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| Etihad's 1st 787-10 photo by Mike Cassidy |
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| Etihad's 1st 787-10 photo by Mike Cassidy |
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| United Airlines' 1st 787-10 flying to Everett photo by Mike Cassidy |
Showing posts with label 747-8I. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 747-8I. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2018
First GE powered 787-10 to be delivered to Etihad Airways on Oct. 30
Saturday, October 1, 2016
787 orders may be on the rebound with Middle Eastern Orders
After 9 months of lackluster 787 order activity, Boeing may be seeing some activity mainly coming from Middle Eastern customers. To date Boeing has recorded 19 net new 787 orders this year which is below their project 787 order goal of about 100.
That said, it seems that there are several deals in the hopper that may yield some very promising results. As mentioned before these deals are coming from the Middle East but these deals may be larger than originally thought.
Saudia announced this week that they are purchasing 15 777-300ER and 13 787s. Immediately speculation was that this 787 was an order that is on Boeing's books as an unidentified 787-9 order posted on Dec. 5, 2008. I have not been able to confirm that as of yet. However a Twitter user from Saudi Arabia has posted some interesting tidbits about the Saudi order:
On September 28th this Tweet came out:
Translated it says:
The other big news was broken by Bloomberg was regarding Qatar Airways' widebody order with Boeing. This is a new order that has not hit the order book as of yet. It was supposed to be announced at Farnborough this year but was delayed by the Qatari government due to the stalled F-15 deal with Washington. U-Turn Al has been upset with Airbus for their delays on the A320neo and the A350 thus it appears that Boeing will be benefiting from Airbus' screw up. One has to wonder if there is a 737MAX order in there as well as rumored.
Bloomberg is reporting that the talks are for at least 30 777 and 787 no word on how many of each of which sub-type. Now Qatar Airways has said that they intend to exercise the 30 787 options and I had expected them to do that at Farnborough this year. I still believe that they will exercise all 30 for a mix of 787-9 and 787-10 as well as take additional 777s. Thus the order that Bloomberg refers to may be larger than 30 and I believe it may be as much as 45 to 50 total aircraft of which 30 are 787s and 15 to 20 are 777.
Another transaction that is hotly anticipated is the Emirates decision between the 787 and the A350-900. The decision has been dragged out for a long time but word is that it should come by the end of the year.There aren't really any big showy air shows scheduled over the 4th quarter so we'll see how this one is announced but I'm still thinking that Boeing is the odds on favorite to walk away with the order. I do think it would be a mixture of 787-9 and 787-10. The 787-10 give Emirates the ability to fly high density medium haul routes like to India and points east of India as well to some high density routes to eastern Europe where a 777 or an A380 are too many seats. I can see them taking 30 or so 787-9s and 45 787-10.
While Boeing has permission to sell aircraft to Iran Air, it appears that the discussions have revolved around supplying the main Iranian carrier with 737s and 777s and possibly some 747-8Is. While the 787 may have been ruled out for Iran Air there are private Iranian airlines that may have interest in the 787 including Mahan Air. A 787 order from Iranian airlines may not come until next year at the earliest.
And there is the order for 8 787-9 from Pakistan International Airlines which is awaiting final approval from, I believe, the Government of Pakistan. We can possibly see this order on Boeing's order book by the end of the year.
Lastly, I reported that Turkish Airlines was about to finalize an order for the 787 and 777X. As of right now that order is on hold as the Turkish government is re-prioritizing finances and Turkish Airlines fleet renewal is not a priority it seems. Turkish Airlines was going to order the 787-9 and 777-9 as part of their widebody modernization program. Apparently the delivery of the remaining 777-300ERs are also on hold. I believe that once Turkish Airlines has righted the ship financially they will be in a position to place the order with Boeing.
That said, it seems that there are several deals in the hopper that may yield some very promising results. As mentioned before these deals are coming from the Middle East but these deals may be larger than originally thought.
Saudia announced this week that they are purchasing 15 777-300ER and 13 787s. Immediately speculation was that this 787 was an order that is on Boeing's books as an unidentified 787-9 order posted on Dec. 5, 2008. I have not been able to confirm that as of yet. However a Twitter user from Saudi Arabia has posted some interesting tidbits about the Saudi order:
Translated (via Google Translate) it says:على حسب ما وصلني من مصادري في "السعودية" ان هناك صفقة إضافية لطائرات البوينج 787-10 سيتم توقيعها قريبا بعدد 13 طائرة .. pic.twitter.com/U2Xp6xvTfI— Saudi Airliner (@SaudiAirliner) September 23, 2016
"According to what I received from my sources in the "Arabia" that there are additional to the deal for the Boeing 787-10 will be signed soon, the number of 13 aircraft"
On September 28th this Tweet came out:
اتفاقية "السعودية" الجديدة للاستحواذ على63طائرة اشتملت على 13 طائرة بوينج 787، وصلني قبل قليل ان 10 طائرات ستكون 787-10 والثلاث الأخرى 787-9 pic.twitter.com/P4WUj0VquN— Saudi Airliner (@SaudiAirliner) September 28, 2016
Translated it says:
"Agreement "Saudi Arabia" of the new acquisitions on the 63 aircraft included 13 Boeing 787s, I received a little while ago that the 10 planes wold be 787-10 and the other three 787-9"Let's put this all in perspective. Saudia had an initial order of 8 787-9s of which 4 have been delivered and the remaining 4 will be delivered next year. But according to this table below, Saudia should receive 7 787s next year. Currently I only show four but there is an order from the Saudi Ministry of Finance for 3 787-9 to be delivered in 2017.
The 3 787-9 for Saudi Ministry of Finance has been on the firing order for some time and looking at the Saudia Airlines fleet table above for the future fleet it shows the 787s for the airline coming from the Saudi Ministry of Finance. Thus it seems the 13 unidentified orders are for the Saudi Ministry of Finance of which 3 will be 787-9 that will be delivered next year along with 4 direct purchased 787-9. Saudia (via the Saudi Ministry of Finance) will receive the 787-10 starting in 2018. I believe there may be more clarity on this issue when Boeing releases its monthly order and delivery report for September.هذا الجدول ملخص لطلبيات "السعودية" بالإضافة إلى مواعيد استلام الطائرات ..— Saudi Airliner (@SaudiAirliner) September 23, 2016
*A320/A321
تشمل A320CEO و A320NEO pic.twitter.com/8ZIspJko6D
The other big news was broken by Bloomberg was regarding Qatar Airways' widebody order with Boeing. This is a new order that has not hit the order book as of yet. It was supposed to be announced at Farnborough this year but was delayed by the Qatari government due to the stalled F-15 deal with Washington. U-Turn Al has been upset with Airbus for their delays on the A320neo and the A350 thus it appears that Boeing will be benefiting from Airbus' screw up. One has to wonder if there is a 737MAX order in there as well as rumored.
Bloomberg is reporting that the talks are for at least 30 777 and 787 no word on how many of each of which sub-type. Now Qatar Airways has said that they intend to exercise the 30 787 options and I had expected them to do that at Farnborough this year. I still believe that they will exercise all 30 for a mix of 787-9 and 787-10 as well as take additional 777s. Thus the order that Bloomberg refers to may be larger than 30 and I believe it may be as much as 45 to 50 total aircraft of which 30 are 787s and 15 to 20 are 777.
Another transaction that is hotly anticipated is the Emirates decision between the 787 and the A350-900. The decision has been dragged out for a long time but word is that it should come by the end of the year.There aren't really any big showy air shows scheduled over the 4th quarter so we'll see how this one is announced but I'm still thinking that Boeing is the odds on favorite to walk away with the order. I do think it would be a mixture of 787-9 and 787-10. The 787-10 give Emirates the ability to fly high density medium haul routes like to India and points east of India as well to some high density routes to eastern Europe where a 777 or an A380 are too many seats. I can see them taking 30 or so 787-9s and 45 787-10.
While Boeing has permission to sell aircraft to Iran Air, it appears that the discussions have revolved around supplying the main Iranian carrier with 737s and 777s and possibly some 747-8Is. While the 787 may have been ruled out for Iran Air there are private Iranian airlines that may have interest in the 787 including Mahan Air. A 787 order from Iranian airlines may not come until next year at the earliest.
And there is the order for 8 787-9 from Pakistan International Airlines which is awaiting final approval from, I believe, the Government of Pakistan. We can possibly see this order on Boeing's order book by the end of the year.
Lastly, I reported that Turkish Airlines was about to finalize an order for the 787 and 777X. As of right now that order is on hold as the Turkish government is re-prioritizing finances and Turkish Airlines fleet renewal is not a priority it seems. Turkish Airlines was going to order the 787-9 and 777-9 as part of their widebody modernization program. Apparently the delivery of the remaining 777-300ERs are also on hold. I believe that once Turkish Airlines has righted the ship financially they will be in a position to place the order with Boeing.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Boeing-Iran deal....no 787
A little more detail came out regarding the proposed commercial aircraft deal between Boeing and Iran. There are no 787s in the deal but here is the breakout:
Direct purchase:
4 x 747-8I
15 x 777-9
15 x 777-300ER
6 x 737 NG
40 x 737MAX
Lease:
29 x 737 NG
In an unrelated note to follow up my previous blog post. ZB416 (LN 447, JA880A) will fly its C-1 flight on July 21st after returning from Farnborough. The aircraft is due to be delivered on July 26th. Thus it appears Boeing will deliver 14 787s this month, not 15.
