Jaunted

787

Boeing Pushes Back Dreamliner Deliveries Yet Again

November 5, 2008 at 8:00 AM | 0 Comments

We're about to stop handicapping the odds that Boeing will ever get these 787s built: A spokeswoman told aviation blog FleetBuzz that thanks to a crippling machinists strike, the Dreamliner won't be making its first flight before the end of 2008 as previously planned. That means it's almost certain that deliveries to carriers like ANA and Japan Airlines won't happen until 2010.

Here's what Boeing had to say:

First flight of the 787 Dreamliner will not be accomplished in the fourth quarter of 2008. The timeframe for first flight has not been established and will be based on the strike recovery assessment. The program is working to determine a new program schedule that will be announced when it is finalized.

Adding to the trouble are newly discovered quality control issues with fasteners, the variety of dodads that hold the plane together. Needless to say, you can't make test flights when you're worried that the plane isn't bolted together right!

Related Stories:
· Boeing 787 First Flight Delayed [FleetBuzz]
· Boeing 787 Schedule Pushed Back Again [USA Today]
· Could the Dreamliner Be Flying by 2009? [Jaunted]

Japan Airlines

JAL Jumps in the Biofuel Queue Too

June 30, 2008 at 9:15 AM | 0 Comments

Air New Zealand's trying it with jatropha, and Virgin Atlantic thought that coconut oil would do the trick. Now it's time for Japan Airlines to give biofuel flying a whirl.

Japan Airlines, aka JAL, is planning a biofuel demonstration flight before the end of March 2009 in a 747; they won't say which Japanese airport they'll fly from yet, but expect the flight to take an hour and to be the first biofuel test flight in Asia.

The other thing JAL won't say is what biofuel they'll use--because apparently they haven't decided yet. They are sure it'll be a second-generation biofuel (that means one that doesn't compete with food crops) so Richard Branson's coconuts are out. We'll have to wait a few months and see what those clever Japanese scientists come up with.

Related Stories:
· Japan Airlines to Make Biofuel Test Flight [Treehugger]
· Richard Branson Flies Around on Coconuts [Jaunted]
· The Green, Green Skies of New Zealand [Jaunted]

[Photo: St Stev]