Tue, Mar 26, 2013
Certification Flights Planned For Later This Week
Boeing on Monday conducted a preliminary test flight in preparation for the recertification of the Dreamliner battery system. A battery fire in January has caused the worldwide fleet of 787s to be grounded for the past several months. Boeing officials said that the flight went "according to plan."
The Seattle Times reports that Boeing said the flight would be a normal production check flight to assure that systems perform as they are designed. The company said that a formal certification flight was planned for later this week for the FAA.
But even as the planemaker works to get the Dreamliners flying again, the company announced Friday that it would be laying off as many as 800 machinists working on the 787 and 747-8 programs. The Times reports that Boeing Spokesman Doug Alder said that the total number of positions to be cut could be as high as 2,300.
Alder said that the cuts come as production stabilizes, and that they have been anticipated. He said that they are not related to the grounding of the Dreamliner fleet, and that the layoffs will come largely from the ranks of employees who do modifications on airplanes coming off the assembly line that need additional attention.
Connie Keliher, spokeswoman for the IAM, said the layoffs are not an indication of the onset of a down cycle for Boeing, as they are not related to production rate decreases. The director of Washington State's State Office of Aerospace Alex Pietsch said that he expects that there is growth in Boeing's future as the 737 MAX comes online, and that the 787-10 and 777X programs will also help take up the slack.
(Image provided by Boeing)
More News
Also: B-29 Superfortress Reunion, FAA Wants Controllers, Spirit Airlines Pulls Back, Gogo Galileo Van's Aircraft posted a short video recapping the goings-on around their reorganiz>[...]
Light Gun A handheld directional light signaling device which emits a brilliant narrow beam of white, green, or red light as selected by the tower controller. The color and type of>[...]
"The journey to this achievement started nearly a decade ago when a freshly commissioned Gentry, driven by a fascination with new technologies and a desire to contribute significan>[...]
"Our driven and innovative team of military and civilian Airmen delivers combat power daily, ensuring our nation is ready today and tomorrow." Source: General Duke Richardson, AFMC>[...]
Aircraft Conflict Predicted conflict, within EDST of two aircraft, or between aircraft and airspace. A Red alert is used for conflicts when the predicted minimum separation is 5 na>[...]