Boeing conducts 'uneventful' test flight to probe battery fires

I would like to suggest that Dreamliner 787 should be first tried for cargo flights for the 1st 500 hrs without passengers.Because the stake is just way too high.

I thought the problem is a battery itself, so change the bad battery and would be able to fly.

I won't downplay this problem, but IT WILL be resolved, despite what the naysayers on this site say.

kwattFeb. 10, 2013 - 09:01AM JST

I thought the problem is a battery itself, so change the bad battery and would be able to fly.

I have an another suggestion for those who are giving too much pressure to Boeing, JAL, ANA, UA. I would like to invite families to test fly for inaugural flights in Dreamliner 787. It is free, so they will love this idea, right?

I'm with globalwatcher on this one; use them for cargo flights for a prolonged period of time with zero accidents and THEN it might be okay to use them again for carrying people. If they rush this, and I'm sure companies that sold into the 787 'dream' will be eager to use flights like this as 'proof' there's no problem and rush the jets back into service, they'll still have trouble convincing a lot of passengers to fly.

If the flight was build using very light material like carbon fiber, it may not be enough to shield the flight against strong radiation. There is also the possibility that solar electromagnetic radiation affected the equipment causing short cut in the equipment. Hydraulic mechanics still more reliable against solar radiation and it can be operated manually.

So many life threatening glitches in commercial flights with brand new machines are just not acceptable. Boeing, please provide your customers with earlier safe-proofed models until you can fix it. In the meantime there no need for daily update of non-event tests. Just let us no when it is 100% under control.

Better to think about installing temperature sensors connected to computer for checking batteries or wiring while in full operation. This way the plane can be grounded before fire starts.

Paulinusa: no doubt the problem will be fixed. And for such a big issues - 100's of flights cancelled - I do not agree with you statement re naysayers. It would have been any other country but US manufacturing this airplane and the amount of comment o JT would easily reach the 100+!

Open MindedFeb. 10, 2013 - 09:23PM JST

So many life threatening glitches in commercial flights with brand new machines are just not acceptable. Boeing, please provide your customers with earlier safe-proofed models until you can fix it. In the meantime there no need for daily update of non-event tests.

Not a single "life threatening" glitch in a 787 as of yet. Even the battery fire (only one ever occurred in flight) was contained and posed no immediate flight risk. The 777 on the other hand had an issue with cabin decompression, which can be dangerous at high altitudes, yet there was no groundings (even though a US congressman's flight had decompression issues), and in the 15 years or so it's been flying there's been zero deaths. And guess what? They are still solving serious problems in earlier frames all the time, yet nobody seems to care about that. To say that the 787 is life threatening is ridiculous at best. To say that earlier models are safe-proofed is just plain stupid.

hkitagawaFeb. 10, 2013 - 09:12PM JST

If the flight was build using very light material like carbon fiber, it may not be enough to shield the flight against strong radiation. There is also the possibility that solar electromagnetic radiation affected the equipment causing short cut in the equipment. Hydraulic mechanics still more reliable against solar radiation and it can be operated manually.

I have never heard such ridiculous comments. I'm not even sure what would let you to believe nonsense like that, but no, radiation has absolutely nothing to do with the problems.

100's of flights grounded for nothing according to certain JT poster experts. What is the real truth?

I was today at Narita and there was a big billboard to apologize about the inconvenience of all JAL flights cancelled due to the 787 problems. This is a fact: this plane is not ready for commercial operation. Period!

Open MindedFeb. 11, 2013 - 01:01AM JST

1>>00's of flights grounded

100% of Boeing 787 grounded until further notice, I should say.

The problematic batteries were commissioned to Yuasa - the Japanese battery company. Boeing appears to have trusted Yuasa.

There have been zero flights grounded for anything other than shady batteries. Why cover up the real truth?

I thought the problem is a battery itself, so change the bad battery and would be able to fly.

All that's been determined is that one of the batteries had a definite short in one of the cells which could have been the cause of the fire. What they can't determine is whether the short happened BEFORE or AFTER the thermal runaway started. Add to that the fact that external circuitry could have caused the thermal runaway and you realize that they HAVEN'T yet determined the cause.

To that end, let me start the unfounded rumor that the battery failures were the result of sabotage by Airbus operatives. ;-)

So far, only JAL has any excuse for canceled flights, and even then just the long haul flights to Boston and Europe. ANA has no excuse for canceling flights even though they have enough other airplanes that can meet the route demands, regardless of what other JT poster experts claim. The 25% occupancy is the only real reason why flights were canceled, not the groundings of the 787.