WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating claims made by a Boeing engineer who says that sections of the fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner are improperly fastened together and could break apart mid-flight after thousands of trips.
+Farming it out...
Salehpour, whose resume says he has worked at Boeing for more than a decade, said the problems with fastening the sections came about as a result of changes in how the enormous sections were fitted and fastened together in the manufacturing assembly line. The fuselages for the plane come in several pieces, all from different manufacturers, and they are not exactly the same shape where they fit together, he said.
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Boeing has also confronted a slew of problems at its plant in South Carolina where the Dreamliner is built. A prominent Boeing whistleblower who raised concerns about manufacturing practices at the plant, John Barnett, was found dead last month with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat. [Will Rogers]
ZoWie wrote: ↑Wed Apr 10, 2024 11:12 am
Boeing is a dead company walking if nothing changes.
Is there anyone to fill any void if Boeing were to disappear? There are quite several plane manufacturers, but only Boeing and Airbus are the ones making large passenger airplanes.
Toonces wrote: ↑Wed Apr 10, 2024 2:01 pm
Is there anyone to fill any void if Boeing were to disappear? There are quite several plane manufacturers, but only Boeing and Airbus are the ones making large passenger airplanes.
What will probably happen is Boeing will be hit with a big fine but not one that will put them out of business. The U.S. needs Boeing because the make helicopters for the Army.
Number6 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 1:40 am
What will probably happen is Boeing will be hit with a big fine but not one that will put them out of business. The U.S. needs Boeing because the make helicopters for the Army.
Toonces wrote: ↑Wed Apr 10, 2024 2:01 pm
Is there anyone to fill any void if Boeing were to disappear? There are quite several plane manufacturers, but only Boeing and Airbus are the ones making large passenger airplanes.
Were Boeing to collapse - it would be bought out by another company and things would continue, most likely.
It’s how the free market works in theory and somewhat in practice. If one company fails, others fill the void.
Worst thing this nation did was allow the Boeing/McDonnell Douglas merger. We need competition, but funny how the right doesn’t believe so.
Glennfs wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 8:14 am
And the fine will be passed along to consumers
Well, yes and no. Number of planes vs number of passengers would make any attempted cost increase to passengers pretty small.
That being said you bring up a good point.
During the Great Recession Eric Holder, iirc, penned a memo regarding collateral damage were financial institutions held criminally responsible. Top management in large corporations appear to enjoy the benefits of their positions including large compensation packages to “lure” or “retain” them which also “golden parachutes”. In essence, they need not fear anything thus if things go awry they do not suffer. The time has come to eliminate that. No Golden parachutes, stock options frozen for 5-10 years after leaving, and, finally, elimination of limited liability especially criminal liability. If top management gets the fruits of success done by those below them then they are and must be responsible for the failures as well including criminal liability.
Boeing needs to have new management and their existing management needs to be investigated. The same applies to airlines regarding in-house or outsourced maintenance.
gounion wrote: ↑Thu Apr 11, 2024 9:34 am
Funny how Glenn says fines and increased worker salaries are inflationary, but somehow billion-dollar salary packages to CEOs isn’t.
Show me a ceo who receives a billion dollar salary package.
Whistleblowers are testifying before a Senate committee. It's being covered by Nooz outlets that don't have marching orders to do all drumpf all the time. Boeing is in very deep doodoo.
A Boeing engineer told US lawmakers that he was harassed and threatened after he raised concerns about the safety of the company's planes.
Whistleblower Sam Salehpour said Wednesday that his boss berated him in a 40-minute call and his tyre was punctured by a nail.
[...]
Mr Salehpour, who has worked at Boeing for 17 years, said he had raised concerns about alleged manufacturing shortcuts repeatedly over three years starting in 2020, only to be told "to shut up".
"I was ignored, I was told not to create delays," he said, adding that he was later transferred to a different role. "This is not a safety culture, where you get threatened [for] bringing issues."
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
It gets better. One of the Senate witnesses described scenes of workers in the assembly plant jumping up and down on fuselage parts from other factories, to make them fit properly.
"We must remember that we cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation." --Liz Cheney, Republican, 7/21/22
ZoWie wrote: ↑Thu Apr 18, 2024 11:29 am
It gets better. One of the Senate witnesses described scenes of workers in the assembly plant jumping up and down on fuselage parts from other factories, to make them fit properly.
It’s called “beat and bash to fit”. You can bet your ass the ONLY way that they did that was under direct orders from management.
Building airplanes is far different than building cars. If a car breaks down wile being operated, the driver can normally stop the car safely. If an airplane breaks down in the air, people often die.
My step-dad would be truly saddened to see the company he proudly worked at and retired from has sunk so low.
Profits need to be maximized. Employees are expected to produce results. Employees aren't given the proper tools to complete the jobs, and they know if they complain then management will just find someone else who won't complain, to do the job. Unions can make this more difficult of course, but when someone becomes part of the union they lose all motivation to do a good job, they no longer take pride in their work.
When I worked as a member of a union, I always took pride in doing a good job. I cared about the quality of my work. Maybe the union hated me for that.
Now, I'm mostly retired and my "coworkers" are cats, and they're definitely management.