Odds and Ends: FAA 787 approval could come next week; Ode to an engineer

FAA 787 approval could come next week: Reuters reports that the Federal Aviation Administration could provide a key approval next week that will open the way to the final documentation required to lift the grounding of the Boeing… Read More

Odds and Ends: ANA resumes 787 pilot training; Cash impact on 787; UAL, DAL miss profits; Mile High Club

ANA pilot training: ANA, the carrier with the largest fleet of Boeing 787s, has resumed pilot training for the aircraft, says Reuters. The article has a fair amount of detail about progress in the effort to return the… Read More

Odds and Ends: Finding the “root cause;” The cliche about bad pennies

Finding the “Root Cause:” The world waits for the Boeing 787 to return to service, following a series of proposed “fixes” designed by Boeing in conjunction with its relevant suppliers and with help from Ford, General Motors and other… Read More

Reuters: 787 ETOPS threatened in resumption of service

Reuters reports that the Boeing 787’s ETOPS certification may be questionable when the FAA authorizes a return to service.

Odds and Ends: CSeries, 787, A320neo v 737 MAX, First vs Business; Southwest Air

CSeries Powers On, Compresses Schedule: Bombardier is racing toward its first flight. The company powered on the CS100 Flight Test Vehicle 1 yesterday and Jon Ostrower had this article about BBD compressing the schedule to stay on track… Read More

Odds and Ends: Independents like battery fix; 787 test flight today?; JAL and A350; PAL and 777X

Back to the 787 batteries: The Seattle Times had this story Saturday in which it talked with independent experts who like the battery fix proposed by Boeing. The Time also reported that the first of two test flights… Read More

Odds and Ends: Boeing worker mentors famed bandit; 787 test flights; restoring the brand

The Barefoot Bandit: In a nice break from all-787-all-the-time, we ran across this heart-warming story of a Boeing worker mentoring the infamous Barefoot Bandit. Colton Harris-Moore, a troubled teenager, spent two years on the run from the law… Read More

Readers skeptical of detailed Boeing plans to fix the 787 battery issues

Readers aren’t convinced that Boeing has turned the corner on the planned 787 battery fixes detailed last week in two press conferences. The results come as some surprise to us. Despite some messaging we thought fell short, we… Read More

Boeing lobbies Congress to avoid 787 hearings

Boeing has lobbied Congress to avoid holding hearings on the Boeing 787, according to this Associated Press report. One might argue about the appropriateness of Boeing lobbying on this issue, but we agree with the outcome: it’s premature… Read More

Odds and Ends: Post-SPEEA Vote; LionAir and RyanAir; ANA skeptical of Boeing timeline

Post-SPEEA Vote: The ratification of the contract offer by Boeing by the SPEEA technical workers is welcome news. It gives Boeing and its stakeholders certainty at a time when the 787 issues remain outstanding and the developmental programs… Read More