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By PETER SANDERS

Boeing Co. has encountered new flaws in the production of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft that have led it to order work to be halted at a plant in Italy that was making parts of the fuselage, the company confirmed Thursday night.

It is unclear how the work stoppage, ordered almost two months ago, will impact the delivery of the 787, which is already two years behind schedule.

The production flaw found in the Italian factory is the latest issue to beset the 787. On the same day that the company ordered work to be stopped at the fuselage plant, Boeing announced in a conference call that it had found a separate structural flaw where the wings meet the body of the plane. That flaw set back the Dreamliner's first test flight. Boeing still hasn't rescheduled the plane's maiden flight or updated its delivery schedule.

Though Boeing officials knew about the problem at the fuselage plant at the same time, they never mentioned it publicly.

The work-stoppage order is detailed in a letter written on June 23 by Boeing to Alenia Aeronautica in Naples. Boeing officials instructed them to stop manufacturing the two mid-fuselage sections it builds for the 787 after flaws in the fuselage's composite skin were discovered.

The existence of the work stoppage and the letter were first reported on the FlightBlogger Web site, which covers the aviation industry.

The problems with the center barrel of the plane's body could "lead to significant degradation of the structure," the letter said, according to the report on the Web site. Alenia is one of hundreds of global subcontractors Boeing is using to build the 787.

Boeing downplayed the significance of the problem. In a statement emailed Thursday night, a Boeing spokeswoman said "a modification needed to accommodate these findings is already designed and being installed" on the affected fuselage parts.

"After a thorough review we found only two locations on each airplane that needed to be strengthened with a fairly simple patch," said Lori Gunter, spokeswoman for the 787 program in Everett, Wash. The two patches can be applied externally and should prevent any "wrinkling" of the composite material, which could lead to further damage if left unrepaired.

Ms. Gunter confirmed that the first 23 production aircraft will need the fix, which can be applied at factories in Washington, South Carolina or Italy, depending on how far along each aircraft is in the production cycle.

The affected areas are located on the fuselage behind the wing and were first introduced on parts for the fifth Dreamliner, when the Italian factory began using a new tooling machine.

Ms. Gunter said the company was still trying to confirm that two of the six aircraft that will be used in Boeing's test flights won't need a modification before they make their first flights, but Boeing didn't rule out the possibility.

She said the Alenia factory in Italy hasn't resumed manufacturing of new fuselage parts. Boeing engineers continue to try to rework the design to reduce the potential for fatigue and "wrinkle" in the Dreamliner's composite skin on that part of the fuselage. Work also continues on the fuselage barrels that had been fabricated before production was halted nearly two months ago.

Asked if the company should have disclosed the Alenia factory closure, Ms. Gunter said via email, "The stoppage of work has no affect on schedule or cost. This is fairly normal for a new development program. These issues come up and we deal with them and move on."

However, Boeing customers have already complained about a lack of transparency as delays have accumulated.

Write to Peter Sanders at peter.sanders@wsj.com

Fuente: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125021879263331325.html

Netburn escribió:Bastante preocupante la situación con el Dreamliner.

Más preocupante aún me parece que Boeing no haya revelado oficialmente las nuevas fechas de los primeros vuelos, o un status/posición más revelador/a en cuanto al proyecto.

¿Qué opinará Avianca?

Sería una lástima no tener el 787 con los colores nacionales o, peor aún, ni siquiera tener 787.

Saludos.

xplan303ex escribió:

Netburn escribió:Bastante preocupante la situación con el Dreamliner.

Más preocupante aún me parece que Boeing no haya revelado oficialmente las nuevas fechas de los primeros vuelos, o un status/posición más revelador/a en cuanto al proyecto.

¿Qué opinará Avianca?

Sería una lástima no tener el 787 con los colores nacionales o, peor aún, ni siquiera tener 787.

Saludos.

El problema es que entrar en detalles publicamente es darle la ventaja a Airbus, que está sentada tomando notas sobre los problemas que pueden encontrar al manufacturar aviones de materiales compuestos.

Los de Avianca los iban a entregar en el 2012 no? De aquí a allá es posible que el ritmo de producción aumente lo suficiente para que no sea mucho el retraso. Pero tranquilo que el avión va a volar.

Airdres escribió:No creo que Boeing (ni Airbus) se ponga a dar fechas sabiendo que no va a poder cumplir.

Airdres escribió:Oh si, "jugadas" hacen a cada rato Boeing y Airbus (y Embraer y Bombarider y todo el mundo), pero de nuevo, despues de todo el alboroto que ha habido dudo profundamente que Boeing haya dado nuevas fechas sabiendo de antemano que no las podian cumplir.

Boeing sets new test flight date for delayed 787

New test flight scheduled for Boeing's delayed next-generation plane; Wall St skeptical
By DANIEL LOVERING
AP Manufacturing Writer

NEW YORK -- Boeing says its 787 aircraft will be ready for its first test flight by the end of this year and its initial delivery by the end of next year, sending its shares higher as it gives some clarity to a program that has been delayed five times already.

Boeing originally scheduled the 787's first test for the fall of 2007. But production problems have forced the company to postpone trial flights for the next-generation passenger jet. The first delivery to Japan's All Nippon Airways Co.is now more than two years behind its original schedule.

After so many false starts, airline customers and Wall Street are more skeptical of Boeing's timetable for the 787, built with lightweight carbon composite parts for fuel efficiency.

With a new test date set for now, shares of Boeing rose $4.16, or 8.7 percent, to $51.98 in afternoon trading.

The plane's delays are expected to cost Boeing billions of dollars in penalties and expenses, and they've hurt the Chicago-based company's credibility.