Direct purchase:
4 x 747-8I
15 x 777-9
15 x 777-300ER
6 x 737 NG
40 x 737MAX
Lease:
29 x 737 NG
In an unrelated note to follow up my previous blog post. ZB416 (LN 447, JA880A) will fly its C-1 flight on July 21st after returning from Farnborough. The aircraft is due to be delivered on July 26th. Thus it appears Boeing will deliver 14 787s this month, not 15.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Boeing, Iran Air signs a MoU; Boeing starts practices for the 787 demonstration at Farnborough
| Number | |
| Testing Complete | 2 |
| To be assembled in Everett | 133 |
| To be assembled in Charleston | 92 |
| Parts Arriving | 6 |
| Undergoing final assembly | 10 |
| Storage | 0 |
| Storage/Change Incorporation and Re-Work | 1 |
| Change Incorporation and Re-Work | 6 |
| Pre-Flight Prep | 11 |
| Production Testing | 11 |
| Non Customer Flight Tests | 1 |
| Ready for Delivery | 4 |
| Donation | 3 |
| Delivered | 422 |
| TOTAL | 702 |
Boeing confirmed that they have signed an MoU to supply commercial aircraft to Iranian airlines. The confirmation is understandably short on specifics since any deal has to go through the US Treasury for approvals as well as the Iranian government. According to news reports the order involves at least 100 aircraft with some reports that it's a mix of 737s and 777-300ERs though there was one report that said the order may also involve 747-8Is. Interestingly this order is supposedly for flag carrier Iran Air. There is no word on aircraft orders for other Iranian airlines and more importantly, the media reports makes no mention of 787s being part of the MoU even though Boeing reportedly offered the aircraft. It doesn't necessarily mean that it won't be ordered.
It's hard to get excited about this order as there are still many complications and steps before we see a 787 in Iran Air colors rolling out of the paint hangar, namely US government approval, continued political tension between the two countries, current US sanctions which places restrictions on financing and banking activity with Iran and needed in order to effectuate the final sale and delivery. Consequently, finalization of any Boeing deal with Iranian airlines will take several months to be completed, perhaps not until early next year.
Deliveries are progressing this month with 5 delivered through yesterday, June 21st. Boeing is still on track to deliver 14 to 15 787s this month. It could hit 15 if they deliver ZD004 (LN 12, ET-ATL) to Ethiopian (long pole in the tent here is financing of delivery payment) and ZB416 (LN 416, JA880A). The later has started flight practicing the aerial demonstration that it will perform at Farnborough next month. The practice is taking place at Grant County Airport in Moses Lake. I'm not sure if it will be delivered prior to month end or after the air show. Right now, my latest intelligence has it being delivered by the end of this month but it has had its customer flight but I'll try to find out if the schedule has moved. If you can't make it to Farnborough this year, here's video shot yesterday by #Avgeek OwnsGermany.
Video by OwnsGermany on You Tube
With the start of the major air show less than a month away There are a number of unidentified orders that will probably be announced including one UFO order that is already known (China Eastern Airlines for 15 787-9s).
Qatar Airways is expected to take its 30th and final 787-8 on July 13th which is during the Farnborough Air Show even though its been ready for some weeks now. I think the delivery was deliberately pushed to time with a possible air show announcement with Boeing. My guess is that Qatar will announce the exercise of the 30 787 options at that time to coincide with the delivery of 787-8 number 30.
Lastly, Boeing started final assembly on American Airlines's first 787-9 5 days ago on June 17th and yesterday they started final assembly on the first of 2 787-8s for Uzbekistan Airways. There should be two more deliveries today, a 787-9 each to Air China (ZB49, LN 435, B-7879) and British Airways (ZB372, LN 442, G-ZBKK). There are still 6 aircraft that have to have there C-1 flights if they're to be delivered this month. Those flights, per the most current information that I have, should be conducted tomorrow and Friday.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Boeing give 787 delivery guidance for 2015
Boeing released its 2014 financial results and while the
company reported record earnings as well as higher 787 deliveries, it also
reported higher deferred production cost (the gap of actual cost of production of each aircraft vs. the average cost over the accounting block which at this moment is 1,300 aircraft) had increased by almost $1bn over the
4th quarter to $26.149bn up from $25.189bn.
Year over year increase in deferred production costs was $4.5bn, an
increase of almost 21% year over year! Mush
of this increase was due to increasing the inventory of parts as well as
maintaining high employment levels within the 787 program.
Boeing’s 787 delivery guidance was reported by CFO Greg
Smith as the annual production rate plus 3 to 4 early build aircraft. This would mean a total delivery guidance of
123-124 787s for 2015.
However, one question that was not asked if this delivery guidance included
the 3 787-9s that were used for flight testing and certification purposes. The
big question is that do they consider the 3 787-9 that were used for the
certification program last year as early build? If so, then are the only
"early build" deliveries would be the 787-9s that are earmarked for customers
this year? If not then Boeing can deliver the 120 regular production + 3
787-9 from test flight + 3-4 early deliveries (terrible teens) which would add
to 127 deliveries. 2 out of the 3 787-9
test airplanes are at the EMC being bought up to certification standards for
delivery to Air New Zealand while the third is parked on a runaway at Everett.
Boeing expect that the 787 program should become cash positive this year meaning that revenue for each delivered 787 will exceed the cost of production though the program as a whole will still be running at a loss. Additionally, Boeing expect deferred production cost to moderately increase this year before declining next year when the 787 rate goes to 12 from 10. Obviously getting a handle on production costs will include renegotiating (read: squeezing) the supply base as well as lowering labor costs within the program. Greg Smith reported during the earnings call that 787-9 production costs fell 20% from the first delivered aircraft and 30% for the last 175 delivered 787-8 airplanes.
In other news it looks like Air Force One will continue to be a Boeing product. The Air Force is going to negotiate for the delivery of three 747-8 air frames to replace the current 747-200 that have been in service for over 20 years but are dated. This will be a non competitive acquisition but mission equipment and furnishing will be competitively sourced. The only question that remains is will they acquire a 747-8I or 747-8F?
787 Full Production Table
In other news it looks like Air Force One will continue to be a Boeing product. The Air Force is going to negotiate for the delivery of three 747-8 air frames to replace the current 747-200 that have been in service for over 20 years but are dated. This will be a non competitive acquisition but mission equipment and furnishing will be competitively sourced. The only question that remains is will they acquire a 747-8I or 747-8F?
Total 787 Deliveries By Customer
2015 Projected Operator Deliveries
2015 Projected Customer Deliveries
2015 Projected Operator Deliveries
2015 Projected Customer Deliveries
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Boeing continues to fly GEnx engines on 787 and 747
Boeing, after having performed the necessary ultrasound inspections on the GEnx engines on the airplanes they have in pre-flight, flew three GE engined aircraft today (out of 4 airplanes). This does give some reassurance that deliveries of these airplanes (a least to specific customers) are moving forward. Again I don't expect Air India to take any more airplanes until at least the NTSB, GE and Boeing discover the root cause of the crack in the Fan Midshaft and implement corrective actions and/or a re-design. There would be considerable amount time added as the fan midshaft of the these engines will all have to be replaced once the root cause and a solution is found. Today ZA263 and ZA264 both for Ethiopian flew test flights. Both these flights were the B-2 flights though ZA264 still has to be painted and will probably be painted in Ft. Worth.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
GEnx problems slow down 787 deliveries
Another set back for GE powered 787s and 747-8s as the NTSB is recommmending that operators of the 787 and 747-8 (F and I) conduct ultrasound inspection of the GEnx-1B and GEnx-2B Fan Midshaft as possible corrosion issue may produce cracks that would eventually lead to fractures of this vital part. In the short term the NTSB is recommending that the FAA issue an emergency airworthiness directive requiring that operators do the ultrasound before the flying the aircraft and then at regular frequent intervals thereafter to catch any possible cracks before they become a problem.
The NTSB has identified one 787 at Everett that has one engine with a cracks in the Fan Midshaft. They along with GE and Boeing are trying to discover the root cause of the cracks and with the failure of a 2nd GEnx engine and discovery of cracks in a third, the investigation has taken on more urgency. So far it looks like many of the 787s and 747-8s have been inspected and Boeing continues to conduct test flights of both airplanes with the GE engine but this issue already is affecting deliveries. Air India has already said that they will not take anymore 787s until a root cause is discovered. It is rumored that Qatar Airways may follow suit while other carriers that have ordered the GE engine have yet to make their intentions known. So far GEnx engines have been delivered to Air India, Ethiopian and JAL. JAL and Ethipian continue to fly the 787s as is Lufthansa with the 747-8I and thus far there hasn't been any word on these airlines pulling the aircraft from service.
Here's the full text of the NTSB statement:
In this letter, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommends that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) take urgent action to address safety issues that have been identified in the NTSB’s ongoing investigation of a fan midshaft (FMS) fracture and crack in zero-time General Electric (GE) GEnx-1B engines on Boeing 787 airplanes and a possible FMS fracture on a low-time GEnx-2B engine on a Boeing 747-8F airplane.
On July 28, 2012, a Boeing 787-8 airplane experienced a loss of thrust in the right engine—a General Electric (GE) GEnx-1B turbofan, engine serial number (ESN) 956-121—during a pre-first flight, low-speed taxi test at Charleston International Airport, Charleston, South Carolina. As the airplane was accelerating through 40 knots, the No. 2 engine’s N12 speed rolled back and the pilots retarded the throttles to abort the test. The airplane taxied back to the ramp, where the engines were shut down. A visual inspection of the engine during the NTSB’s investigation revealed the low pressure turbine (LPT) rotor had shifted aft and extensive damage to the LPT blades and vanes. Further examination of the engine revealed the forward end of the FMS was separated at the rear of the threads. The fractured end of the FMS with the retaining nut still in place was removed from the engine and sent to GE, Cincinnati, Ohio, for dimensional inspection and metallurgical examination. The engine was subsequently removed from the airplane and also sent to GE in Cincinnati for disassembly and examination. The engine had not yet been operated in flight, having only been operated during post-production tests at GE and post-installation ground runs at Boeing in Charleston.
As a result of the ongoing investigation into the FMS separation that occurred on ESN 956-121 at Charleston, GE developed an ultrasonic inspection to scan the forward end of the FMS under the threads where the fracture occurred. On August 13, 2012, a GEnx-1B engine, ESN 956-175, installed on a 787-8 airplane that had not yet flown was found to have an indication of a similar crack on the FMS. Like ESN 956-121, this engine had not been operated in flight and had only operated during post-production tests at GE and post-installation ground runs at Boeing in Seattle, Washington. The engine was removed from the airplane and shipped to GE, Durham, North Carolina, for disassembly and further ultrasonic tests that confirmed the crack. The FMS was removed from the engine and shipped to GE in Cincinnati for further inspection and examination.
