EVERETT — The Boeing Co.’s 787 jet program ran into more snags this week but doesn’t envision further delivery delays to customers.
“We’ve got a solid plan in place and we’ll resolve these issues,” Scott Fancher, general manager of the 787 program, said Friday.
After more than two years of delays, the aviation world is scrutinizing Boeing’s every move on the 787. Late this week, the company disclosed two issues: a shuffling of 787 parts deliveries into Everett in September and a quality issue with the jet’s tail. Still, Fancher believes that Boeing will make its first delivery to Japan’s All Nippon Airways by year’s end.
On Thursday, Boeing halted flights of its 787 test aircraft in order to inspect the planes’ horizontal stabilizers, supplied by Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica. Workers in Everett found improperly installed shims — small composite pieces placed where the horizontal tail joins the fuselage. They also discovered that some fasteners used in the area were overtightened, which could cause more damage to shims and tail.
Fancher said that Boeing’s decision not to fly its test planes was not a “safety of flight” issue.
“We felt it was the right decision,” he said.
Inspections take about a day to complete and any necessary rework could take up to eight days per plane. The company is also inspecting its planes in production. Altogether, Boeing has 25 horizontal stabilizers to check.
Three out of the five test planes already were scheduled to be on the ground as crews modify the aircraft to perform new flight tests. Boeing can inspect, and if necessary, rework, those three aircraft as the ground preparations for flight testing continue, Fancher said.
Two test aircraft had been scheduled to fly, which could require some juggling of flight tests. Boeing said last week that it had completed about 40 percent of the test conditions required for certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. The five 787 test aircraft have flown a total of 1,060 hours. Another 787 test aircraft is expected to join the fleet soon.
The horizontal tail issue isn’t a major problem in the context of the 787 program, which has sustained several delays, said Scott Hamilton, an analyst for Issaquah-based Leeham Co. On the positive side, the issue was discovered before Boeing delivers its 787 to customers. That’s in contrast to the recent concerns over engine pylons on Boeing 767s, which prompted American Airlines to inspect 56 of its aircraft. And the eight-day fix isn’t as complex as the 787’s side-of-body problem, which delayed the 787’s first flight by six months, he said.
Also on Friday, Boeing announced a decision to shuffle deliveries of 787 components into Everett in September. The move is designed to allow time for some 787 partners to catch up and ship more complete structures to Everett, where the 787 goes through final assembly. Boeing halted supplier shipments briefly earlier in the year for a similar reason.
While Chicago-based Boeing will deliver the expected number of 787s in 2010 and 2011, Fancher was less clear whether the 787s will be delivered when the customers requested.
“I don’t think we’re going to be disappointing anyone with our deliveries … but there are always subtleties that we have to work out with our customers,” he said.
Boeing’s recent 787 issues highlight the trouble the company has experienced with its global supply chain. Fancher expressed confidence in Alenia although this is the second time the company has had a workmanship issue.
“Alenia is a partner of ours and a very capable partner,” Fancher said.
Boeing’s unions aren’t as confident about the company’s 787 outsourcing strategy.
“Every program will have some problems, that’s why they have a test program,” said Bill Dugovich, communications director for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.
But “in this case, with such a far-reaching supply chain, it really compounds the issue.”
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