Are composite planes like 787 safe?

Seattle P. I. ^ | September 18, 2007 | James Wallace

[skeptoid]

Former CBS newsman and anchor Dan Rather, now with HDNet, will have a special report on the 787 that airs Tuesday, Sept. 18. The subject is whether new composite jets like the 787 are safe.

Boeing recently completed a test in which a section of the 787 composite fuselage was dropped from a height of 15 feet to simulate a crash landing. Boeing has said the test was a success.

This is part of the Associated Press story the P-I ran about that test:

The Boeing Co. said Thursday that results from a recent test on a 787 fuselage section matched computer predictions, eliminating the need for some physical tests.

[skeptoid]

More at Drudge and at Randy' Journal

[wastedyears]

Test everything in every way until it breaks. If I was in charge of research, design, testing, the CEO or whatever, that’s what I would tell everybody. Test everything to failure, no matter what computer models say.

[Perdogg]

I think few people are even qualified to form an opinion.

[Abathar]

Your exactly right. The complexity of a composite machine that large, they literally wrote the FEA software to match what the physical tests told them. I doubt there are more than a couple of thousand people who can actually give an opinion of this in the US.

[Dick Bachert]

Taking a cue from one of Boeing’s larger customers, they’ll be “field tested” with several hundred passengers aboard as a cost reduction program.

[Rennes Templar]

dropped from a height of 15 feet

Don’t most planes fly higher than that?

[PurpleMan]

Interesting analysis in The American Thinkerhttp://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2007/09/the_return_of_rathergate.html

[Tolsti]

If you free fall from much more than that, and a lot of times even just that much, it won’t matter. The interior will fall apart and you’ll die.

[bill1952]

Did anyone ask this question about the possibility of the tail on an Airbus just falling off in flight?

Before they field tested the possibilty in NYC, I mean?

[Big Giant Head]

I don’t know about the larger assemblies, but I’ve read stories where the smaller GA aircraft are so much stronger than aluminum that small crashes that would have killed the pilot were walk-aways. The aluminum would have crushed and bent while the composites were far sturdier. I would think that would translate into safer fuselages for the big “iron”.

[PAR35]

I think few people are even qualified to form an opinion.

What does 'safe' mean? Certainly, based on statistics, driving a car or even taking a shower can be unsafe.

[Cvengr]

In the past, those in charge of aircraft QC and QA/testing were well educated in the art of experimental design. I don’t know if those skills have been trashed in the past two decades by incompetent, middle managers seeking more authority, but if they have, then even more failures will result than if one simply catastrophically tested all components and assemblies.

Those who have become more intuitive in experimental design and systems engineering tend to design more functional and cleaner designed aircraft. The Art of Design so to speak.

[Revel]

Fired engineer calls 787’s plastic fuselage unsafe

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2003889663_boeing180.html

[Mr. Jeeves]

I think few people are even qualified to form an opinion.

Well, yes...but the rest will express the loudest opinions. ;)

[ThomasThomas]

Is former CBS newsman and anchor Dan Rather safe? If he were suspended 15ft above a runway and dropped if he reported something that he knew wasn’t supported by facts. Would he report this story the same way?

[Brofholdonow]

Is that what happened to Dan Rather? Did someone drop him from fifteen feet???

[Philistone]

It’s FAA SOP of “pushing the envelope”. All planes get drop-tested from 15 feet. The object is not so much to simulate a crash as it is to simulate a rough landing. I know because my cousin is building planes and has to go through the same process.

[Quix]

dropped from a height of 15 feet

Don’t most planes fly higher than that?

= = =

INDEED!

Shoot—Shrillery’s broom flies higher than that!

[Camel Joe]

Smells like Reardon Metal to me, imagine building a better material for both strength and weight in aeronautics just to drive a nail in the coffin of Airbus. The socialists will be outraged as is Dan Rather I’m sure.

[Da Coyote]

Both Boeing and the FAA will make sure that the airframe is safe. Actual scientists/engineers work for both.

Then, I observed that the claim was brought up by Dan Rather.

Folks, Dan Rather doesn’t know type fonts. He knows about as much about structural engineering (which requires -—math-—gasp!) as Al Gore knows about climate.

The next thing, someone will be claiming that Hillary knows about medicine.

Never mind.