Examination of the FMS from ESNs 956-121 and 956-175 revealed that they conformed with the engineering drawing’s requirements. Metallurgical examination of the FMS from ESN 956-121 revealed a progressive fracture that had initiated from multiple origins around the outer circumference of the FMS at the root of the rearmost thread. The progressive fracture covered about half of the fracture face.
Although the fracture in the ESN 956-121 FMS was progressive in nature, the examination of the fracture surface in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) did not reveal any striations that would be typical of a fatigue fracture. Rather, the SEM examination revealed a faceted, quasi-cleavage fracture morphology that is typical of environmentally assisted cracking4 of certain high strength steel alloys such as that used on the GEnx FMS. The metallurgical examination of the FMS from ESN 956-175 revealed several progressive cracks that had initiated around the outer circumference at the root of the rearmost thread. The morphology of these fracture surfaces was consistent with what had been observed on the FMS from ESN 956-121. The investigation into the cause of the environmentally assisted cracking that occurred in the ESN 956-121 and -175 FMSs is continuing.
On September 11, 2012, a Boeing 747-8F (operated by Air Bridge Cargo, a Russian certificated air cargo carrier) equipped with GE GEnx-2B turbofan engines experienced a loss of power in the No. 1 engine, ESN 959-228, during the takeoff roll at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, China. The pilots reported that as the airplane was accelerating through 50 knots, the No. 1 engine’s N1 indication dropped. The pilots rejected the takeoff and returned to the ramp, where an inspection of the No. 1 engine’s LPT revealed extensive damage. Further examination of the engine is pending, but photographs of the LPT show damage that is similar to that which was observed on GEnx-1B engine ESN 956-121 at Boeing in Charleston. Although other failure modes could cause an N1 rollback and broken blades, the damage noted on the photographs of ESN 959-228 is consistent with that observed on the engine that failed at Charleston. ESN 959-228 is reported to have accumulated approximately 1,200 hours and 240 cycles since new.
GEnx-1B engines are used on Boeing 787 airplanes and GEnx-2B engines are used on Boeing 747-8 airplanes. The GEnx-1B FMS is slightly longer than that in the -2B engine. However, the threaded end of the FMS; the manner in which it is clamped with the retaining nut;
and the assembly procedures, material specifications, and operating environment are similar between the two models. Therefore, the FMS in GEnx-2B engines may be susceptible to the same type of failure observed with the GEnX-1B FMS.
Because of the short time to failure and the fact that all of the engines on any single airplane, whether the 787 or the 747-8, have all operated for the same period of time, the NTSB is not only concerned about the potential for further fractures occurring, but also the possibility that multiple engines on the same airplane could experience an FMS failure. Although the FMS fracture that occurred on the 787 at Charleston and the incident that occurred on the 747-8 at Shanghai both happened on the runway and the pilots were able, respectively, to abort the test and the takeoff, the NTSB is concerned about the possibility of an FMS fracture occurring in flight at the limits of an airplane’s extended twin-engine overwater operations, or ETOPS, range and the airplane having to operate with one engine inoperative for up to 5 1/2 hours.
The NTSB notes that, after the FMS fracture at Charleston, GE was very expeditious in assisting 787 operators with inspecting their GEnx-1B engines using the newly developed ultrasonic inspection, which is capable of detecting cracks once they reach 0.050 inch in length. To date, all in-service and spare GEnx-1B engines have been inspected. In addition, all GEnx-2B engines on passenger airplanes and spares have been inspected. The NTSB is aware that about 47 on-wing GEnx-2B engines remain uninspected and is concerned that they continue to operate while potentially susceptible to FMS failure. Because of the immediate threat of multiple engine failures on a single aircraft and the availability of an appropriate inspection procedure, there is an urgent need for the FAA to act immediately. Therefore, the NTSB recommends that the FAA issue an airworthiness directive to require, before further flight, the ultrasonic inspection of the FMS in all GE GEnx-1B and -2B engines that have not yet undergone inspection.
In addition, the nature of the cracking that was noted on the FMS from ESNs 956-121 and 956-175 did not provide a predictable crack propagation rate that a typical fatigue crack would have. The NTSB believes that repetitive inspections are necessary to ensure that, once an initial inspection has been performed, new or sub-detection-level cracks do not propagate and cause additional failures. Therefore, the NTSB recommends that the FAA require operators to accomplish repetitive inspections of the FMS in all (on-wing and spare) GE GEnx-1B and -2B engines at a sufficiently short interval that would permit multiple inspections and the detection of a crack before it could reach critical length and the FMS fractures.
Therefore, the National Transportation Safety Board makes the following recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration:
Issue an airworthiness directive to require, before further flight, the ultrasonic inspection of the fan midshaft in all General Electric GEnx-1B and -2B engines that have not yet undergone inspection. (A-12-52) Urgent
Require operators to accomplish repetitive inspectionsmidshaft (FMS) in all (on-wing and spare) General Electric GEnx-1B and -2B engines at a sufficiently short interval that would permit multiple inspections and the detection of a crack before it could reach critical length and the FMS fractures. (A-12-53) Urgent
The NTSB has identified one 787 at Everett that has one engine with a cracks in the Fan Midshaft. They along with GE and Boeing are trying to discover the root cause of the cracks and with the failure of a 2nd GEnx engine and discovery of cracks in a third, the investigation has taken on more urgency. So far it looks like many of the 787s and 747-8s have been inspected and Boeing continues to conduct test flights of both airplanes with the GE engine but this issue already is affecting deliveries. Air India has already said that they will not take anymore 787s until a root cause is discovered. It is rumored that Qatar Airways may follow suit while other carriers that have ordered the GE engine have yet to make their intentions known. So far GEnx engines have been delivered to Air India, Ethiopian and JAL. JAL and Ethipian continue to fly the 787s as is Lufthansa with the 747-8I and thus far there hasn't been any word on these airlines pulling the aircraft from service.
Here's the full text of the NTSB statement:
On July 28, 2012, a Boeing 787-8 airplane experienced a loss of thrust in the right engine—a General Electric (GE) GEnx-1B turbofan, engine serial number (ESN) 956-121—during a pre-first flight, low-speed taxi test at Charleston International Airport, Charleston, South Carolina. As the airplane was accelerating through 40 knots, the No. 2 engine’s N12 speed rolled back and the pilots retarded the throttles to abort the test. The airplane taxied back to the ramp, where the engines were shut down. A visual inspection of the engine during the NTSB’s investigation revealed the low pressure turbine (LPT) rotor had shifted aft and extensive damage to the LPT blades and vanes. Further examination of the engine revealed the forward end of the FMS was separated at the rear of the threads. The fractured end of the FMS with the retaining nut still in place was removed from the engine and sent to GE, Cincinnati, Ohio, for dimensional inspection and metallurgical examination. The engine was subsequently removed from the airplane and also sent to GE in Cincinnati for disassembly and examination. The engine had not yet been operated in flight, having only been operated during post-production tests at GE and post-installation ground runs at Boeing in Charleston.
As a result of the ongoing investigation into the FMS separation that occurred on ESN 956-121 at Charleston, GE developed an ultrasonic inspection to scan the forward end of the FMS under the threads where the fracture occurred. On August 13, 2012, a GEnx-1B engine, ESN 956-175, installed on a 787-8 airplane that had not yet flown was found to have an indication of a similar crack on the FMS. Like ESN 956-121, this engine had not been operated in flight and had only operated during post-production tests at GE and post-installation ground runs at Boeing in Seattle, Washington. The engine was removed from the airplane and shipped to GE, Durham, North Carolina, for disassembly and further ultrasonic tests that confirmed the crack. The FMS was removed from the engine and shipped to GE in Cincinnati for further inspection and examination.
Examination of the FMS from ESNs 956-121 and 956-175 revealed that they conformed with the engineering drawing’s requirements. Metallurgical examination of the FMS from ESN 956-121 revealed a progressive fracture that had initiated from multiple origins around the outer circumference of the FMS at the root of the rearmost thread. The progressive fracture covered about half of the fracture face.
Although the fracture in the ESN 956-121 FMS was progressive in nature, the examination of the fracture surface in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) did not reveal any striations that would be typical of a fatigue fracture. Rather, the SEM examination revealed a faceted, quasi-cleavage fracture morphology that is typical of environmentally assisted cracking4 of certain high strength steel alloys such as that used on the GEnx FMS. The metallurgical examination of the FMS from ESN 956-175 revealed several progressive cracks that had initiated around the outer circumference at the root of the rearmost thread. The morphology of these fracture surfaces was consistent with what had been observed on the FMS from ESN 956-121. The investigation into the cause of the environmentally assisted cracking that occurred in the ESN 956-121 and -175 FMSs is continuing.
On September 11, 2012, a Boeing 747-8F (operated by Air Bridge Cargo, a Russian certificated air cargo carrier) equipped with GE GEnx-2B turbofan engines experienced a loss of power in the No. 1 engine, ESN 959-228, during the takeoff roll at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Shanghai, China. The pilots reported that as the airplane was accelerating through 50 knots, the No. 1 engine’s N1 indication dropped. The pilots rejected the takeoff and returned to the ramp, where an inspection of the No. 1 engine’s LPT revealed extensive damage. Further examination of the engine is pending, but photographs of the LPT show damage that is similar to that which was observed on GEnx-1B engine ESN 956-121 at Boeing in Charleston. Although other failure modes could cause an N1 rollback and broken blades, the damage noted on the photographs of ESN 959-228 is consistent with that observed on the engine that failed at Charleston. ESN 959-228 is reported to have accumulated approximately 1,200 hours and 240 cycles since new.
