fountainhall
September 12th, 2014, 14:13
тАЬSooner or later thereтАЩs going to be a structural failure on the fuselageтАЭ
For those interested in the continuing saga of the Boeing Dreamliner, Al Jazeera recently aired a one-hour documentary, тАЬBroken Dreams: The Boeing 787тАЭ. It purports to go behind the scenes to witness тАЬthe world that Boeing keeps secret.тАЭ Most of it takes place after the incidents with the batteries were тАШsolvedтАЩ. For those not wishing to watch the entire programme, here are some of the highlights.
The root of the problem, according to the reporter, is fourfold. Firstly, the merger with McDonnell Douglas and the attempt to merge BoeingтАЩs successful business model with McDonnell DouglasтАЩ unsuccessful model. That was followed by the move of corporate headquarters from Washington State to Chicago, thereby removing senior management from the production process coupled with a need to satisfy Wall Street by making major cost cuts.
Thirdly it wanted a new plane, but it set a budget of only $5 million. To enable the Dreamliner to be built, it farmed out production of many parts of the plane to contractors around the world who would pay for their own production lines and costs of producing their parts
Fourthly, after being beset by a major mechanics strike in 2009, Boeing took the decision to open a second Dreamliner plant in Charleston, South Carolina тАУ with a non-Union workforce which included staff brought in whose experience had been serving at McDonaldтАЩs. As one Boeing staffer says, тАЬYou canтАЩt have someone from McDonalds doing heart surgery. ThatтАЩs trusting someone with your life. ThatтАЩs what weтАЩre doing here.тАЭ
But тАЬdesigned to save so much money, it was costing Boeing billions. The outsourcing plan failed very badly. All these different suppliers who were going to build these different sections, couldnтАЩt really do it.тАЭ So Boeing had to send hundreds of quality analysts to the contractors. Only, as a 32-year former Boeing employee said, "they were shortchanging the engineering process to meet a schedule and theyтАЩre not allowing quality control to do their job . . . How they sleep at night, I just donтАЩt get it. As an engineer I find that reprehensible . . . I would definitely avoid flying on a 787тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs an iceberg!тАЭ
At a meeting in the Assembly Plant in Charleston, South Carolina with a man who works inside the plant who was allegedly taking a huge risk by even talking to the reporter, "ItтАЩs been eating me alive to know what I know and to have no avenue, no venue to say anything . . . With all the problems reported on the 787, thereтАЩs 90% thatтАЩs being swept away тАУ hushed up. ItтАЩs an iceberg!тАЭ
One worker states: тАЬI know of one customer, theyтАЩll no longer accept planes from Charleston due to quality тАУ they will only accept final assembly done in Washington.тАЭ At Charleston, BoeingтАЩs quality assurance inspectors do not check individual work, only the finished article. тАЬHere everyone is being pushed to meet the fucking schedule, regardless of quality.тАЭ
When complaints were made to the FAA, questions were referred to Beijing. The investigation was closed. Mary Schiavo, the former US Transportation Inspector General, said that Boeing alleges Boeing claimed they fixed the problems. тАЬThe regulators at the FAA will rarely cross Boeing. They simply wonтАЩt.тАЭ
тАЬI see the quality of the fucking shit going down here.тАЭ
Interviewed at Charleston, 15 workers were asked if they would fly on the Dreamliner. 10 said тАШNoтАЩ. When asked why, one said, тАЬbecause I see the quality of the fucking shit going down here.тАЭ
Finally, during an interview with Larry Lofti, the Boeing executive running the 787 programme, about serious quality issues at South Carolina, BoeingтАЩs Communications Director steps in, stops the interview and asks for the cameras to be turned off. Boeing then wrote to say тАЬour interview was hostile, unprofessional and in the worst tradition of tabloid television news.тАЭ It then made statements to deny all the points made in the interview s with Boeing staff and airlines making negative comments.
From what I have read, those who have flown the 787 seem happy with their experience. After watching the programme, would you fly one - especially one assembled in Charleston?
