787 Dreamliner

How do engineers safely test potentially-explosive batteries?

Ashley Gross — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 23:04:34 +0000

Boeing will soon start testing its redesigned Dreamliner battery. Battery experts say that means engineers will have to experiment with flammable lithium-ion batteries to see if, well, they explode.

Engineers subject the batteries to something called safety abuse testing — crushing them, sticking nails in them — to see what happens.

So how do engineers manage to stay safe?

The trick, according to battery expert Dan Doughty, is to not get too close.

Former FAA chief explains FAA and NTSB relationship

Ashley Gross — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:46:59 +0000

Federal safety investigators so far have been unable to pinpoint the root cause of a 787 Dreamliner battery fire. At the same time, the Federal Aviation Administration is weighing whether to let Boeing move ahead with tests of a new battery design. Does the FAA have to wait for the safety investigation to finish? The short answer is, no.

Japan: Probe of battery fire on Boeing 787 finds improper wiring

Scott Neuman — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:01:42 +0000

Two reports on troubles with lithium ion batteries aboard Boeing's 787 Dreamliner:

In Japan, where a battery on an All Nippon Airlines 787 overheated and began smoking on Jan. 16, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing, the Transport Ministry released a report Wednesday saying it found that the battery in question had been improperly wired.

The Associated Press, citing the Transport Ministry report, said the ANA 787's auxiliary power unit was incorrectly connected to the main battery that overheated.

Boeing engineers' union to tally strike authorization vote

Ashley Gross — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Boeing is facing the specter of a possible engineers’ strike even as the company races to get the 787 Dreamliner back in the air. Tonight, the engineers’ union will tally votes to see whether members have rejected the contract and authorized a strike.

Boeing CEO pledges to keep boosting 787 production even amid FAA grounding

Ashley Gross — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:05:15 +0000

Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney says the company plans to keep boosting 787 Dreamliner production even while the planes are grounded for a battery investigation.

The grounding of the 787 Dreamliner worldwide after two battery failures dominated Boeing’s 2012 earnings conference call. McNerney says the company still plans to produce 10 Dreamliners a month by the end of this year – twice its current rate.

Boeing's 787 woes highlight deep ties to Japan

Ashley Gross — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:26:58 +0000

The grounding of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner has been a big blow to Japan – both its airlines and its aerospace industry. It’s a reflection of the strong ties between Boeing and Japan.

Japanese airlines have been very loyal to Boeing for decades. They have almost half of the 787 Dreamliners delivered so far. All Nippon Airways was the launch customer.

Lithium batteries had problems in laptops, before the Dreamliner

Keith Seinfeld — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 02:15:21 +0000

With its fleet of 787 Dreamliners grounded indefinitely, Boeing is looking carefully at the lithium-ion batteries that power much of its innovative electronics.

These hi-tech batteries are also used in many popular gadgets, from laptop computers to iPhones to electric cars. They make your devices lightweight, and they recharge quickly.

Did the Boeing engineers' strike of 2000 succeed in the long run?

Ashley Gross — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:00:00 +0000

When Boeing engineers and technicians walked off the job 13 years ago, they said it wasn’t just for more money. They wanted to improve the culture of the company and chart a new course for organized labor. Did they succeed?

At first blush, it looked like a resounding success. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, or SPEEA, had won a contract with everything they had asked for. Executive Director Charlie Bofferding was triumphant in an interview with KING 5.

“We’re interacting now based on power and respect, and that’s where we want to be,” Bofferding said.

Boeing likely back on top as #1 airplane maker

Ashley Gross — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:01:01 +0000

Boeing appears to have reclaimed the crown from Airbus as the world’s top commercial airplane maker.

Much of that stems from strong execution on the 787 Dreamliner, a plane that until recently was the butt of jokes for being three years late. Yair Reiner is an analyst with Oppenheimer & Co. in New York.

"For an industry that had grown really accustomed to having the 787 perpetually miss its targets, in 2012, it hit them," Reiner said.

First Boeing 787 on Seattle-Tokyo route lands at Sea-Tac

Jake Ellison — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:59:36 +0000

SEATAC, Wash. — Fire trucks spraying rainbows of water Monday morning greeted the first All Nippon Airways 787 to land in commercial service at Sea-Tac Airport.

Update: Boeing 787 lands safely after landing gear trouble

The Associated Press — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:30:06 +0000

NEW YORK — Boeing's new 787 plane ran into its first technical glitch Sunday when the landing gear failed to deploy during a flight in Japan.

Boeing spokeswoman Lori Gunter says the pilots of Japan's All Nippon Airways used "an alternate procedure that worked." The plane landed safely and there were no reported injuries.

Delivery ceremony held in Washington for 1st Boeing 787

The Associated Press and KPLU News Staff — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:44:57 +0000

EVERETT, Wash. — Hundreds of people who gathered Monday for the delivery ceremony of the first Boeing 787 took cover from rain under the wings of two of the new airplanes at Paine Field, near the factory in Everett, Wash., where they were assembled.

Parts in place to assemble first SC Boeing 787

The Associated Press — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:08:15 +0000

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – Boeing workers in North Charleston are assembling the first new 787 to be made in South Carolina.

Boeing showcases 787 in Paris, reports on unmanned aircrafts

The Associated Press — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:51:20 +0000

LE BOURGET, France — Boeing is showcasing it 787 Wednesday at the Paris Air Show.

After a three-year delay the first new 787 is expected to be delivered in August or September to All Nippon Airways.

Did Boeing retaliate against the Machinists union? NLRB hearing begins Tuesday

Bellamy Pailthorp — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 12:33:31 +0000

Last week, Boeing opened a new plant in South Carolina, where it's putting the second assembly line for the 787 Dreamliner.

That’s led to a fight between the aerospace giant and the National Labor Relations Board. The nation’s top enforcer of labor laws filed a complaint against Boeing in April. Proceedings in the case begin Tuesday in Seattle.

The NLRB alleges Boeing built the second assembly line for the Dreamliner in South Carolina as retaliation for past strikes by the Machinists union in Washington state. And that, it says, is against the law.