GEnx-1B engines are used on Boeing 787 airplanes and GEnx-2B engines are used on Boeing 747-8 airplanes. The GEnx-1B FMS is slightly longer than that in the -2B engine. However, the threaded end of the FMS; the manner in which it is clamped with the retaining nut;
and the assembly procedures, material specifications, and operating environment are similar between the two models. Therefore, the FMS in GEnx-2B engines may be susceptible to the same type of failure observed with the GEnX-1B FMS.
Because of the short time to failure and the fact that all of the engines on any single airplane, whether the 787 or the 747-8, have all operated for the same period of time, the NTSB is not only concerned about the potential for further fractures occurring, but also the possibility that multiple engines on the same airplane could experience an FMS failure. Although the FMS fracture that occurred on the 787 at Charleston and the incident that occurred on the 747-8 at Shanghai both happened on the runway and the pilots were able, respectively, to abort the test and the takeoff, the NTSB is concerned about the possibility of an FMS fracture occurring in flight at the limits of an airplane’s extended twin-engine overwater operations, or ETOPS, range and the airplane having to operate with one engine inoperative for up to 5 1/2 hours.
The NTSB notes that, after the FMS fracture at Charleston, GE was very expeditious in assisting 787 operators with inspecting their GEnx-1B engines using the newly developed ultrasonic inspection, which is capable of detecting cracks once they reach 0.050 inch in length. To date, all in-service and spare GEnx-1B engines have been inspected. In addition, all GEnx-2B engines on passenger airplanes and spares have been inspected. The NTSB is aware that about 47 on-wing GEnx-2B engines remain uninspected and is concerned that they continue to operate while potentially susceptible to FMS failure. Because of the immediate threat of multiple engine failures on a single aircraft and the availability of an appropriate inspection procedure, there is an urgent need for the FAA to act immediately. Therefore, the NTSB recommends that the FAA issue an airworthiness directive to require, before further flight, the ultrasonic inspection of the FMS in all GE GEnx-1B and -2B engines that have not yet undergone inspection.
In addition, the nature of the cracking that was noted on the FMS from ESNs 956-121 and 956-175 did not provide a predictable crack propagation rate that a typical fatigue crack would have. The NTSB believes that repetitive inspections are necessary to ensure that, once an initial inspection has been performed, new or sub-detection-level cracks do not propagate and cause additional failures. Therefore, the NTSB recommends that the FAA require operators to accomplish repetitive inspections of the FMS in all (on-wing and spare) GE GEnx-1B and -2B engines at a sufficiently short interval that would permit multiple inspections and the detection of a crack before it could reach critical length and the FMS fractures.
Therefore, the National Transportation Safety Board makes the following recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration:
Issue an airworthiness directive to require, before further flight, the ultrasonic inspection of the fan midshaft in all General Electric GEnx-1B and -2B engines that have not yet undergone inspection. (A-12-52) Urgent
Require operators to accomplish repetitive inspectionsmidshaft (FMS) in all (on-wing and spare) General Electric GEnx-1B and -2B engines at a sufficiently short interval that would permit multiple inspections and the detection of a crack before it could reach critical length and the FMS fractures. (A-12-53) Urgent
Thursday, May 3, 2012
787 production update - May 3, 2012
787 production is starting to get interesting as there will be another line move tonight at Everett. Boeing will push out ZA462 (LN62 for Qatar Airways) allowing the four positions to be occupied by airplanes 63, 64, 66 and 67. The later two are planes that should not have to go through any change incorporation and will go direct from the assembly line to the flight line at Everett. The main fuselage for airplane 67 should have been delivered last Friday night after Boeing had pushed out the first 787 to be built at Boeing Charleston. That 787, ZA237 (LN46) is on its way to finishing the 96 assembly tasks that are left before entering gauntlet testing and first flight which is projected to take place between May 18 and May 5th. Delivery to Air India should take place by June 30th. Also I got confirmation that ZA239 (LN 60) and ZA240 (LN65) are both for Air India and both are being assembled at Boeing Charleston.
In other production news, I got wind of Thomson Airways deliveries of their first 3 787s. The first airplane for Thomson will be ZA317 (LN92) which should start assembly late this year for delivery in January 2013. This will be followed by ZA318 in February 2013 and ZA319 in March 2013. The first and third airplanes will be based in Manchester while the second airplane will be based out of Gatwick all to support training and EIS of the company's 787. These airplanes will carry 291 passengers of which 47 will be premium seating in 38 inch pitch seating while there will be 244 in economy in 36 and 33 inch pitch seats.
As far as deliveries this month, I fully expect 1-2 787 for ANA and 2 airplanes for Air India.
LAstly, I came across some interesting analysis with regards to deliveries of the 747-8 and 787s this year. It is estimated that Boeing will have built, through the end of this year about 50 747-8 airplanes (F and I). Of those 50, 9 were delivered last year leaving 41 potentially to be delivered this year. Of those 41, 3 were for Atlas Air Cargo which they have stated that they will not take...that brings the number of deliverable aircraft to 38 for 2012. However this number includes test airplanes that have yet to under go refurbishment including 2 for Cathay Pacific Airways and the second 747-8F built which is for NCA. That brings the number down to 35 747-8 aircraft. If Boeing is projecting between 70 to 85 747s and 787s to be delivered by the end of this year that means that Boeing can be in a position to deliver between 35 and 50 787s. This is entirely possible as is starting to produce 787s that will go straight from the production line to the flight line and into testing.
In other production news, I got wind of Thomson Airways deliveries of their first 3 787s. The first airplane for Thomson will be ZA317 (LN92) which should start assembly late this year for delivery in January 2013. This will be followed by ZA318 in February 2013 and ZA319 in March 2013. The first and third airplanes will be based in Manchester while the second airplane will be based out of Gatwick all to support training and EIS of the company's 787. These airplanes will carry 291 passengers of which 47 will be premium seating in 38 inch pitch seating while there will be 244 in economy in 36 and 33 inch pitch seats.
As far as deliveries this month, I fully expect 1-2 787 for ANA and 2 airplanes for Air India.
LAstly, I came across some interesting analysis with regards to deliveries of the 747-8 and 787s this year. It is estimated that Boeing will have built, through the end of this year about 50 747-8 airplanes (F and I). Of those 50, 9 were delivered last year leaving 41 potentially to be delivered this year. Of those 41, 3 were for Atlas Air Cargo which they have stated that they will not take...that brings the number of deliverable aircraft to 38 for 2012. However this number includes test airplanes that have yet to under go refurbishment including 2 for Cathay Pacific Airways and the second 747-8F built which is for NCA. That brings the number down to 35 747-8 aircraft. If Boeing is projecting between 70 to 85 747s and 787s to be delivered by the end of this year that means that Boeing can be in a position to deliver between 35 and 50 787s. This is entirely possible as is starting to produce 787s that will go straight from the production line to the flight line and into testing.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Boeing receives type certification for 747-8F
Boeing PhotoBoeing announced today that it has received type certification and the company now has clear path to start delivering the freighter version of the newest member of the 747 family in early September to Cargolux.
Cargolux will receive the first 747-8F early next month. The next four months will see Boeing delivering 3 new airplanes to customers (787-8, 747-8F and 747-8I) which is unprecedented in commercial aviation history. The FAA has given Boeing the Amended Type Certificate as well as the Amended Production Certificate (which allows Boeing to produce the 747-8F using FAA validated methods). EASA has also granted the amended type certificate to the 747-8F.
Even though the FAA has certified the 747-8F this is not the end of certification activities for this particular airplane. The 747-8F was certified with the flight management software for the 747-400. Full certification with the improvements to the software would have delayed the entry into service of the aircraft thus Boeing elected to certify the airplane with the older version of the software and then certify the 747-8 flight management software later this year.
Here's a description of the 747-8 flight management software from Guy Norris of Aviation Week:
The debate over readiness centers on the standard of software in the Honeywell-supplied Next Generation Flight Management System (NGFMS) at the heart of the 747-8 avionics suite. The system enables Required Navigation Performance (RNP) 0.1, and enables operators to comply with both the U.S. NextGen Air Traffic Management (ATM) and the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) program. The system also supports Wide Area Augmentation System Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance, Future Air Navigation System 1 (FANS-1) and FANS-2 requirements.
The core of the new FMS also is flying on the Gulfstream G650 ultra-long range business jet, but incorporates an architecture that partitions the flight management code from the user interface. This has enabled 747-8-specific user interfaces, inputs and outputs to be connected to the advanced FMS via a number of “abstraction” layers. The NGFMS software also will run in the same basic FMS box as the current Boeing 747-400, which will be upgraded by inserting a single processor card.
There is no word on when flight testing will be complete on the 747-8 flight management software. Boeing is continuing flight testing on the 747-8I and thus far it has flown just under 500 flight test hours of the 600 flight test hours that is needed for certification. Boeing still plans to start deliveries of that aircraft by the end of the year.
Meanwhile Boeing is awaiting FAA certification of the Rolls Royce powered 787-8. It is being reported that the certification is expected in another week for the 787-8. Meanwhile ZA101, the first 787 to be delivered started its Trent-1000 engines for the first time yesterday and I anticipate B-1 flight (Boeing first flight) very soon after type certification fy the FAA. Boeing is also planning to start F&R/ETOPs testing on the GEnx powered version of the 787 sometime in September though the date is still unknown. Boeing's 787 backlog is heavily skewed in favor of GEnx powered aircraft thus it is highly important for Boeing to conduct those final tests in order to certify and deliver that version of the plane. The derivative the GEnx-1B that powered the 787, the GEnx-2B will be flying for customers first when the 747-8F enters revenue service.
Here's Boeing's Statemeent of the 747-8F type certificate:
Meanwhile Boeing is awaiting FAA certification of the Rolls Royce powered 787-8. It is being reported that the certification is expected in another week for the 787-8. Meanwhile ZA101, the first 787 to be delivered started its Trent-1000 engines for the first time yesterday and I anticipate B-1 flight (Boeing first flight) very soon after type certification fy the FAA. Boeing is also planning to start F&R/ETOPs testing on the GEnx powered version of the 787 sometime in September though the date is still unknown. Boeing's 787 backlog is heavily skewed in favor of GEnx powered aircraft thus it is highly important for Boeing to conduct those final tests in order to certify and deliver that version of the plane. The derivative the GEnx-1B that powered the 787, the GEnx-2B will be flying for customers first when the 747-8F enters revenue service.
