All the 787 Dreamliners—Boeing’s most advanced passenger airplane ever—have been grounded because of what you can see above: a melting battery made by the Japanese company GS Yuasa Corp, integrated in the airplane at Boeing Everett Factory, in Everett, Washington. Looks pretty bad to me. More »
All of the operational Boeing 787 Dreamliners in the world—50 of ’em—are now sitting on runways being prodded by men with clipboards, after a series of safety niggles caused worries for air authorities and triggered a global grounding. More »
Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner began joining US airline fleets last year, but a fire started by the plane’s lithium ion batteries last week put it on the docket for a review by the FAA. After a second mishap caused by the bird’s batteries, the FAA is now requiring US airlines to temporarily ground all Dreamliners. In addition, the agency said it’s given international aviation authorities a heads-up so they can take similar measures. According to the regulatory outfit, the battery failures could botch critical systems and structures, in addition to starting fires. In order to sort things out, the FAA says it’ll work with Boeing on a plan that’ll fix the issues and put the craft back in commission as “quickly and safely as possible.” Hit the jump for the FAA’s full statement.
Update: A United spokesman shared the following statement, confirming that passengers scheduled to fly on the Dreamliner will travel on other aircraft, instead:
“United will immediately comply with the Airworthiness Directive and will work closely with the FAA and Boeing on the technical review as we work toward restoring 787 service. We will begin re-accommodating customers on alternate aircraft.”
Continue reading FAA grounds all US Boeing 787 Dreamliners after second lithium ion battery failure
Filed under: Transportation
Source: Reuters (Twitter, 1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), Wall Street Journal
After Japan grounded the giant Boeing 787 Dreamliner earlier this morning, the US FAA has announced that it’ll also stop flying the 787 for the time being. Battery failures have been causing fires in the jumbojet and the FAA will examine the lithium ion batteries of the Dreamliners in order to prevent damage to critical systems and structures. More »
A fire onboard a super-spec 787 Dreamliner last week has led the FAA to order a review of the aircraft’s critical systems and assembly. The Dreamliner has had its share of teething problems, not least because it does things differently — including using space-saving lithium ion batteries that have since been implicated in the fire on the All Nippon Airways jet. Qatar Airways also temporarily grounded one of its planes last month due to electrical problems and a United Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing for much the same reason. No one has been hurt and the FAA hasn’t shown any intention to stop the 787 from flying while it investigates. Meanwhile, Boeing insists that none of these “introductory issues” give it cause to “doubt the capabilities of the airplane.”
Source: CBS News
The 787 wearing ANA colors
When Boeing delivered its new 787 airplane to United Airlines back in September, it was a moment for celebration. However, the Air Line Pilots Association has a problem with last-minute changes to the jumbo jet. Apparently, a key piece of safety equipment was purposely left out. The piece in question is a safety gate that’s designed to prevent bad guys from rushing the cockpit when the pilot goes to the bathroom. A well-placed cart can supposedly perform the same service, but it’s still disconcerting that a planned safety feature was removed from a final production plane. And the reason is even worse: it’s to save money. According to the ALPA, United is integrating its fleet with Continental’s, which don’t feature the safety gate. It’s a whole lot cheaper to remove the gate from new planes than to retrofit a whole fleet.
What do you think? Does this make you feel less safe while flying?
Photo courtesy of Gordon Werner.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Boeing missile disables enemy electronics, makes for the ideal first wave , Boeing flagship planes will support cellular calling by 2013,
The more cynical among us would argue that allowing cellphones in-flight is only a guarantee of an even more unpleasant trip, at least for anyone wanting a distraction-free cabin. There must still be a few optimists: Boeing is promising that future production runs of the 747-8 and 777 will have the necessary support for in-flight cellphone use, live TV and internet access that comes through either headrest screens or WiFi. Aircraft with the upgrade should roll off the production lines before the end of 2013, and they’ll be following a slight change to the 787 later this year that makes the technology support a common option. Some of us may wind up reaching for the earplugs in countries where regulators approve in-air wireless, but there’s definite upsides for all but the biggest curmudgeons — Boeing’s moves could lead to more ubiquitous in-flight WiFi next year, on top of ready-made wireless media streaming due in 2014.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation
Boeing 747-8, 777 to join 787 in support for in-flight cellphone use and WiFi, like it or not originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 02:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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During a ground test on a runway in South Carolina over the weekend, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner expelled a piece of debris that landed on grass and caught fire. It’s just the latest setback for the $200 million passenger megaplane of the future. Scary. More »
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