)