Here's Boeing's Statemeent of the 747-8F type certificate:
New Boeing 747-8 Freighter Certified for Entry into Service
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, European Aviation Safety Agency certify design of new member of 747 family
SEATTLE, Aug. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) received U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification Friday for the new 747-8 Freighter, passing two of the final landmarks on the airplane's journey to entry into service. The FAA granted Boeing an Amended Type Certificate (ATC) and an Amended Production Certificate for the 747-8 Freighter, while the EASA also granted the company an ATC for the airplane.
With these certificates, the program is in the final stages of preparing to deliver the first 747-8 Freighter to launch customer Cargolux in early September.
"This is such a great day for everyone on the 747 team," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "Over the last several years, this team has overcome challenge after challenge. Through their hard work and dedication, they have ensured that the 747, the Queen of the Skies, will fly for decades to come."
The drive to certify the 747-8 Freighter was a team effort, said Elizabeth Lund, vice president and general manager, 747 Program. "This is a day to express our profound thanks to everyone at Boeing and at our suppliers who played a part in designing, building and testing this airplane," she said. "It's a day to thank our colleagues at the
FAA and EASA for all of their hard work. And it's a day to appreciate our customers for their commitment to the program."
The Amended Type Certificate acknowledges that the FAA and EASA have certified that the design of the 747-8 Freighter is compliant with all aviation regulatory requirements and will produce a safe and reliable airplane. The airplane logged more than 3,400 hours of flight testing and many thousands more of ground, part, component, materials and other testing on the road to certification.
The Amended Production Certificate shows the FAA has validated that the Boeing 747
production system can reliably produce airplanes that will conform to the airplane's design. EASA accepts FAA oversight of Boeing production certificates as sufficient for its regulations, as FAA accepts EASA oversight of European manufacturers' production certificates.
The 747-8 Freighter is the new high-capacity 747 that will give cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of any freighter airplane while providing enhanced environmental performance. It is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is 18 feet and 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than the 747-400 Freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16 percent more revenue cargo volume compared to its predecessor. That translates to four additional main-deck pallets and three additional lower-hold
pallets. The 747-8 Freighters will be powered with GE's GEnx-2B engines.
Monday, July 11, 2011
787/747 Update
Boeing continues to make steady progress towards the 787's delivery target schedule for sometime next month or the month after. ZA102 (LN9) has already flow about 86.25 hours of the approximately 300 hours needed to to complete F&R/ETOPs testing as of July 10th. Currently the airplane is in Hawaii for tests and will be returning to Paine Field today.
ZA002 has just completed SROV testing in Japan with final testing between Tokyo and Nagoya. From all indications, the testing went very well and the production aircraft will be service ready when they start reaching customers. Here's a recap of ZA002 schedule from the past week in Japan:
Flight 1 LV. SEA 7-3-11 5AM ARR. HND 7-4-11 6:30AM
Flight 2 LV. HND 7-5-11 6:30AM ARR. ITM 7-5-11 7:30AM
Flight 3 LV. ITM 7-5-11 11:30AM ARR. HND 7-5-11 12:30AM
Flight 4 LV. HND 7-6-11 6:30AM ARR. KIX 7-6-11 8:00AM
Flight 5 LV. KIX 7-6-11 12:00PM ARR. HND 7-6-11 1:30PM
Flight 6 LV. HND 7-7-11 6:00AM ARR. OKJ 7-7-11 7:30AM
Flight 7 LV. OKJ 7-7-11 11:00AM ARR. HND 7-7-11 12:30PM
Flight 8 LV. HND 7-7-11 3:00PM ARR. HIJ 7-7-11 5:00PM
Flight 9 LV. HIJ 7-7-11 7:00PM ARR. HND 7-7-22 8:30PM
Flight 10 LV. HND 7-10-11 6:25AM ARR. NGO 7-10-11 7:30AM
Flight 11 LV. NGO 7-10-11 6:00PM ARR. HND 7-10-11 6:45PM
When ANA starts revenue service with the 787, the destination will either be Okayama or Hiroshima from its base at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo.
Next stop for ZA002 is India where it will fly be shown to customers Air India and Jet Airways. Air India is expecting it's first 787 in December of this year while Jet Airways will receive its first airplane sometime in 2014. ZA002 will fly from Haneda in Tokyo to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and then on to Mumbai. From there it is not known if ZA002 will fly back to Seattle or will fly on to other destination for other visits with customer airlines.
The 787 test fleet continues to fly occasional Boeing test flights with ZA001, ZA003 and ZA005 taking flights over the past week or so.
Production continues at Everett at a rate of two 787s per month. Boeing will starting final assembly on ZA261 (LN44) for Ethiopian Airlines on July 20th but more importantly, the first 787 to be assembled in North Charleston, SC will start final assembly on August 17th. That airplane ZA286 (LN46) for United Airlines already has its wings delivered to the final assembly hall and will be waiting for the forward fuselage from Wichita as well as the center and rear section just next door to the final assembly hall. the horizontal tail plane form Grottaglie, Italy as well as the numerous other parts (tail fin from from Washington State and landing gear) are expected to be delivered soon. Boeing is expected to increase production from 2/month to 2.5/month though it is still unclear when this increase is supposed to happen. The current schedule doesn't show assembly start dates past airplane number 46 which indicates that Boeing is currently reviewing plans for future assembly start dates and thus reviewing the ramp up to the 2.5 rate.
Meanwhile Boeing has added a third 747-8I to the flight test program. The aircraft, RC003/N5020K will be used to perform high intensity radio frequency tests. It is in Southern California currently. The 747-8F F&R testing has continued but RC523 has not carried out any test flights recently. Boeing is very close to finishing off the 747-8F test program and anticipates delivering the first 747-8F to Cargolux this summer.
ZA002 has just completed SROV testing in Japan with final testing between Tokyo and Nagoya. From all indications, the testing went very well and the production aircraft will be service ready when they start reaching customers. Here's a recap of ZA002 schedule from the past week in Japan:
Flight 1 LV. SEA 7-3-11 5AM ARR. HND 7-4-11 6:30AM
Flight 2 LV. HND 7-5-11 6:30AM ARR. ITM 7-5-11 7:30AM
Flight 3 LV. ITM 7-5-11 11:30AM ARR. HND 7-5-11 12:30AM
Flight 4 LV. HND 7-6-11 6:30AM ARR. KIX 7-6-11 8:00AM
Flight 5 LV. KIX 7-6-11 12:00PM ARR. HND 7-6-11 1:30PM
Flight 6 LV. HND 7-7-11 6:00AM ARR. OKJ 7-7-11 7:30AM
Flight 7 LV. OKJ 7-7-11 11:00AM ARR. HND 7-7-11 12:30PM
Flight 8 LV. HND 7-7-11 3:00PM ARR. HIJ 7-7-11 5:00PM
Flight 9 LV. HIJ 7-7-11 7:00PM ARR. HND 7-7-22 8:30PM
Flight 10 LV. HND 7-10-11 6:25AM ARR. NGO 7-10-11 7:30AM
Flight 11 LV. NGO 7-10-11 6:00PM ARR. HND 7-10-11 6:45PM
When ANA starts revenue service with the 787, the destination will either be Okayama or Hiroshima from its base at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo.
Next stop for ZA002 is India where it will fly be shown to customers Air India and Jet Airways. Air India is expecting it's first 787 in December of this year while Jet Airways will receive its first airplane sometime in 2014. ZA002 will fly from Haneda in Tokyo to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and then on to Mumbai. From there it is not known if ZA002 will fly back to Seattle or will fly on to other destination for other visits with customer airlines.
The 787 test fleet continues to fly occasional Boeing test flights with ZA001, ZA003 and ZA005 taking flights over the past week or so.
Production continues at Everett at a rate of two 787s per month. Boeing will starting final assembly on ZA261 (LN44) for Ethiopian Airlines on July 20th but more importantly, the first 787 to be assembled in North Charleston, SC will start final assembly on August 17th. That airplane ZA286 (LN46) for United Airlines already has its wings delivered to the final assembly hall and will be waiting for the forward fuselage from Wichita as well as the center and rear section just next door to the final assembly hall. the horizontal tail plane form Grottaglie, Italy as well as the numerous other parts (tail fin from from Washington State and landing gear) are expected to be delivered soon. Boeing is expected to increase production from 2/month to 2.5/month though it is still unclear when this increase is supposed to happen. The current schedule doesn't show assembly start dates past airplane number 46 which indicates that Boeing is currently reviewing plans for future assembly start dates and thus reviewing the ramp up to the 2.5 rate.
Meanwhile Boeing has added a third 747-8I to the flight test program. The aircraft, RC003/N5020K will be used to perform high intensity radio frequency tests. It is in Southern California currently. The 747-8F F&R testing has continued but RC523 has not carried out any test flights recently. Boeing is very close to finishing off the 747-8F test program and anticipates delivering the first 747-8F to Cargolux this summer.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Paris Air Show, 2011, Final Order Summary
Paris 2011
Order Tracker
Airbus
30 x A320neo – SAS
60 x A320neo – GECAS
4 x A330-300 – Saudi Arabian Airlines
20 x A320neo – Air Lease Corp.
16 x A321neo – Air Lease Corp.
11 A330 – Air Lease Corp.
1 x A321 – Air Lease Corp.
