The Dodge Retort

A story a few days ago about the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in The Economist pointed out:

“When The Onion starts making fun of your company’s problems, you’re in trouble. It means that those problems are well-known enough to be funny to a mass audience. That’s the sign of a badly damaged reputation.”

Indeed, the hilarious online news parody did cover the most recent delay in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner whose first commercial deliveries will commence in the first quarter of 2011 instead of the fourth quarter. My only comment is that The Economist is UK-based and, as a result, is pro-Airbus – translation – anti Boeing. Financially, Boeing is humming along these days with its reputation quite in tact (my bias, perhaps).

“CHICAGO—With the airline industry continuing to suffer under the ongoing recession, the Boeing Company was forced Monday to lay off Al Freedman, the only guy left at the corporation who knows how to keep wings from falling off planes. “We used to have a whole team of engineers who knew how to make the wings stay on, but those days are long gone,” Boeing CEO James McNerney, Jr. said. “We’ll make it work, though. The wings are not necessarily the most important part of the plane, anyway.” McNerney added that at least they were able to save the job of the guy who knows how to prevent jet engines from exploding.“

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This one gives me goosebumps….nice video, Flightblogger….

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The Boeing 787 Dreamliner steals the show at Farnborough International Air Show. This video offers glimpses of the 787′s interior and is narrated by Randy Tinseth, VP of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. His full comments oddly headlined “Opportunities” can be found at his blog, Randy’s Journal.

Most notably, Boeing announced $13 billion in orders at Farnborough, but none were for 787s. [updated: the 787 drought ended this morning at Farnborough when Royal Jordanian Airlines ordered three 787s. Thanks to Flightblogger Jon Ostrower for the update.]

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The fifth Boeing 787 Dreamliner (ZA005) took its maiden flight yesterday from Paine Field. Here’s the video as it leaves its birthplace at the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington. Follow me on Twitter.



ZA005 First Flight from Liz Matzelle on Vimeo.

Airline crews just flew the Boeing 787 Dreamliner for the first time, according a post in Randy Tinseth’s Journal. Tinseth is VP of marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

credit: Boeing Commercial Airplanes

The All Nippon Airways crew took ZA001, the first 787 ever to fly, up over Washington State for two and half hours. Four 787s are presently flying with ZA005 and ZA006 in production. The quartet has wracked up 267 flights and 830 hours and 45 minutes, according to flight 787flighttest.com.

ANA is expected to take the first commerical deliveries of the 787 in the fourth quarter. I grabbed a few of the photos of the event off Randy’s post. Enjoy!

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Taking off from Boeing Field in Seattle. credit: Boeing Commercial Airplanes

ANA Capt. Ishii, left, and 787 chief test pilot Mike Carriker. credit: Boeing Commercial Airplanes

Yes, these are real photos of a Boeing 787 001 over Mount Rainier next to Boeing 40 C bi-plane, reportedly the oldest Boeing aircraft still flying. The shots were taken last Saturday.

Test pilot Mike Carriker is at the throttle of the 787 Dreamliner (the one I witnessed first hand last Dec. 15 when the 787 and yes, this particular one, flew for the first time).

There’s four more of these remarkable photos at AirlineReporter blog, which offers up the explanation below:

“The Pemberton Family wants to thank the visionaries at The Boeing Company for their support in making some history this past Saturday. Boeing test pilot Mike Carriker flew Dreamliner serial number 001, the newest Boeing commercial aircraft, for some formation flyby shots with the Pemberton’s Model 40, the oldest flying Boeing commercial aircraft. The flights were just west of Mt. Rainier, Washington.

It is amazing to see Boeing’s oldest flying aircraft with their newest. A true enthusiast can’t help but get goosebumps seeing these photos!”

My advice to the pilot of the 40C? Don’t get too close.

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It’s time to brag a little as the IEEE put out a press release today about the two winners of of their 2008 Distinguished Journalistic Contributions awards for furthering the engineering profession. I’m proud to say yours truly is one of them. Unfortunately, I did not make it to Salt Lake City for the IEEE’s annual meeting where the awards were presented. Anyhow, I won it for my coverage and conceptualization of Design News’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner coverage.

In total, Design News where I was editor-in-chief won four awards for that coverage for which I was the architect and often the author. Now if only the damn plane would fly!?

