Boeing fixes Dreamliner brakes
Boeing Co., whose delayed 787 Dreamliner has been further postponed by a machinists' strike, said a critical problem concerning brake software has been resolved, putting the plane one step closer to first flight.
``The issues with the brake software are largely behind us,'' Yvonne Leach, a Boeing spokeswoman in Everett, Washington, where the plane is being assembled, said today. ``Functionality required for flight test is in the labs and is working well.''
The 787 Dreamliner, the Chicago-based planemaker's most successful new sales campaign ever with about 900 sold before the jet has even flown, uses new electric brakes rather than hydraulic as on most planes. Pat Shanahan, the program manager, said in May that the brakes and power system were the last two problem areas as Boeing prepares for first flight and aims for a first delivery in the third quarter of 2009.
Testing on the 787's electric system, built by United Technologies Corp.'s Hamilton Sundstrand unit, was finished in June. Electricity plays a bigger role on the 787 than on any other commercial aircraft, with power levels that are five times higher than on the 767. The plane also is the first to be built mostly with lighter-weight composite materials, which, along with new engine technology, will help reduce fuel consumption.
Shanahan said in July that subcontractor Crane Co. hadn't been able to get software it was developing for the brakes certified for use. Leach said today that ``all known software problems are resolved'' and the brakes are now being tested.
The progress was reported today by FleetBuzz Editorial blog, which said the problem had been ``due to a traceability anomaly'' in ``highly advanced software being rewritten for the brakes.''
Dreamliner Delays
The 787 has been delayed three times due to parts shortages and problems with the new production process, which uses suppliers around the world to build large sections of the plane and ship them to Everett to be put together. The plane was already 15 months late before the machinists' strike, which is now in its eighth week. The striking workers will vote tomorrow on a contract proposal. Japan's All Nippon Airways said in September it had been told to expect its first 787 in August 2009, rather than May 2008 as originally planned.
Shanahan said in July that he expected the first flight to be in November, though some issues, including the brakes and changes to strengthen the wing section, were ``eating up'' the schedule's margin. The company has since said that a strike by its 27,000 machinists that began Sept. 6 is producing a further ``day-for-day'' delay to the program.
The 210- to 330-seat plane will replace the similarly sized 767 and compete with Airbus SAS's A350, due to enter service in 2013.