6 x A321neo – TransAsia Airways
50 x A320neo – CIT
40 x A320neo – JetBlue
10 x A320neo – Garuda Indonesia
15 x A320 – Garuda Indonesia
150 x A320neo – Indigo
30 x A320 – Indigo
20 x A320neo – LAN Airlines
40 x A320neo – Republic Airways
40 x A319neo – Republic Airways
6 x A350-900 – ALAFCO
18 x A320 - Avianca/Taca
33 x A320neo – Avianca/Taca
30 x A320neo – ALAFCO
72 x A320neo – GoAir
2 x A380 – Skymark
200 x A320neo – Air Asia
10 x A380 – Hong Kong Airlines
Total Airbus – 914
Breakdown:
A319neo – 40
A320 – 63
A320neo – 755
A321neo - 22
A321 - 1
A330 – 15
A350 – 6
A380 – 12
Boeing
6 x 777-300ER – Qatar Airways
15 x 747-8I – Hong Kong Airlines
2 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
20 x 737-800 – Air Lease Corp.
4 x 787-9 – Air Lease Corp.
5 x 777-300ER – Air Lease Corp.
2 x 737-800 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
1 x 767-300 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
15 x 737-800 - Norwegian Air Shuttle
8 x 777-300ER – Aeroflot
10 x 737-800 – Malaysia Airlines
2 x 747-8F – GECAS
8 x 777-300ER – GECAS
33 x 737-800 – UTair
7 x 737-900ER - UTair
Total Boeing – 138
Breakdown:
737 – 87
787 – 4
777 – 27
767 - 1
747 – 19
Bombardier
10 x CS100 – Undisclosed Customer
10 x CS300 – Korean Air
10 x CS100 – Unidentified Customer
Total Bombardier - 30
ATR
15 x ATR 72-600 – GECAS
10 x ATR 72-600 – Azul
3 x ATR 42-500 - TAME
Total ATR - 28
Embraer
20 x E190 – Sriwijaya Air
2 x E190 – Air Astana
5 x E190 – Air Lease Corp.
10 x E190 – Kenya Airways
2 x E190 – GECAS
Total Embraer - 39
SuperJet
12 x SSJ100 – PT Sky Aviation
8 x SSJ100 – Blue Panorama
Total SuperJet - 20
Order Tracker
Airbus
30 x A320neo – SAS
60 x A320neo – GECAS
4 x A330-300 – Saudi Arabian Airlines
20 x A320neo – Air Lease Corp.
16 x A321neo – Air Lease Corp.
11 A330 – Air Lease Corp.
1 x A321 – Air Lease Corp.
6 x A321neo – TransAsia Airways
50 x A320neo – CIT
40 x A320neo – JetBlue
10 x A320neo – Garuda Indonesia
15 x A320 – Garuda Indonesia
150 x A320neo – Indigo
30 x A320 – Indigo
20 x A320neo – LAN Airlines
40 x A320neo – Republic Airways
40 x A319neo – Republic Airways
6 x A350-900 – ALAFCO
18 x A320 - Avianca/Taca
33 x A320neo – Avianca/Taca
30 x A320neo – ALAFCO
72 x A320neo – GoAir
2 x A380 – Skymark
200 x A320neo – Air Asia
10 x A380 – Hong Kong Airlines
Total Airbus – 914
Breakdown:
A319neo – 40
A320 – 63
A320neo – 755
A321neo - 22
A321 - 1
A330 – 15
A350 – 6
A380 – 12
Boeing
6 x 777-300ER – Qatar Airways
15 x 747-8I – Hong Kong Airlines
2 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
20 x 737-800 – Air Lease Corp.
4 x 787-9 – Air Lease Corp.
5 x 777-300ER – Air Lease Corp.
2 x 737-800 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
1 x 767-300 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
15 x 737-800 - Norwegian Air Shuttle
8 x 777-300ER – Aeroflot
10 x 737-800 – Malaysia Airlines
2 x 747-8F – GECAS
8 x 777-300ER – GECAS
33 x 737-800 – UTair
7 x 737-900ER - UTair
Total Boeing – 138
Breakdown:
737 – 87
787 – 4
777 – 27
767 - 1
747 – 19
Bombardier
10 x CS100 – Undisclosed Customer
10 x CS300 – Korean Air
10 x CS100 – Unidentified Customer
Total Bombardier - 30
ATR
15 x ATR 72-600 – GECAS
10 x ATR 72-600 – Azul
3 x ATR 42-500 - TAME
Total ATR - 28
Embraer
20 x E190 – Sriwijaya Air
2 x E190 – Air Astana
5 x E190 – Air Lease Corp.
10 x E190 – Kenya Airways
2 x E190 – GECAS
Total Embraer - 39
SuperJet
12 x SSJ100 – PT Sky Aviation
8 x SSJ100 – Blue Panorama
Total SuperJet - 20
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Paris Air Show 2011, Day 3 Order Summary
Paris 2011
Order Tracker
Airbus
30 x A320neo – SAS
60 x A320neo – GECAS
4 x A330-300 – Saudi Arabian Airlines
20 x A320neo – Air Lease Corp.
16 x A321neo – Air Lease Corp.
11 A330 – Air Lease Corp.
1 x A321 – Air Lease Corp.
6 x A321neo – TransAsia Airways
50 x A320neo – CIT
40 x A320neo – JetBlue
10 x A320neo – Garuda Indonesia
15 x A320 – Garuda Indonesia
150 x A320neo – Indigo
30 x A320 – Indigo
20 x A320neo – LAN Airlines
40 x A320neo – Republic Airways
40 x A319neo – Republic Airways
6 x A350-900 – ALAFCO
18 x A320 - Avianca/Taca
33 x A320neo – Avianca/Taca
30 x A320neo – ALAFCO
Total Airbus – 630
Breakdown:
A319neo – 40
A320 – 63
A320neo – 483
A321neo - 22
A321 - 1
A330 – 15
A350 – 6
Boeing
6 x 777-300ER – Qatar Airways
15 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
2 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
20 x 737-800 – Air Lease Corp.
4 x 787-9 – Air Lease Corp.
5 x 777-300ER – Air Lease Corp.
2 x 737-800 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
1 x 767-300 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
15 x 737-800 - Norwegian Air Shuttle
8 x 777-300ER – Aeroflot
10 x 737-800 – Malaysia Airlines
2 x 747-8F – GECAS
8 x 777-300ER – GECAS
33 x 737-800 – UTair
7 x 737-900ER - UTair
Total Boeing – 138
Breakdown:
737 – 87
787 – 4
777 – 27
767 - 1
747 – 19
Bombardier
10 x CS100 – Undisclosed Customer
10 x CS300 – Korean Air
Total Bombardier - 20
ATR
15 x ATR 72-600 – GECAS
10 x ATR 72-600 – Azul
3 x ATR 42-500 - TAME
Total ATR - 28
Embraer
20 x E190 – Sriwijaya Air
2 x E190 – Air Astana
5 x E190 – Air Lease Corp.
10 x E190 – Kenya Airways
2 x E190 – GECAS
Total Embraer - 39
SuperJet
12 x SSJ100 – PT Sky Aviation
8 x SSJ100 – Blue Panorama
Total SuperJet - 20
Order Tracker
Airbus
30 x A320neo – SAS
60 x A320neo – GECAS
4 x A330-300 – Saudi Arabian Airlines
20 x A320neo – Air Lease Corp.
16 x A321neo – Air Lease Corp.
11 A330 – Air Lease Corp.
1 x A321 – Air Lease Corp.
6 x A321neo – TransAsia Airways
50 x A320neo – CIT
40 x A320neo – JetBlue
10 x A320neo – Garuda Indonesia
15 x A320 – Garuda Indonesia
150 x A320neo – Indigo
30 x A320 – Indigo
20 x A320neo – LAN Airlines
40 x A320neo – Republic Airways
40 x A319neo – Republic Airways
6 x A350-900 – ALAFCO
18 x A320 - Avianca/Taca
33 x A320neo – Avianca/Taca
30 x A320neo – ALAFCO
Total Airbus – 630
Breakdown:
A319neo – 40
A320 – 63
A320neo – 483
A321neo - 22
A321 - 1
A330 – 15
A350 – 6
Boeing
6 x 777-300ER – Qatar Airways
15 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
2 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
20 x 737-800 – Air Lease Corp.
4 x 787-9 – Air Lease Corp.
5 x 777-300ER – Air Lease Corp.
2 x 737-800 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
1 x 767-300 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
15 x 737-800 - Norwegian Air Shuttle
8 x 777-300ER – Aeroflot
10 x 737-800 – Malaysia Airlines
2 x 747-8F – GECAS
8 x 777-300ER – GECAS
33 x 737-800 – UTair
7 x 737-900ER - UTair
Total Boeing – 138
Breakdown:
737 – 87
787 – 4
777 – 27
767 - 1
747 – 19
Bombardier
10 x CS100 – Undisclosed Customer
10 x CS300 – Korean Air
Total Bombardier - 20
ATR
15 x ATR 72-600 – GECAS
10 x ATR 72-600 – Azul
3 x ATR 42-500 - TAME
Total ATR - 28
Embraer
20 x E190 – Sriwijaya Air
2 x E190 – Air Astana
5 x E190 – Air Lease Corp.
10 x E190 – Kenya Airways
2 x E190 – GECAS
Total Embraer - 39
SuperJet
12 x SSJ100 – PT Sky Aviation
8 x SSJ100 – Blue Panorama
Total SuperJet - 20
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Paris Air Show 2011, Day 2 Order Summary
Paris 2011
Order Tracker
Airbus
30 x A320neo – SAS
60 x A320neo – GECAS
4 x A330-300 – Saudi Arabian Airlines
20 x A320neo – Air Lease Corp.
16 x A321neo – Air Lease Corp.
11 A330 – Air Lease Corp.
1 x A321 – Air Lease Corp.
6 x A321neo – TransAsia Airways
50 x A320neo – CIT
40 x A320neo – JetBlue
10 x A320neo – Garuda Indonesia
15 x A320 – Garuda Indonesia
Total Airbus – 263
Breakdown:
A320 – 15
A320neo – 210
A321neo - 22
A321 - 1
A330 – 15
Boeing
6 x 777-300ER – Qatar Airways
15 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
2 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
20 x 737-800 – Air Lease Corp.
