Aircraft News Weblog

Tag: Dreamliner

  • Dreamliner Nightmare.

    Dreamliner fire at Heathrow.

    How much bad luck can an aircraft type have before the orders dry up and the the public wont fly on it? The one thing which can kill an aircraft is the tendency to have fires. The public will not want to be on an airliner which is periodically filling with smoke.

    When this aircraft concept was announced many years ago I knew that this would be a unique design and be, to use the over worked cliche, cutting edge.There would be huge challenges with the extensive use of composites, the reduction of traditional, proven hydraulic systems and the complete exclusion of the use of bleed air from the engines. All of these were completely different from the traditional method of constructing and operating an airliner.

    There were numerous set backs in the development which raised costs into billions of dollars. Then after the aircraft went into service the aircraft lithium ion batteries failed to operate correctly resulting in a worldwide grounding of the Dreamliner. With this problem resolved, but not solved, we now find ourselves with a fire in an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft at Heathrow which is being attributed to the ELT, the device which transmits an emergency location signal when triggered by a high G situation. This problem, if proven, is as unique as the aircraft due to the scarcity of any other incidents related to this component. The most common failure is an unintentional transmission due to a faulty ELT, but a fire is not something that anyone can recall being reported before.

    I hesitate to mention it but the ELT is powered by lithium ion batteries and that could really be the only source of power to start a fire. The British investigators have now called for all B787 ELT’s to be removed or set inert during the investigation.

    The technology in the Dreamliner is unique and Boeing are taking the lead, and the hits, for this innovation. Maybe, like Concorde before it, the Dreamliner will be a fantastic one off airliner when all the problems are resolved. There is no doubt that composite will be used in other aircraft, but the extensive use of new electrical systems will need more development before other manufactures jump on that band wagon.

    I can only imagine the stress being felt in the boardroom of Boeing in Seattle but I think there is nothing left to do but work with the regulators and get this Boeing going.

  • Dreamliner

    The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has had a most unfortunate couple of weeks. There has been the worst publicity that any aircraft could have. An inflight fire or smoke in the cabin are the worst case scenario for aircrew and the public when it comes to air travel.

    I have avoided the temptation to jump on the band wagon as I have had the experience of working on an newly introduced aircraft type. There is no test like the daily operation of an aircraft, or any vehicle, to bring out a number of problems that the designer and regulatory authorities have not thought of. The Dreamliner has taken this to a whole new level with the type of problem and the world wide grounding of the fleet. If that wasn’t bad enough then the timeline of not only the fix but understanding the cause is seeing the confidence of the carriers fade away.

    There is only so much that the airlines can put up with before the shareholders make the decision to abandon the aircraft and look elsewhere in the competitive world of aircraft supply. Not only that but all the time the airlines are not flying the Dreamliner’s they already operate, the bills are piling up and the lawyers are lining up.

    The battery on the aircraft is touted as the source of the problem,which is ironic as it is there to solve problems when the normal power generation is not operating. This is not the first time this type of battery has given trouble. Cessna had them removed from the new Citation. In that case there was an off the shelf replacement which they could switch to. But it is my understanding that the Dreamliner batteries are so specific to the aircraft that a replacement is not possible in the short term. The whole aircraft is such a new concept that they are breaking ground in many aspects of the systems on board.

    I love the innovation and cutting edge development. But I think they had too much faith put into the battery type without a ‘plan B’. Lets hope the investigation comes to a successful conclusion soon for the sake of the company and the travelling public.