My deepest thanks go to Dean Geoffrey Orsak who heads SMU’s  Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering. He sponsored my award application and had the brilliant idea that I take a shot  at it. He sent me the press release which I ran in its entirety below (Unfortunately, I cannot locate the link.) MSNBC.com science editor Alan Boyle also won the award for 2008.

I am very proud of this award because electrical engineers as a rule are a very hard crowd to please – especially if you are a journalist.

> From: p.mccarter@ieee.org > Date: March 17, 2009 5:18:56 PM CDT

> To: Multiple recipients

> Subject: IEEE-USA Awards $3,000 in Honoraria to Journalists Who Have Increased Engineering Awareness

IEEE-USA IN ACTION: $3,000 IN HONORARIA PRESENTED TO TWO JOURNALISTS WHO HAVE ADDED TO PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF ENGINEERING

For the first time, IEEE-USA has awarded two $1,500 honoraria to recognize print and electronic journalists who have added to a greater public understanding of the contributions of engineering and computer professionals to society.

The two award winners were recognized by 2008 IEEE-USA President Russell Lefevre at the organization’s annual meeting in Salt Lake City on 28 February: Alan Boyle, science editor of MSNBC.com, for his series of articles on future engineering challenges; and John Dodge, editor-in-chief of DESIGN NEWS, for his series of articles on key new technologies in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Past award recipients have included NPR’s Richard Harris (1991); the CHICAGO TRIBUNE’s Jon Van (1993); THE WALL STREET JOURNAL’s G. Pascal Zachary (1998); and Jon Katz, for his book, “Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho” (2000).

To see articles written by the 2008 IEEE-USA journalism award winners, go to: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16545946; andhttp://www.designnews.com/blog/Design_engineering_at_large/205-Boeing_s_787_Dreamliner_aims_to_improve_flying.php > > CONTACT: Pender M. McCarter, APR, Fellow PRSA, Senior Public Relations Counselor, +1 202 530 8353, p.mccarter@ieee.org

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is still having a difficult time getting off the ground and this time the brake control system is to blame, according to a small story in yesterday’s Seattle Times. The story says the brakes have to redesigned because Boeing change the requirements and there is a dispute over who will pay for it the new development work. Crane Aerospace is building the brake control system.

The plane is already about two years behind schedule and the first one is slated to fly in the second quarter.  A second cancellation was reported yesterday bringing the total to 33, but the bulging order book still stands at 878.

Fifth "Flight Test" 787 Moves into Assembly

Boeing said it has moved its fifth “flight test” 787 Dreamliner into  assembly today, signaling a steady ramp-up in production of the long delayed airplane. Number five will also be the first outfitted with GE’s GEnx engines.

“It’s the first new 787 to enter production since September. You’ll see a steady drumbeat of airplanes entering and exiting final assembly,” a Boeing spokeswoman said. The current schedule was disrupted by last fall’s 58-day machinists strike.

“This airplane signifies our return to a steady production rhythm,” vice president of 787 Final Assembly and Change Incorporation Jack Jones was quoted as saying in the press release. The announcement is also significant because the ZA005 will certify the GEnx engines in flight. The first four planes use the Trent 1000 engines from Rolls Royce.

The fifth plane, designated ZA005, is the seventh to enter assembly. Two are used for fatigue and static airframe testing and will never fly, the spokeswoman said. ZA005 is the fifth of six airplanes that will undergo flight testing and when finished with that are “refurbished” for customers.

Boeing’s press release set an optimistic tone after a series of setbacks resulting from nagging fastener shortages. ZA001 and ZA002 have undergone fastener “rework” while ZA004 and ZA005 are in the second production position, the press release said. Engines are hung in the fourth and final assembly position where ZA002 is now, Boeing said. Across the 787’s network of 40 tier one suppliers, 30 787s are in production.

The 787 order book juggernaut suffered one casualty this week when Russian S7 airlines canceled an order for 15 787s, bringing orders down to 895 across 58 remaining customers.  ZA001, the first 787 that will fly, is still slated for wheels up the second quarter.

Why do I write about the 787? It is the ultimate expression of engineering across all disciplines and seeing it fly for the first time in the second quarter should be a mega rush. In my former life at designnews.com, I and the rest of my former edit team wrote countless stories and features about the 787 and I cannot stop now so close to first flight!