4 x 787-9 – Air Lease Corp.
5 x 777-300ER – Air Lease Corp.
2 x 737-800 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
1 x 767-300 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
15 x 737-800 - Norwegian Air Shuttle
8 x 777-300ER – Aeroflot
10 x 737-800 – Malaysia Airlines
2 x 747-8F – GECAS
8 x 777-300ER – GECAS
Total Boeing – 98
Breakdown:
737 – 47
787 – 4
777 – 27
767 - 1
747 – 19
Bombardier
10 x CS100 – Undisclosed Customer
10 x CS300 – Korean Air
Total Bombardier - 20
ATR
15 x ATR 72-600 – GECAS
10 x ATR 72-600 – Azul
Total ATR - 25
Embraer
20 x E190 – Sriwijaya Air
2 x E190 – Air Astana
SuperJet
12 x SSJ100 – PT Sky Aviation
Order Tracker
Airbus
30 x A320neo – SAS
60 x A320neo – GECAS
4 x A330-300 – Saudi Arabian Airlines
20 x A320neo – Air Lease Corp.
16 x A321neo – Air Lease Corp.
11 A330 – Air Lease Corp.
1 x A321 – Air Lease Corp.
6 x A321neo – TransAsia Airways
50 x A320neo – CIT
40 x A320neo – JetBlue
10 x A320neo – Garuda Indonesia
15 x A320 – Garuda Indonesia
Total Airbus – 263
Breakdown:
A320 – 15
A320neo – 210
A321neo - 22
A321 - 1
A330 – 15
Boeing
6 x 777-300ER – Qatar Airways
15 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
2 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
20 x 737-800 – Air Lease Corp.
4 x 787-9 – Air Lease Corp.
5 x 777-300ER – Air Lease Corp.
2 x 737-800 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
1 x 767-300 – MIAT Mongolian Airlines
15 x 737-800 - Norwegian Air Shuttle
8 x 777-300ER – Aeroflot
10 x 737-800 – Malaysia Airlines
2 x 747-8F – GECAS
8 x 777-300ER – GECAS
Total Boeing – 98
Breakdown:
737 – 47
787 – 4
777 – 27
767 - 1
747 – 19
Bombardier
10 x CS100 – Undisclosed Customer
10 x CS300 – Korean Air
Total Bombardier - 20
ATR
15 x ATR 72-600 – GECAS
10 x ATR 72-600 – Azul
Total ATR - 25
Embraer
20 x E190 – Sriwijaya Air
2 x E190 – Air Astana
SuperJet
12 x SSJ100 – PT Sky Aviation
Monday, June 20, 2011
Paris Air Show 2011, Day 1 Order Summary
Here's a summary of today's commercial aircraft order action from Le Bourget. The biggest surprise was the 17 orders that Boeing received from two unidentified customers for the 747-8I. I'll update this throughout the week of the air show. If I'm missing anything let me know!
Paris 2011 Order Tracker
Airbus
30 x A320neo – SAS
60 x A320neo – GECAS
4 x A330-300 – Saudi Arabian Airlines
20 x A320neo – Air Lease Corp.
16 x A321neo – Air Lease Corp.
11 A330 – Air Lease Corp.
1 x A321 – Air Lease Corp.
Total Airbus – 142
Breakdown:
A320neo – 110
A321neo - 16
A321 - 1
A330 – 15
Boeing
6 x 777-300ER – Qatar Airways
15 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
2 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
20 x 737-800 – Air Lease Corp.
4 x 787-9 – Air Lease Corp.
5 x 777-300ER – Air Lease Corp.
Total Boeing – 52
Breakdown:
737 – 20
787 – 4
777 – 11
747 – 17
Bombardier
10 x CS100 – Undisclosed Customer
ATR
15 x ATR 72-600 – GECAS
Embraer
20 x E190 – Sriwijaya Air
2 x E190 – Air Astana
Paris 2011 Order Tracker
Airbus
30 x A320neo – SAS
60 x A320neo – GECAS
4 x A330-300 – Saudi Arabian Airlines
20 x A320neo – Air Lease Corp.
16 x A321neo – Air Lease Corp.
11 A330 – Air Lease Corp.
1 x A321 – Air Lease Corp.
Total Airbus – 142
Breakdown:
A320neo – 110
A321neo - 16
A321 - 1
A330 – 15
Boeing
6 x 777-300ER – Qatar Airways
15 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
2 x 747-8I – Undisclosed Customer
20 x 737-800 – Air Lease Corp.
4 x 787-9 – Air Lease Corp.
5 x 777-300ER – Air Lease Corp.
Total Boeing – 52
Breakdown:
737 – 20
787 – 4
777 – 11
747 – 17
Bombardier
10 x CS100 – Undisclosed Customer
ATR
15 x ATR 72-600 – GECAS
Embraer
20 x E190 – Sriwijaya Air
2 x E190 – Air Astana
Thursday, May 26, 2011
787 and 747-8: Coming to the finish line; delivery set for Aug./Sept. for 787
Boeing has for all intent and purposes declared that the finish line is insight for the 787-8 and 747-8F airplane flight tests and are preparing the gaggle of airplanes sitting at Everett Field for delivery to customers. These announcements came at Boeing Investor's Conference held on May 24th. Boeing program manager's also made revelations regarding the 787-8 and its future variants both in terms of new product development as well as production.
Flight Testing
787
Boeing confirmed that F&R and ETOPS testing will start in early June. Earlier I had reported a June 9th start date and that date looks to be solid. Functionality and reliability testing will test the aircraft as if it is in a commercial airline environment with simulating failures and other problems to see how the 787 will handle it. The test airplanes will be used but critical to this testing will be the use of ZA102, the ninth 787 built and recently re-worked to full production standard with all the necessary change incorporation modifications that were needed. This is the standard that all production 787 in which all will be delivered. So far the Rolls Royce powered 787s have completed 96% of required testing and the GEnx powered 787s are done with 75% of testing.
The FAA must issue an amended type inspection authorization (TIA) before Boeing can start F&R and ETOPs testing but that should happen soon. Thus far, of the 4,200 deliverables that needs to be completed for type certification of the Rolls powered 787, less than 150 remain to be done and of those less than 40 need to be submitted to the FAA directly. ETOPs certification will be accomplished on test points that need to be run and not the number of flight hours. Those test points will be run during the 300 hours needed for F&R testing thus both tasks will be tested concurrently.
Flight Testing
787
Boeing confirmed that F&R and ETOPS testing will start in early June. Earlier I had reported a June 9th start date and that date looks to be solid. Functionality and reliability testing will test the aircraft as if it is in a commercial airline environment with simulating failures and other problems to see how the 787 will handle it. The test airplanes will be used but critical to this testing will be the use of ZA102, the ninth 787 built and recently re-worked to full production standard with all the necessary change incorporation modifications that were needed. This is the standard that all production 787 in which all will be delivered. So far the Rolls Royce powered 787s have completed 96% of required testing and the GEnx powered 787s are done with 75% of testing.
The FAA must issue an amended type inspection authorization (TIA) before Boeing can start F&R and ETOPs testing but that should happen soon. Thus far, of the 4,200 deliverables that needs to be completed for type certification of the Rolls powered 787, less than 150 remain to be done and of those less than 40 need to be submitted to the FAA directly. ETOPs certification will be accomplished on test points that need to be run and not the number of flight hours. Those test points will be run during the 300 hours needed for F&R testing thus both tasks will be tested concurrently.
As this required testing draws to a close, Boeing will send ZA002 during the week of July 4th to Japan for service ready validation operations (SRVO) where the airplane will be inducted into ANA's operations. This testing is to ensure that the 787 is ready for life as a passenger carrier and not a test airplane. ANA and Boeing will conduct fit checks with maintenance stands and jacks within the hangar, ground servicing operations, refueling and maintenance activities, as well as simulate operations between initial city pairs that ANA will fly the airplane on like Tokyo, Osaka, and Hiroshima. Read Boeing's statement:
Boeing and ANA to Conduct 787 Service Readiness Validation in Japan
-The first time the 787 will fly to Asia and Japan
TOKYO, May 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and ANA today announced how the two companies will work together to help prove the 787 Dreamliner's readiness to enter service on a commercial basis. Using the second flight test aircraft, known as ZA002, they will simulate in-service operations across several airports in Japan in a service ready operational validation. The validation is expected to take place the week of July 4. Anticipated city pairs include trips between Haneda Airport in Tokyo and airports in Osaka (Itami and Kansai), Okayama and Hiroshima.
This will be the 787's maiden appearance in Japan. ANA is the launch customer for the aircraft and has 55 Dreamliners on order. The 787, which will be deployed across the ANA route network, is an integral part of ANA's strategy to strengthen its position and support its growth and expansion plans.
"ANA is eager to introduce the innovative 787 Dreamliner to Japan," said Shinichiro Ito, ANA president and chief executive officer. "Giving our employees the opportunity to gain experience with the airplane will help ensure a smoother entry into service later this year.""We've put the airplane through its paces in a rigorous flight test program," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. "Now, as we get closer to first delivery, we'll prove out its capabilities and reliability in a revenue-like environment."
ANA's maintenance crews also will practice maintenance and servicing of the 787 during the validation. This will include typical ground servicing activities, fit checks of airplane jacks and maintenance hangar stands, towing and refueling the airplane, and other routine maintenance operations. Watch this video to see how Boeing and ANA are planning for the validation.
Similar service ready validations have been conducted with great success on previous Boeing programs, including the 777, 737NG and 757-300.
Boeing plans to deliver the first 787 to ANA in the August to September timeframe.
After SRVO is completed along with ETOPs and F&R , Boeing will submit PSOC (program statement of compliance) which will allows the FAA to rule on type certification for the 787 and allow Boeing to deliver in August/September. My gut feeling is we can see first delivery around mid to late August after ETOPs and F&R testing is completed in mid to late July.
