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Boeing CEO Faces Senate Over Safety Culture

On 18 June 2024, Boeing’s chief executive Dave Calhoun appeared before a US Senate subcommittee investigating the aerospace manufacturer’s safety culture and quality control failures. The hearing, which featured new whistleblower allegations released just hours earlier, represented one of the most significant moments of congressional accountability in the company’s turbulent recent history.
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Boeing Sweeps Dubai Air Show with Record Orders

The Dubai Air Show in November 2023 produced one of the biggest collections of aircraft orders in the event’s history, with Boeing securing deals worth more than $52 billion. The show was a clear sign that the aviation industry had returned to full confidence after the COVID-19 pandemic, with airlines ordering new jets in large numbers to meet growing passenger demand.
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Boeing 737 MAX Deliveries Halted by Supplier Fitting Defect

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 in Southwest Airlines livery on final approach, gear down, aligned with the runway centreline

In April 2023, a manufacturing fault was discovered inside parts of the Boeing 737 MAX, one of the world’s most popular passenger jets. The problem, found inside the structure that connects the aircraft’s tail fin to its body, had gone undetected for up to four years. Boeing confirmed that the fault did not put in-service planes at risk, but repairing it would delay the delivery of more than 170 aircraft to airlines around the world.

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Video answers: Building the 737MAX

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. It has paper checklists, a seven-step startup process, a warning light, physical cables to link fight controls to flight surfaces, all of which made it different to other modern aircraft.
  2. The original plan was to replace the 737 with an all-new aircraft.
  3. Fuel efficiency was less important for short-haul flight because these planes traditionally spent less time in the air per day than long-haul aircraft.
  4. Airlines are starting to use narrowbody aircraft for longer and longer flights.
  5. The American Airlines order for an ‘updated’ 737 convinced Boeing to modify the 737NG instead of building a totally new airplane.
  6. It would want a less modern, less efficient plane because they’re cheaper to buy and don’t require expensive training sessions to get their pilots type rated.
  7. Boeing had to move the engine higher and further forward on the wing to be able to fit it with the new, more efficient engine.
  8. MCAS was necessary because the new engine position and increased height of the landing gear created a tendency for the plane to pitch up more than the previous generation.
  9. It was likely caused by a malfunctioning MCAS sensor which kept pushing the plane’s nose down.

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Video: Building the 737MAX

This week’s video discusses the circumstances that made Boeing decide to build the 737.

Try to answer the following questions about the video and come back on Monday for the answers.

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

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Video answers: The little plane war

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

  1. They were both commercial failures with relatively few planes sold.
  2. Nearly 70% of the planes coming into London City Airport are Embraer planes.
  3. Due to noise restrictions, the steep approach angle and short runway, there are few planes that can operate there as efficiently as the Embraer.
  4. It’s a big market because there are many smaller airports which would be best served with regional jets.
  5. One of the test aircraft had an uncontained engine failure during routine testing.
  6. The financial support of the governments of Canada and Quebec helped to save the programme.
  7. They lacked an order from an American airline, which would make or break the programme.
  8. They allegedly sold 75 of their planes to Delta for below cost price.
  9. Boeing filed a dumping petition in US courts and the courts put a 300% import tariff on the planes.
  10. Airbus acquired a 50.01% stake in the programme.
  11. Airbus is a marketing powerhouse and can help sell many more planes than Bombardier alone. However, with final assembly taking place at Airbus’ assembly line in US, it means that the CSeries planes might be classified as US planes, avoiding import tariffs.

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