321–330 of 773 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
IIRC every bolt's torque value needs to be logged any time it's (re)fastened. At least that's true for aircraft engine maintenance, not sure if it applies to the assembly process of the airframe, I'd sure hope so!
Man, if that's not automated how do they keep the numbers from being fudged? That's a lot of bolts, isn't it?
Looking at how the plug is configured, you'd have to really screw up for the panel to fall off.
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FWIW, it's only the Max 9s which have this issue. The Max 7s and 8s don't have an exit in that location (too few seats) and the Max 10s require an exit door to be installed in that location, not the door plug. It's only the Max 9s that have the option of the door plug, if the installed seat count is below the threshold where an additional exit is required.
I think the concern is more the attitude that allowed this to happen, despite all the issues Boeing has had.
A few years ago, I had read that certain airlines demanded planes manufacturered in Washington rather than South Carolina, and I wonder if that information actually ends up being a useful signal for better quality planes.
https://www.postandcourier.com/business/airline-surveys-poin...
https://www.wsj.com/articles/production-problems-prompt-broa...
Such a crappy aircraft - can we just get rid of these already?
Agreed — while we’re at it, let’s break Boeing up into multiple firms. It has been “too big to fail” for too long.
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Working conditions in the USA have come to a point where many don't care because the company doesn't care about them. People are fired at will after working for 20+ years with zero shits given. There is zero loyalty and in return workers just don't care either. There are only so many checks and balances you can build in until this situation will catch up with you. Doesn't amazon have such a huge turn over that they a…
In 1966, Boeing had 142k employees and thousands more employees working for them indirectly through suppliers. By 1970 they had less than 39k employees. Let's not pretend layoffs are new.
If not you've got things like a reduction in manufacture of ICBMs to consider.
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Does wiring bolts actually help? I feel like if a bolt is going to come loose enough such that the wire is all that is holding it in then you have a big problem already. The wire is just delaying the inevitable. A bolt is either fastened or it isn’t. If the wire is all that’s left to hold it, then it isn’t fastened and your parts are being held together with a very weak piece of wire.
The safety wire comes in to prevent a loose bolt from gently unscrewing itself further and completely disassembling itself (which can happen with vibration). You're much better off with a loose bolt, than a missing one. It'll hopefully make itself known somehow (maybe even just visual inspection) while still remaining somewhat attached, which is better than nothing.
When I searched for images of wired bolts just now I saw many examples where the wire is done up quite tightly, which doesn’t seem right.
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I think the concern is more the attitude that allowed this to happen, despite all the issues Boeing has had.
Yes, this seems like a top to bottom culture rot problem at Boeing sacrificing quality control in exchange for reduced costs. A few years ago, I had read that certain airlines demanded planes manufacturered in Washington rather than South Carolina, and I wonder if that information actually ends up being a useful signal for better quality planes. https://www.postandcourier.com/business/airline-surveys-poin... https://…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
IIRC every bolt's torque value needs to be logged any time it's (re)fastened. At least that's true for aircraft engine maintenance, not sure if it applies to the assembly process of the airframe, I'd sure hope so!
Man, if that's not automated how do they keep the numbers from being fudged? That's a lot of bolts, isn't it?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
FWIW, it's only the Max 9s which have this issue. The Max 7s and 8s don't have an exit in that location (too few seats) and the Max 10s require an exit door to be installed in that location, not the door plug. It's only the Max 9s that have the option of the door plug, if the installed seat count is below the threshold where an additional exit is required.
7s and 10s aren’t out in the wild yet. Only 8s and 9s.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wonder what automotive designs would look like if we allowed that kind of grandfathering. Or maybe we do but people keep wanting new car designs?
We don't really get many new car designs do we? Aren't most cars just built on top of old platforms that only see iterative updates?
Car platforms change a lot more, a lot more often, IMHO.