A lot can happen in six months.
In the case of the Boeing Co., its work force and its 787, the past months since the plane’s latest delay have been filled with major events:
· Boeing’s share prices took a dive following the postponement of the 787’s flight in June. The drop has led several law offices to bring a class action suit on behalf of shareholders against Boeing and several executives.
· Scott Carson, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, announced his retirement at the end of the year but stepped down immediately from his position.
· Boeing scrapped plans to sell its first three flight-test 787s. With modifications for the side-of-body weakness, the first few planes vary too much from the specifications Boeing promised.
· The company took a $2.5 billion write-down on its 787 program related to the delay and the company’s inability to sell the first test planes.
· Boeing finalized its purchase of supplier Vought’s 787 parts factory in South Carolina. Machinists there voted out union representation.
· Boeing selected Charleston, S.C., over Everett as the site of its second 787 production line, drawing disappointment from Washington leaders and the ire of the company’s unions.
· The company devised a fix for the structural weakness that delayed the 787’s first flight. Workers in Everett installed the modification and tested the aircraft.
· The 787 was cleared for its first flight.
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