Boeing warns new defect on 787 Dreamliners will slow deliveries. Boeing said the issue is related to a “nonconforming condition” on a horizontal stabilizer fitting.
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The problem involves a fitting for the 787's horizontal stabilizer installed by a Boeing production facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, the company said. The horizontal stabilizer, located at the base of an aircraft's tail, allows a plane to maintain longitudinal balance while flying.
The latest issue affects a fitting assembly in horizontal stabilizers built by a Boeing facility in Salt Lake City. The fittings come from an external supplier, and each unit is assembled and installed onto stabilizers in Salt Lake, a Boeing source said.
Current 787 deliveries have been mostly suspended over the last year because of quality control programs involving microscopic tolerances of fasteners joining fuselage barrels together, and additional issues with electrical systems and windscreens.
The Dreamliner is a successful aircraft, still in production with more than 1600 delivered or on order. The list price for a new Boeing 787-8 is $239 million dollars. Yet even as international travel opens again for these long-range aircraft, two Dreamliners barely ten years old are waiting for the wrecker's ball.
The seats are so cramped in economy that the legroom of a similar seat on a 777 or a 747 feels like a business-class seat. Intelligent engineering allows for seat-backs to recline but to compensate, the seat bottom lunges forward — thereby only providing an illusion of a recline.
The Boeing 787 is one of the newest planes to come into passenger service. First delivered in 2011, the aircraft has become a favorite for airlines thanks to its extensive range and fuel efficiency. And, for passengers, the travel experience was much better compared to older aircraft.
The typical lifespan of airlinersThe composite-driven Boeing 787 Dreamliner is designed for 44,000 flight cycles. These jets can theoretically last several decades with an average of two flight cycles a day.
Boeing's regional director Product Marketing Tarun Hazari told Airlineratings.com that the 787's reliability is a “fantastic story” achieving a rate 99.4 percent, just behind the 777-300ERs 99.46 percent. “Given the higher utilization of the 787 that is an unprecedented number, said Hazari.
Boeing now says it “plans to ramp” 787 output to five aircraft monthly in late 2023. It is also sticking with a plan to produce 10 of the widebodies monthly in 2025 or 2026, and of delivering 70-80 of the jets this year.
Boeing released a statement explaining the issue: “In reviewing certification records, Boeing discovered an analysis error by our supplier related to the 787 forward pressure bulkhead. We notified the FAA and have paused 787 deliveries while we complete the required analysis and documentation.”
The longer the 787s remained on the ground, the more it would cost to get them to fly again, due to the maintenance work required. As a result, they were no longer airworthy.
What Caused The Battery Fires That Grounded the Boeing 787 10 Years Ago? A combination of design issues, wrong assumptions, and inadequate testing procedures contributed to the fleet's grounding. In late 2012 Japan Airlines took delivery of another Boeing 787-800, and it entered into service shortly after.
The Boeing 787 is known to be a more comfortable and efficient aircraft than the 747, especially for long-haul flights. There are objective differences between both planes. The 787 has newer engines, two fewer of them and more electrical (rather than hydraulic) systems, which means much less cabin noise.
Now, a pair of ten-year-old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners once operated by budget airline Norwegian Air Shuttle are being scrapped. Delivered in 2013, the fuel-efficient widebody jets built of advanced composites were capable of flying 248 passengers up to 7300 miles.
Both have the same type rating so system wise they're pretty much the same; a pilot who enjoys the 787 systems would feel the same about a 777 (give or take minor difference). Flying wise not to sure! I think the 787 is a lot smoother to handle and the 777 is a bit longer. But it all comes down to personal preference.
This advanced fly-by-wire system also is the key to Smoother Ride Technology – unique to the 787 family -- which senses turbulence and adjusts control surfaces automatically to dampen its effects before it reaches the passengers.