Posted on 08/20/2024 1:09:12 PM PDT by george76
Boeing has been forced to ground its entire 777X test fleet due to a failed engine component - the latest in a series of blows to the embattled manufacturer.
The 777X, Boeing's latest and most state-of-the-art aircraft, first took to the sky in 2020 but faced delays in certification by the Federal Aviation Administration...
The FAA this summer gave the plane the go-ahead for test flights needed before launching passenger service.
Boeing had planned to deliver the fleet in 2025, but the discovery of a failed component connected to the jet's engine has some buyers not expecting the jet until mid-2026.
The find was made over the weekend, after one of the test planes landed in Hawaii.
Subsequent inspections found the same issue on two other active test plane engines
...
The component in question, a titanium piece called a 'thrust link,' connects to the GE9X engines made by General Electric (GE).
A partnership between the companies that began in 2014 saw GE become Boeing's sole engine maker for larger jets like the 777X.
In an effort to save fuel, the companies worked to make aircraft more wedded to specific engine models, to build more efficient machines that would benefit both carriers and customers.
...
The GE-9X itself is an enormous engine, weighing about 11 tons and featuring a front fan made by GE that, at 11 feet in diameter, is the biggest of its kind.
The 777-9, meanwhile, first flew in 2020, but the FAA has yet to grant it full certification, as deliveries continue to be well behind schedule.
In 2019, the fuselage of one the aircraft completely ruptured in pressure tests, a setback that contributed to the delay of the long-haul jet by several months
...
737 MAX, have continued to experience technical failures
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
It appears, based on the article, we don't know.
It appears it is a part that connects the engine to the plane.
Is that a Boeing part, a GE part or some other company?
If USAGov.Corp took over I would forever take my car.
This engine is in testing phase Boeing IS validating the quality of their supplier’s products.
It’s a GE part. I can verify.
Come to think of it...a lot of things should be hung at the DNC.
We seem to be witnessing the slow painful death spiral of a once great American company.
So much for DEI by which you may D-I-E!
Gee....
No Gee EEE.
Agreed. And some of the data is incoherent/deceptive.
GE makes the engine but I bet Boeing makes the thrust link. The same engine goes on other planes, and none of them have been grounded, so this part must be unique to the 777X.
They give the weight of the engine (11 tons), but a thrust link is made to carry its thrust (forward), not its actual weight (downward).
Bad design? Bad material? Bad machining or installation? Any one of these is possible. Glad they caught it in testing.
Airliners are all about efficiency now, the lowest cost per seat-mile. Overengineering is a waste, it adds weight that increases cost (fuel) instead of making revenue. You can't build it like a battleship and expect it to sell.
I'm a former Boeing employee, and it hurts to see what's happening to it now.
Why in the world would you want that? Are you one of those who wish the same for McDonalds? We need these companies desperately, they are the All American success stories.
You're right, this one may be on Boeing. Apparently the engine thrust link is part of the engine mounting structure in the pylon.
I didn't say that they weren't. I said that it is their responsibility to do so.
Well, putting “Boeing” in the headline creates clicks, right?
You will be deeply disappointed. The media makes mountains out of this type of stuff.
I’m not sure who made it. The key word is “connects”. It
could have been made by GE or Boeing or a third party. And was in made to spec or not? If it was, who wrote the specs? Were the specs wrong? Was some detail overlooked or miscalculated?
Crashes the stock too. That may be the intended effect.
The Prime contractor creates a Spec Control Drawing or a Source Control Drawing for any fabrication to be offloaded to a subcontractor.
In both cases, the prime (GE if it's the engine, or Boeing if it's the strut) owns the design and ultimately, the QA compliance to engineering requirements even though a subcontractor may perform the component fabrication.
THIS
How about grounding the 737Max fleet and putting on engines that fit and don’t screw up the COG?
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