787 grounded over the battery problems

[rnclittlerock]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/787-grounded-faa-orders-a_n_2490941.html

[gotyacovered]

here is the AD...

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[Flying Razorback]

I really dislike the current trend of flight testing during production.  Problems that arise are harder to fix because now you have a bunch of aircraft already off the assembly line.  This is the exact problem the F-35 line is having.

The idea was/is that with modern computer design, testing, and so on you should be able to work out all kinks before production starts.  Then it's just a matter of confirming numbers in the air once the aircraft is built.  So once the line begins you can start cranking out numbers of aircraft while the first runs are doing the flight testing.  The problem with the F-35 is they did this and found about 7 major and critical flaws that now need to be fixed in the ~20 aircraft that already exist and the others that are partially complete on the line.  This is a lot harder and a lot more expensive. 

It also hurts the image as in the case of the 787 which is already years behind and many are becoming disappointed in it.

[Brownstreak]

But but but but but....lithium batteries are SAFE according to the battery lobbyists and congress! <sarcasm.  I guess that's why they outlawed hauling them on passenger carriers, but us freight dogs were cut out of that law.  I hope those lobbyists and congressmen are haunted by the UPS 6 pilots who burned to death due to lithium batteries.

$$$$ are what rules this country.

[rnclittlerock]

Pretty much.

Kinda like how the car manufacturers 60 years ago flatly refused to offer seatbelts and collapsible steering columns.  Nevermind that more people died, they saw safety devices as an admission of selling unsafe cars.

Monetary liability > life