Boeing announced this week their proposed alterations to the 787 lithium-ion batteries to prevent any major incidents in flight. Tellingly, the company has not announced the cause of he problem which suggests they do not still know it. The changes are designed not only to improve safety but reassure regulators, carriers and the public that the plane is safe. The changes include: improving the insulation between the eight cells in the battery. The batteries’ original insulation was made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which can withstand heat of 300 degrees Fahrenheit (149 degrees Celsius). The cells…
Boeing 787
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No 787 for a long, long time
The fire and smoke from the event were so intense that firefighters couldn’t see even a few inches in front of themselves when they entered the electronics bay containing the burning battery, the report said. A fire captain on the scene told investigators that the battery was “hissing loudly and liquid was flowing down the sides of the battery case” before it “exploded.” Those words taken from the interim report of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) into the January 7 JAL 787 fire released March 7, may have killed off Boeing’s chances to have the 787 in the air soon. The…
Where can you find a 787?
Seven airlines have fifty 787s grounded at airports across the world: Tokyo Haneda, Japan: 12 Tokyo Narita, Japan: 7 Mumbai, India: 5 Houston, USA: 4 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia:4 Santiago, Chile: 3 Takamatsu, Japan: 2 Bangalore, India: 1 Boston, USA: 1 Chicago,USA: 1 Doha, Qatar: 1 Frankfurt, Germany: 1 Kumamoto, Japan: 1 London Heathrow, UK: 1 Los Angeles, USA: 1 Matsuyama, Japan: 1 Warsaw, Poland: 1 In addition, Boeing has about 20 undelivered 787s.
787 situation gets more serious
The 787 grounding has now been in place for a month and it looks like Boeing faces months more. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has indicated that it will be weeks before it identifies the causes of the thermal runaway in the 787’s lithium-ion-batteries. Boeing conducted a second test flight of the 787 from Seattle’s Boeing field across Washington state last Monday for an hour and 29 minutes. The flight was uneventful. Boeing advised that the flight data is being analysed but did not release any details. Boeing is basically guaranteed not to be able to…
Qatar 787 -at last!
One hundred passengers joined Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker for the delivery flight of their 787 from Seattle to Doha on November 17. I am in no way envious! Qatar are the Middle Eastern launch customer for the 787 having ordered 60 of the planes – 30 firm with options for 30 more. Qatar is rated a five star airline and has been nominated airline of the year twice by Skytrax. They are the newest entrant to One World. I have yet to fly them. Qatar Airways had refused to take delivery of the first five of their 787s…
787 Air India door failure
Much reporting but no details about the non closing cargo door of Air India’s second Boeing 787 delivered last month. Registration: VTADN. The reports are saying that the front cargo door ‘disintegrated’. The airline is saying nothing hit the plane. They are waiting for a spare to arrive. Boeing, of course, is investigating the matter. There were some suggestions that because the plane is made of composites, this was the issue.
787 September 2012 Update
The speed at which airlines are adding 787s is overwhelming. This week marks the first anniversary of the handover of the first 787 All Nippon Airways (ANA) on September 25, 2011. The carrier now own 13 of the Dreamliners. ANA were followed by: Japan Air Lines: March, 2012- currently have five Ethiopian: August 14, 2012 -one LAN August 31, 2012 – one Air India September 8, 2012 – received two 787s United Airlines will probably get their first 787 next week Qatar was meant to get their 787 but it has been delayed for some technical issues Related Posts LOT…
The 787 heads to Ethiopia
This one snuck up on me. Ethiopian Airlines will take delivery of its first 787 on Tuesday 14th August (next Tuesday). A crew will fly the new plane from Washington, D.C. to Addis Ababa on Thursday, August 16, 2012. The plane’s maiden flight the following weekend dubbed “The Dream Tour,” will be on August 18, 2012, with a sightseeing flight to Mount Kilimanjaro for around 270 invited guests, consisting of Ministers, Ambassadors, other VIPs, Ethiopian ShebaMiles [Frequent Flyer] Gold Members and media. Jealous! The first Ethiopian Dreamliner conducted its first test flight on Monday, July 9,…
ANA Passengers love 787
ANA has surveyed 780 of of its passengers who have flown the 787 between Tokyo, Japan and Frankfurt, Germany. A massive 98 percent said they wanted another chance to fly the Dreamliner, no matter which airline it belonged to. One quarter stated they would go out of their way to board the new aircraft again. Now I am really jealous! Other key findings: Cabin lighting exceeded expectations for 90 per cent of passengers 90 per cent said air quality and cabin pressure met or exceeded their expectations 80 per cent said the amount of personal space met…
787 landing Washington DC
A sight I would have loved to see close up…. a Boeing 787 landed recently at Washington DC National Airport (known as Reagan National since 1998). This airport (Code = DCA) is the nearest to the capitol. On May 7, as part of its world dream tour, the third Boeing 787 ever manufactured (Serial number ZA003) made a very short flight from Washington’s other main airport: Dulles International to DCA. The 787 uses composite materials and its main features include larger windows than on any other plane, a four-panel windshield, better air circulation, improved lighting and humidity and much larger…
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