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 ...
[Stuckliner]
LOL - I would laugh more if it were not so risky
They really painted themselves into a corner
GE is super DEI focused if one did not know that already.
Alcoa’s precision investment casting division ‘HOWMET’ has been making titanium jet engine components for GE, Pratt Whitney and others to assemble into gas turbine engines including aviation since the 1950s. They have plants on the East coast, Texas, and Western Lower Michigan.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.