Boeing came under sharp questioning in a conference call Thursday after the announcement. One analyst, Howard Rubel of Jefferies & Co., asked why the company's latest schedule is "any better" than ones issued previously.

Boeing said it will book a pretax charge of $2.5 billion, or $2.21 per share, in the third quarter, including a write-off for the first three test planes, which customers would normally take, but don't want in this case.

With the 787, the company has adopted a new approach to building airplanes, relying on overseas suppliers to build huge sections of the plane that are later assembled at the company's commercial aircraft plant near Seattle.

But ill-fitting parts and other problems have hampered production. The latest delay came in June, when the company said it needed to reinforce areas close to where the wings and fuselage join.

Still, the jet remains Boeing's best-selling new plane and a priority as it struggles with sharply lower orders caused by weak demand for air travel. Boeing currently has 850 orders for the 787. Seventy-three orders have been canceled so far this year.

The company and some analysts say the 787 - Boeing's first all-new jetliner since the 777 - eventually will prove a financial and technological success.

"I am confident the team can address the remaining development challenges," Pat Shanahan, general manager of airplane programs for Boeing's commercial division, said during Thursday's conference call.

But not everyone is convinced. Troy Lahr, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co., said the new schedule is "achievable," but that the program has lost credibility.

"We're not holding our breath," he said.

Boeing fija la nueva fecha del vuelo de prueba para 787 retrasado

Por DANIEL LOVERING
Escritor de la fabricación del AP

NUEVA YORK -- Boeing dice que sus 787 aviones estarán listos para su primer vuelo de prueba antes de fin de este año y su entrega inicial para el final de próximo año, enviando sus partes más arriba como dan una cierta claridad a un programa que se ha retrasado cinco veces ya.

Boeing programó originalmente la prueba 787's primer para la caída de 2007. Pero los problemas de la producción han forzado a la compañía a posponer los vuelos de ensayo para el avión de pasajeros next-generation. La primera entrega a All Nippon Airways Co .is de Japón ahora más de dos años detrás de su horario original.

Después de tan muchos intentos fallidos, los clientes y Wall Street de la línea aérea son más escépticos del horario de Boeing para los 787, construido con las piezas compuestas del carbón ligero para la eficacia del combustible.

Con una nueva fecha de prueba fijada para ahora, las partes de Boeing se levantaron el $4.16, o 8.7 por ciento, a $51.98 en el comercio de la tarde.

Se espera que los retardos del plano cuesten los mil millones de Boeing de dólares en penas y costos, y han lastimado la credibilidad de la compañía Chicago-basada.

Boeing vino bajo preguntar agudo en una audioconferencia jueves después del aviso. Un analista, Howard Rubel de Jefferies y Co., preguntado porqué el último horario de la compañía es “mejor” que unos publicados previamente.

Boeing dijo que reservará una carga antes de impuestos de $2.5 mil millones, o $2.21 por la parte, en el tercer cuarto, incluyendo una amortización para los primeros tres planos de la prueba, que los clientes tomarían normalmente, pero que no quiere en este caso.

Con los 787, la compañía ha adoptado un nuevo acercamiento a los aeroplanos del edificio, confiando en surtidores de ultramar para construir las secciones enormes del plano que están montadas más adelante en la planta de aviones comerciales de la compañía cerca de Seattle.

Pero las piezas ill-fitting y otros problemas han obstaculizado la producción. El último retardo vino en junio, cuando la compañía lo dijo necesario para reforzar las áreas cerca de donde las alas y el fuselage ensamblan.

No obstante, el jet sigue siendo plano superventas y una prioridad de Boeing nuevo mientras que lucha con órdenes agudamente más bajas causadas por la demanda débil para el transporte aéreo. Boeing tiene actualmente 850 órdenes para los 787. Setenta y tres órdenes han estado canceladas hasta ahora este año.

La compañía y algunos analistas dicen que los 787 - el primer avión completamente nuevo de Boeing puesto que los 777 - probarán eventual un éxito financiero y tecnológico.

“Me siento confiado el equipo puedo tratar los desafíos restantes del desarrollo,” palmadita Shanahan, director general de los programas del aeroplano para la división comercial de Boeing, dije durante la audioconferencia de jueves.

Pero no se convence cada uno. Troy Lahr, analista en Stifel Nicolaus y Co., dijo que el nuevo horario es “realizable,” pero que el programa ha perdido credibilidad.

“No estamos conteniendo nuestra respiración,” él dijo.

Boeing begins 787 wing modifications
By Jon Ostrower

Boeing has begun modifying two 787 Dreamliners as it pushes toward meeting its goal of flying the aircraft by the end of 2009.

The company's first 787 to fly, ZA001, along with the static test airframe, ZY997, are currently undergoing modification to return full static strength to the upper stringers of the structure that joins the wing to the side of body of the aircraft.

Boeing says the entire process of preparation, installation and restoration will take about three months, with programme sources indicating that the installation itself will take roughly 30 days to complete.

After the installation is complete, Boeing will have to restore ZA001 to flying condition which includes a thorough aqueous wash to remove any debris accumulated during the work inside the fuel tanks.

Boeing says that to gain access to the area being modified, some systems and access doors were removed and will have to be reinstalled.

Following the completion of the installation, Boeing will first analyse the fix on ZY997 through a series of static tests that will validate the design, ultimately clearing ZA001 for flight.

After being in the shop for three months, ZA001 will go through a "warm up" process by repeating some gauntlet testing and taxi testing to prepare the 787 for it's maiden flight, says Boeing.

The company announced 23 June that it had discovered that the upper stringers of the wing to body join were not strong enough to meet FAA certification requirements for static strength, curtailing plans to achieve first flight by the close of the second quarter.