And not that long ago we were all laughing at Airbus.
This is a complicated machine. Kudos to Boeing for finding and fixing this preproduction, even if it delays the release.
Far better than finding the problem after producing scores of flawed aircraft and having them fall out of the sky due to structural failure.
At least the 787 is a plane that customers want, if it ever gets off the ground.
This article is unusually well written. I commend the author/editor and publisher.
It appears to me that this is more a problem of an engineering detail that was detected in design phase that fell through the cracks than any major design flaw. It was not expected to EVER result in a catastrophic failure, if the article was written correctly. It was only discovered by virtue of the plane being put through a very high stress test that exercised the wing to 150% of the “maximum” stress an aircraft was expected to encounter. If this failure (delamination) had occurred in flight, it would have been noticed upon refueling, and the plane taken out of service for VERY COSTLY repair (or perhaps even junking). I suspect replacing the wing would have constituted the repair which would have been done.
It certainly is not good for Boeing’s bottom line, but in fact it seems that their testing regimen worked to identify a problem that would possibly have shown up sometime in the future and cost them customer confidence then. As it is, Boeing seems to have done precisely what they ought to do.
This all said, if the minor modification that is described works, and it is the only remaining problem that needs to be addressed, it sounds very good. If that modification doesn’t work... well, I am sure that no one at Boeing wants to even think about this one. It sounds like their modeling caught with the earlier design, and the mod has certainly been run through the wringer by now, so I would wager chances are good that it works.
(It has always been amazing to me how wings “flap” on large aircraft to begin with... a bit scary in a way, but thrilling for the daredevil in me, too!)
Airbust is too sad for a laugh. Fly at your own risk. - At least Boeing fixes their problems.
Not me, I repeatedly said, "I'll breath easier when the 787 flies".
This is very very bad news for Boeing and the 787, very good news for Airbus and the A350. I now expect a lot of air carries to cancel 787 orders. This does not help Boeing get the AF tanker orders either. How's all that out sourcing of design and production on the 787 working out for ya Boeing?