The Seattle Times has a piece on Boeing’s proposed solution to the 787 Dreamliner battery problems… a containment box. Sounds like the box will be meant to isolate the battery cells both physically and thermally and have gas venting so that in the event of a faulty battery gases are vented and oxygen doesn’t fuel a fire. I’d love to see more details on the fix. I think Boeing is being overly optimistic about gaining FAA approval… it won’t be quick.

Eamonn Fingleton with Forbes thinks the Japanese-sourced batteries are just the symptom of an overall larger problem with Boeing… the systematic outsourcing of key, proprietary manufacturing.

Mr. Fingleton links to a 2005 article he wrong, “Boeing, Boeing… Gone” that gives an in depth look at this outsourcing. A frequent and unfortunate pattern amongst American manufacturing industries.

The New York Times thinks the battery issues justify a closer look at the procurement process that approved these Japanese-made batteries for use in the 787.

Boeing has managed to increase the production rate of their 777.

“Our factory is running smoothly and we’ve reduced the time it takes to build a 777 by one day from 49 to 48 days.”

They are now up to 100 aircraft per year.

First it was a battery fire in the APU, then it was a fuel leak, now its a brake problem. Boeing’s Dreamliner is going through the normal process of cutting it’s teeth in regular service. No amount of controlled, FAA regulated, routine testing will work out the bugs that day-in-day-out service will expose. And that’s good. It’s also good to see the airlines not reacting to hype:

JAL spokesman Kazunori Kidosaki said the carrier, which operates seven Dreamliners, had no plans to change orders it has placed for another 38 aircraft. ANA, which has 17 Dreamliners flying its colors, will also stick with its orders for another 49, spokesman Etsuya Uchiyama said.

Of course this spate of growing pains doesn’t come without it’s cost to Boeing’s image. High-profile incidents like these don’t help the stock price and they’ve gotten the attention of the FAA. Glad to see the FAA going about this professionally without causing further hype:

“There are concerns about recent events involving the Boeing 787. That is why today we are conducting a comprehensive review,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told a news conference followed by more than 100 reporters around the world.
Those concerns notwithstanding, though, LaHood also maintained the plane was still airworthy.
“I believe this plane is safe and I would have absolutely no reservations about boarding one of these planes and taking a flight,” he said.

It seems like between Boeing and the FAA the right investigation and oversight is being taken place. Huge technological advances, which the 787 Dreamliner represents, don’t come without taking some risks. It’s heartening to see that we are still willing to take those risks.