Boeing 787

[mistermack]

You wouldn't get ME in a battery-powered plane.
I'd rather walk, thank you very much!

[Tero]

It was not a battery this time, but the carbon skin is quite flammale.

A new energy source! Discarded 787s.

[Daedalus]

In related news, Boeings stock (to use the necessary metaphor) took a plunge.

Imagine if they actually have to recall these birds... hoo boy.

[cronus]

Don't go for a quick smoke in the loos on a 787....it may be your last.

[klr]

Amongst other things, much of the flight control software (c. 17 million lines of code) was subcontracted out to Russian and Indian programmers. Of course, now no-one has a clue how it all works. If it works ...

[Cormac]

Amongst other things, much of the flight control software (c. 17 million lines of code) was subcontracted out to Russian and Indian programmers. Of course, now no-one has a clue how it all works. If it works ...

Ah. "Lean" and "6 Sigma" strike again - moronic.

[Warren Dew]

Amongst other things, much of the flight control software (c. 17 million lines of code) was subcontracted out to Russian and Indian programmers. Of course, now no-one has a clue how it all works. If it works ...

The engineering was subcontracted all over the world, too, as was the manufacturing. Given that, it's not surprising that little problems keep popping up.

Still, the DC-10 had similar problems due to being designed in the midst of the merger between McDonnell and Douglas, and it ended up a commercial success.

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24471093

Dreamliner: Two JAL flights diverted due to glitches

Japan Airlines (JAL) has said it has turned around two of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft during flights due to technical problems.

On one plane one of the two anti-ice systems, which prevent ice building-up around the engine, failed.

Meanwhile, an electric glitch rendered six toilets unusable on another flight.

These are the latest technical issues to hit the Dreamliner, which saw the entire fleet being grounded earlier this year following battery problems.

The anti-icing system failed on a Tokyo-bound flight that took off from San Diego.

A spokesperson for JAL told the BBC that a similar issue had forced a Tokyo-to-Singapore flight to be turned back in June this year.

Meanwhile, an electrical system failure connected to the lavatories affected a flight from Moscow to Tokyo.

The failure resulted in six of the seven toilets on the plane not being able to flush.

(continued)

[klr]

See above about all that outsourced software. You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

[Coito ergo sum]

It's going to be a successful plane, I think.

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25068222

Boeing: 15 airlines warned over high-altitude ice

Fifteen airlines have been warned about the risk of ice forming on Boeing's new 747-8 and 787 Dreamliner planes.

The issue - affecting some types of engines made by General Electric when planes fly near high-level thunderstorms - prompted Japan Airlines to cancel two international routes.

There have been six incidents since April when aircraft powered by GE engines lost power at high altitude.

These are the latest technical issues to hit the Dreamliner.

They saw the entire fleet being grounded earlier this year following battery problems.

The Boeing 747-8 series and the new 787 Dreamliner are the only types of aircraft affected by the high-altitude icing issue.

The new warning was given to airlines including Lufthansa, United Airlines and Japan Airlines.

It says aircraft with the affected engines - GE's GEnx - must not be flown within 50 nautical miles of thunderstorms that may contain ice crystals.

(continued)

[Jason]

I blame Tesla.

[pErvinalia]

What a fuck up of a machine.

[cronus]

What a fuck up of a machine.

No water, no food after midnight, and no bright light.

[mistermack]

I'm not sure that's right, about this being the only plane affected by icing problems. I've heard of previous icing problems on Rolls-Royce powered planes as well. They have had to make modifications to their fuel systems, among other things.
There was an instance of water in the fuel freezing, and the plane losing power after long flights in cold conditions.
A plane crashed short of the runway at Heathrow, because of ice in the fuel causing a blockage.

And it appears in this case that it's the engine, not the plane itself, that has a problem. Some of the Dreamliners have Rolls Royce engines, and they don't mention a problem with them.