[youtube:3dh1olym]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvkEpstd9os[/youtube:3dh1olym]
For those interested in the continuing saga of the Boeing Dreamliner, Al Jazeera recently aired a one-hour documentary, тАЬBroken Dreams: The Boeing 787тАЭ. It purports to go behind the scenes to witness тАЬthe world that Boeing keeps secret.тАЭ Most of it takes place after the incidents with the batteries were тАШsolvedтАЩ. For those not wishing to watch the entire programme, here are some of the highlights.
The root of the problem, according to the reporter, is fourfold. Firstly, the merger with McDonnell Douglas and the attempt to merge BoeingтАЩs successful business model with McDonnell DouglasтАЩ unsuccessful model. That was followed by the move of corporate headquarters from Washington State to Chicago, thereby removing senior management from the production process coupled with a need to satisfy Wall Street by making major cost cuts.
Thirdly it wanted a new plane, but it set a budget of only $5 million. To enable the Dreamliner to be built, it farmed out production of many parts of the plane to contractors around the world who would pay for their own production lines and costs of producing their parts
Fourthly, after being beset by a major mechanics strike in 2009, Boeing took the decision to open a second Dreamliner plant in Charleston, South Carolina тАУ with a non-Union workforce which included staff brought in whose experience had been serving at McDonaldтАЩs. As one Boeing staffer says, тАЬYou canтАЩt have someone from McDonalds doing heart surgery. ThatтАЩs trusting someone with your life. ThatтАЩs what weтАЩre doing here.тАЭ
But тАЬdesigned to save so much money, it was costing Boeing billions. The outsourcing plan failed very badly. All these different suppliers who were going to build these different sections, couldnтАЩt really do it.тАЭ So Boeing had to send hundreds of quality analysts to the contractors. Only, as a 32-year former Boeing employee said, "they were shortchanging the engineering process to meet a schedule and theyтАЩre not allowing quality control to do their job . . . How they sleep at night, I just donтАЩt get it. As an engineer I find that reprehensible . . . I would definitely avoid flying on a 787тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs an iceberg!тАЭ
At a meeting in the Assembly Plant in Charleston, South Carolina with a man who works inside the plant who was allegedly taking a huge risk by even talking to the reporter, "ItтАЩs been eating me alive to know what I know and to have no avenue, no venue to say anything . . . With all the problems reported on the 787, thereтАЩs 90% thatтАЩs being swept away тАУ hushed up. ItтАЩs an iceberg!тАЭ
One worker states: тАЬI know of one customer, theyтАЩll no longer accept planes from Charleston due to quality тАУ they will only accept final assembly done in Washington.тАЭ At Charleston, BoeingтАЩs quality assurance inspectors do not check individual work, only the finished article. тАЬHere everyone is being pushed to meet the fucking schedule, regardless of quality.тАЭ
When complaints were made to the FAA, questions were referred to Beijing. The investigation was closed. Mary Schiavo, the former US Transportation Inspector General, said that Boeing alleges Boeing claimed they fixed the problems. тАЬThe regulators at the FAA will rarely cross Boeing. They simply wonтАЩt.тАЭ
тАЬI see the quality of the fucking shit going down here.тАЭ
Interviewed at Charleston, 15 workers were asked if they would fly on the Dreamliner. 10 said тАШNoтАЩ. When asked why, one said, тАЬbecause I see the quality of the fucking shit going down here.тАЭ
Finally, during an interview with Larry Lofti, the Boeing executive running the 787 programme, about serious quality issues at South Carolina, BoeingтАЩs Communications Director steps in, stops the interview and asks for the cameras to be turned off. Boeing then wrote to say тАЬour interview was hostile, unprofessional and in the worst tradition of tabloid television news.тАЭ It then made statements to deny all the points made in the interview s with Boeing staff and airlines making negative comments.
From what I have read, those who have flown the 787 seem happy with their experience. After watching the programme, would you fly one - especially one assembled in Charleston?
[youtube:3dh1olym]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvkEpstd9os[/youtube:3dh1olym]