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Boeing 787 may not fly this year
Seattle Times ^ | 07/22/09 | Dominic Gates

Posted on 07/22/2009 1:10:26 PM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway

The structural flaw that delayed the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner is more complex than originally described by the company, and the plane's inaugural takeoff is likely at least four to six months away, say two engineers with knowledge of Boeing's problem.

"It's got to take at least three to four months just to get something installed on an airplane," said a structures engineer who has been briefed on the issue. "It's definitely a costly fix to go and do this work."

(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.nwsource.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: 787; aerospace; boeing
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Looks like a major flaw.....The wing to the fuselage?....high stress point and all....How many take off's and landings before the wing seperates?....Gaak!
1 posted on 07/22/2009 1:10:27 PM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: AngelesCrestHighway

Boy, I’m sure glad we won’t ever again need to produce aircraft at the rate we did in World War II!


2 posted on 07/22/2009 1:16:20 PM PDT by B-Chan (Catholic. Texan. Monarchist. Any questions?)
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To: AngelesCrestHighway

Don’t buy (fly) the union label


3 posted on 07/22/2009 1:17:50 PM PDT by stubernx98 (cranky, but reasonable)
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To: AngelesCrestHighway
Yep, looks like a big problem and very costly to fix.

And not that long ago we were all laughing at Airbus.

4 posted on 07/22/2009 1:19:00 PM PDT by colorado tanker ("Lastly, I'd like to apologize for America's disproportionate response to Pearl Harbor . . . ")
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To: colorado tanker

This is a complicated machine. Kudos to Boeing for finding and fixing this preproduction, even if it delays the release.

Far better than finding the problem after producing scores of flawed aircraft and having them fall out of the sky due to structural failure.


5 posted on 07/22/2009 1:22:04 PM PDT by chrisser (Jim Thompson is the the finest, bravest, most honorable American I have ever known...)
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To: chrisser

You must have seen the charts on cost of a defect vs. stage detected? Costs grow exponentially with time. Like by a factor of ten with each stage.

You’re right, if it had gone into production (never mind test) with this defect it would have costs 100X more.


6 posted on 07/22/2009 1:26:59 PM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (AGWT is very robust with respect to data. All observations confirm it at the 100% confidence level.)
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To: AngelesCrestHighway
Better believe it - but not at all surprising.

Garbage company, garbage design, garbage aircraft.

Boeing used to be a solid engineering firm. This 787 debacle is the perfect example of how gov't-sponsored corporate welfare and excessive liberal work policies just wastes a company away to a hollowed shell of it's former glory.

What a shame... /sigh

7 posted on 07/22/2009 1:30:41 PM PDT by liberty_lvr (In the history of mankind, never have so many been so proud of doing so little.)
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To: AngelesCrestHighway; Aeronaut

A major flaw, like the composite tails snapping off Airbusses?


8 posted on 07/22/2009 1:31:03 PM PDT by Travis McGee (---www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com---)
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To: AngelesCrestHighway
How in the hell did they screw-up like that in that area??? Composite engineering is not black magic we know full well the physicals involved and Boeing has more Knowledge than anyone of the forces on that section of the wing.

and Why is that not built here by us instead of the Japanese? Way Too many that's!

9 posted on 07/22/2009 1:31:25 PM PDT by Cheetahcat (Zero the Wright kind of Racist! We are in a state of War with Democrats)
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To: chrisser

Yeah, a wing falling off could really ruin your day. :-))


10 posted on 07/22/2009 1:31:46 PM PDT by colorado tanker ("Lastly, I'd like to apologize for America's disproportionate response to Pearl Harbor . . . ")
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To: colorado tanker
And not that long ago we were all laughing at Airbus.

At least the 787 is a plane that customers want, if it ever gets off the ground.

11 posted on 07/22/2009 1:35:09 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The issue of whether cheap labor makes America great should have been settled by the Civil War.)
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To: Moonman62
Oh, I still like the Boeing plane much better than that dinosaur Airbus came up with. They just seem to have gone to a really flawed business model to build and engineer the wings.

I imagine they'll get it all straightened out.

12 posted on 07/22/2009 1:40:37 PM PDT by colorado tanker ("Lastly, I'd like to apologize for America's disproportionate response to Pearl Harbor . . . ")
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To: liberty_lvr

Boeing is reminding me a lot of NASA these days.


13 posted on 07/22/2009 1:40:43 PM PDT by mgstarr ("Some of us drink because we're not poets." Arthur (1981))
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To: AngelesCrestHighway
Pretty...but will it fly?


14 posted on 07/22/2009 1:42:51 PM PDT by PeteePie (Antique firearms - still deadly after all these years)
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To: liberty_lvr

It serves Boeing right, a full 70% of this aircraft is being produced overseas by multitudes of foreign “suppliers”. Boeing no longer supports “Made in America” so now their policy is coming back to bite them on the butt.


15 posted on 07/22/2009 1:43:45 PM PDT by Jmouse007 (tot)
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To: PeteePie

Pretty...but will it fly?....

Not if a wing falls off....


16 posted on 07/22/2009 1:48:45 PM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: Jmouse007

I agree.....some sticky rice is not going to fix this....


17 posted on 07/22/2009 1:49:54 PM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
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To: AngelesCrestHighway

Boeing is starting to look a whole lot like NASA. From a can do outfit to a can’t do company. At least GM can still build good cars!

What’s that?

Oh, never mind.


18 posted on 07/22/2009 2:27:35 PM PDT by saganite (What would Sully do?)
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To: chrisser

“Far better than finding the problem after producing scores of flawed aircraft and having them fall out of the sky due to structural failure.”

More BS!

There has only been one Airbus that crashed due to a “structural” failure and the part failed FAR IN EXCESS of design and certification specs.

But there have been far more Boeings that have had structural failures to include one of the deadliest crashes in history involving a JAL 747 where the rear pressure bulkhead ruptured and the resulting explosive decompression ripped off most of the tail killing 520 of the 524 on board.

Oh and then there was United flight 811.

El Al Cargo flight 1862

Aloha Airlines flight 243

Lauda Air flight 004

BOAC flight 911

BOAC 911 is interesting because it broke up in light “clear air” turbulance

That’s just a small example since I could add dozens more when including avionics failures, as well as uncommanded rudder deflections.


19 posted on 07/22/2009 2:30:32 PM PDT by 2CAVTrooper (For those who have had to fight for it, freedom has a flavor the protected shall never know.)
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To: 2CAVTrooper
“Far better than finding the problem after producing scores of flawed aircraft and having them fall out of the sky due to structural failure.”

More BS!

There has only been one Airbus that crashed due to a “structural” failure and the part failed FAR IN EXCESS of design and certification specs.

But there have been far more Boeing's that have had structural failures to include one of the deadliest crashes in history involving a JAL 747 where the rear pressure bulkhead ruptured and the resulting explosive decompression ripped off most of the tail killing 520 of the 524 on board.

Oh and then there was United flight 811.

El Al Cargo flight 1862

Aloha Airlines flight 243

Lauda Air flight 004

BOAC flight 911

BOAC 911 is interesting because it broke up in light “clear air” turbulance

That’s just a small example since I could add dozens more when including avionics failures, as well as uncommanded rudder deflections.

Ok but Boeing has had a lot of planes up for many years so the law of probability says there would be a hell of a lot more mishaps with Boeing than the handfull Airbus has flying around.

20 posted on 07/22/2009 2:56:37 PM PDT by Cheetahcat (Zero the Wright kind of Racist! We are in a state of War with Democrats)
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