U.S. approves Boeing plan to fix 787's batteries

By JOAN LOWY

Technology Mar. 13, 2013 - 06:00AM JST ( 9 )

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9 Comments

-3

JeffLeeMar. 13, 2013 - 11:53AM JST

So, FFA is approving the "fix" of a problem whose cause has yet to be determined? Uh-oh.
0

YuriOtaniMar. 13, 2013 - 11:59AM JST

Am sure it will be a good repair.
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theResidentMar. 13, 2013 - 01:22PM JST

Will be back in the air by early Summer. Will be fine. Looking forward to getting on it again. You should try it Jeff, very good long haul.
-1

JeffLeeMar. 13, 2013 - 02:29PM JST

@theresident

I don't know about that. Did you see the Seattle Times article last month, which quotes a Boeing engineer as saying the 787's electronics are made from "Radio Shack" like parts?
-1

theResidentMar. 13, 2013 - 03:40PM JST

One quote from a bitter, union engineer who wants to quit.
-1

JeffLeeMar. 13, 2013 - 04:32PM JST

@theresident

Well, i mentioned just one quote in my post, but there are many, many more. The sentiment felt by the engineers at Boeing seems fairly widespread. And compromises over the 787's safety seems to be a major gripe among these experts.

Have a gander ("one" of many similarly themed articles in the industry press, by the way): http://www.industryweek.com/companies-amp-executives/union-blames-boeing-787-woes-outsourcing
1

JohnBeckerMar. 14, 2013 - 01:12AM JST

Not just the unions - anyone working at Boeing would be less than happy about the way this plane was built. It used to be that they could design a plane and build it out on the factory floor, under the direct oversight of the designers. Boeing was too willing to spread manufacturing all over the world this time, and this battery is the most obvious example of Boeing abdicating its responsibility for making every part the best it can be made. Beyond that, people at Boeing (not just in Seattle, but all over the country) got screwed out of jobs they should have been given. And not just union jobs - supervisory, management, everyone.
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FadamorMar. 14, 2013 - 04:34AM JST

Beyond that, people at Boeing (not just in Seattle, but all over the country) got screwed out of jobs they should have been given. And not just union jobs - supervisory, management, everyone.

??? People already at Boeing were already working positions involved with other aircraft when the Dreamliner project was spun-up. The only group affected by the outsourcing was POTENTIAL employees who weren't hired to supplement the existing employees. Let's face it, the Dreamliner isn't like any other aircraft Boeing has made before, so many on Boeing's factory floor and in supervisory positions don't have any prior experience that would benefit them. That aluminum sheet metal fitter (unionized or not) is going to be useless when it comes to assembling a composite carbon-fiber fuselage.
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JeffLeeMar. 14, 2013 - 06:54AM JST

So many on Boeing's factory floor and in supervisory positions don't have any prior experience that would benefit them.

Yuasa of Japan had "no prior experience" making batteries for aviation use, either, but that didn't stop Boeing's management from giving away the job to these inexperienced foreigners. I bet the execs are happy with that decision, eh.

An investigative article the New York Times said the Japanese suppliers were 787 handed contracts in exchange for JAL and ANA buying the aircraft, and no, not for the reasons you mention. Hey, you play this sleazy game, you suffer the consequences, as with Lockheed's fraudulent forays in Japan. How many airliners does Lockheed produce these days, I ask.

Unfortunately, however, the victims include innocent people who were right in the first place. Fire the board, retain the workers and engineers: that's my solution.