There was no word on testing for the GEnx powered 787 though Boeing is completed with 75% of testing. Boeing still has to announce when F&R and and ETOPs testing will start on ZA005 and ZA006 but I anticipate that Boeing will have to have on production GEnx powered 787 ready to support that testing. It could be ZA177 which is the 23rd 787 built and destined for Japan Airlines. It is currently undergoing rework and change incorporation at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Still I would not completely rule out a production plane straight off the assembly line especially if it require very little work to get it ready for flight. Considering that carriers such as JAL, Air India and China Southern have ordered the GEnx-1B, Boeig will be under pressure
to finish up certification activities for the GEnx powered model. I wouldn't expect first delivery to JAL until October at the earliest. GE has received more orders for it's GEnx-1B engines to power the 787 than Rolls Royce has for the Trent 1000 engines.
747
Like the 787, the 747-8F is also nearing the end of its certification tests. It still has to conduct F&R testing and the the start of this testing is dependent on the FAA signing off on part of the Honeywell design flight management software and its readiness to conduct F&R testing. Still according to Guy Norris Boeing expects the start F&R testing around the end of May. To signify how far 747 testing has come, Boeing has sent one 747 test airplanes to Lackland AFB to undergo change incorporation and preparations for delivery. RC503 has been at Lackland AFB since May 13th for the required rework. Flight testing on the 747-8I continues and is currently well over 200 flight test hours between the two flight test aircraft. Boeing has said that the flight test program for the 747-8I will be about 600 flight test hour thus this program is already more than one third of the way through the flight testing hours that is needed.
Production
Boeing also addressed production rates at the conference. Currently, production of the 787 is at two per month. Interestingly, James Bell, Boeing CFO said that Boeing would have built 40 production standard 787s by the time the first one is delivered to ANA. Given that Boeing has just started work on the 35th production standard 787 and at the current pace of 2 per month, Boeing should be at number 40 around August. Boeing is being extremely cautious when it comes to increasing production rates, especially on the 787. They have stated that until they know that they can handle the next production increase without travelled work the rate won't increase. That said they are saying that the 787 production increase to 2.5 per month is expected to start later this summer (August/September in my opinion). Additionally Boeing North Charleston will come one line in July with the first 787 for United Airlines to be loaded in the tooling jig. With all the problems that Boeing has had with the production system, Boeing has indicated t hat they are prepared to move production of the horizontal stabilizer for the 787-9 from Alenia and back in house within Boeing at Seattle. This was in many way not unexpected given Alenia's performance on the HTP for the 787-8. However, Boeing may need to negotiate the move of that work from Italy to Seattle with Alenia as it is Alenia that owns the design though it is unclear if the current agreement between the two firms extended to the 787-9. This tale (pun intended) is not over.
Future 787 VariantsBoeing has always left the option of building variants of the 787 including the larger 787-10 (now known as the 787-10X). During the conference Boeing, while not outright launching the 787-10X has given strong indications that they intend to do so. They plan on a stretch of about 6m which would accommodate an additional 43 passengers over the 787-9 which can carry 290 passengers. This would squarely put it in competition with the A350-900 and can possibly be seen as a replacement for the 777-200 and possibly the 777-200ER. The expected range is going to be less than that of the 787-9 due to keeping the same wing as the -9 variant. James Albaugh, head of BCA said of the -10X, "I believe this will be an airplane we will probably do."
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Production and Delivery
The 787 flight test program is going well, so well that Wall Street Analyst, in a survey, said that they believe that the 787 will be delivered on time by the end of the 3rd quarter, though many believe that end of July, 3 months from now, will see the delivery of the first 787 to ANA.
Susanna Ray: Boeing’s Delays on 787 May End as Analysts See On-Time Entry
To that end Boeing announced this afternoon that the first 10 pilots from ANA have arrived in Seattle to start training in Boeing's simulators (why they didn't go to the Boeing 787 training center in Tokyo is unknown).
Read more of Dominic's article:
Dominic Gates : Boeing Still Struggling with the 787
In an earlier post Flightblogger described the work that is on going within the ATS Hangar 3 and also reports that Boeing will be there for some time to come (looks like ATS will be making out handsomely from this). Boeing is so entrenched there that the Hangar has been dubbed "Boeing South." There are 5 spots at this hangar and currently Boeing has 5 787s, all for ANA, occupying all 5 spots within the hangar undergoing rework:
Spot 1: LN 9, ZA102
Spot 2A: LN 31, ZA117
Spot 2B: LN 7, ZA100
Spot 3: LN 24, ZA116
Spot 4: LN 8, ZA101
According to Flightblogger, ZA102 (which should have been completed this month) is due to finish rework by middle of May though it is unknown about the other aircraft.
Flightblogger: A tale of two factories: Boeing set to expand
787 mod operation
Guy Norris also has put out an update on both 787 and 747-8I testing thus far (RC021 the 2nd 747-8I flew for the first time today). In his article he reports that ZA001 was testing failure scenarios and back up systems certification testing. ZA001 is expected to continue with this testing extending it to fuel vent systems and controlability limits with a simulated engine out.
ZA002 will start certification testing on the package "A" EIS standard Trent 1000 engine.
Guy Norris: 747-8 and 787 flight test update
Finally, ZA004 which was to have started the switch to the improved Trent 1000 engines last week apparently will start the conversion process on April 27th (tomorrow). It is currently flying from Yuma MCAS back to Boeing Field. I am assuming that the engine change out will occur at Boeing Field.
Susanna Ray: Boeing’s Delays on 787 May End as Analysts See On-Time Entry
To that end Boeing announced this afternoon that the first 10 pilots from ANA have arrived in Seattle to start training in Boeing's simulators (why they didn't go to the Boeing 787 training center in Tokyo is unknown).
This clearly shows the confidence that Boeing and ANA have in meeting the first delivery of the 787 in a few months time. What is unclear is deliveries of the 787s that are in the process of being re-worked and have the required changes incorporated into them. Dominic Gates published a damaging article that puts into doubt Boeing's ability to delivery up to 20 787s this year with one engineer calling the change incorporation and re-work "a mess." Of the major tasks that are taking long to complete is the removal of sealants from the wings and resealing them. Apparently this process is taking weeks and requires gutting the aircraft. The computerized inventory system that Boeing is using in the program is also causing trouble and extending out the re-work schedule on the planes.Boeing Begins 787 Dreamliner Pilot Training with Launch Customer ANA
Start of 787 flight training marks significant milestone toward first delivery
SEATTLE, April 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) has started 787 Dreamliner pilot training with launch customer ANA (All Nippon Airways). Ten pilots from ANA began the training program with classroom instructions in Tokyo earlier this month. Training on simulation devices began April 23 at the Boeing Flight Services training campus in Seattle, Wash. First delivery of the 787 is scheduled for the third quarter of this year.
"The start of customer training is an exciting milestone on any new airplane program," said Sherry Carbary, vice president, Boeing Flight Services. "In the case of the 787 Dreamliner, we're seeing the results of a special working relationship between Boeing and ANA. We worked side by side with ANA for more than four years conducting simulator evaluations, curriculum reviews and cross-training so that each team learned from the other. It has truly been a collaboration between committed individuals dedicated to ensuring success," Carbary said.
The Boeing 787 flight training program uses an innovative suite of training devices including a full-flight simulator, flight training device and desktop simulation station to ensure that pilots are ready to fly the Dreamliner.
With the 787 pilot training courses, pilots can transition to the new airplane in five to 20 days, depending on pilot experience. Boeing 777 pilots can qualify to fly the 787 in as little as five days, given the high level of commonality between the two airplane types.
"This is a significant milestone for our company," said Hideyuki Shibuichi, senior vice president of Flight Operations for ANA. "Getting our pilots trained and prepared is essential to being ready to take delivery of the airplane later this year."
In order to bring training closer to customers around the world, Boeing has installed a network of eight 787 training suites at five global campuses: Seattle, Singapore, Tokyo, London Gatwick and Shanghai.
Read more of Dominic's article:
Dominic Gates : Boeing Still Struggling with the 787
Right now modifications are on going in building 40-24 (former 767 assembly line), ATS Hangar 3 and in Boeing San Antonio, Tx. facility. There are two 787 (both for Royal Air Maroc) in 40-24, 5 at ATS and the one JAL 787 in San Antonio. The problem is so severe that Flightblogger is reporting that JAL's first 78 which was supposed to be delivered in October of this year may be pushed out to November or December depending on which source you believe from Flightblogger's article. It does point to trouble on the horizon with getting these airplanes prepared for delivery and EIS.
Fllightblogger : The arrival of JAL's first 787 prompts a tangle of delivery dates
In an earlier post Flightblogger described the work that is on going within the ATS Hangar 3 and also reports that Boeing will be there for some time to come (looks like ATS will be making out handsomely from this). Boeing is so entrenched there that the Hangar has been dubbed "Boeing South." There are 5 spots at this hangar and currently Boeing has 5 787s, all for ANA, occupying all 5 spots within the hangar undergoing rework:
Spot 1: LN 9, ZA102
Spot 2A: LN 31, ZA117
Spot 2B: LN 7, ZA100
Spot 3: LN 24, ZA116
Spot 4: LN 8, ZA101
According to Flightblogger, ZA102 (which should have been completed this month) is due to finish rework by middle of May though it is unknown about the other aircraft.
Flightblogger: A tale of two factories: Boeing set to expand
787 mod operation
Guy Norris also has put out an update on both 787 and 747-8I testing thus far (RC021 the 2nd 747-8I flew for the first time today). In his article he reports that ZA001 was testing failure scenarios and back up systems certification testing. ZA001 is expected to continue with this testing extending it to fuel vent systems and controlability limits with a simulated engine out.
ZA002 will start certification testing on the package "A" EIS standard Trent 1000 engine.
Guy Norris: 747-8 and 787 flight test update
Finally, ZA004 which was to have started the switch to the improved Trent 1000 engines last week apparently will start the conversion process on April 27th (tomorrow). It is currently flying from Yuma MCAS back to Boeing Field. I am assuming that the engine change out will occur at Boeing Field.
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