Airbus benefitted from the two-month strike by the Boeing company, according to reports by the Associated Press. The strike gave suppliers more time to focus on Airbus orders, the company said.
Record-high orders at Boeing and Airbus meant suppliers were having a hard time keeping up with demand.
But a two-month strike by factory workers at Boeing that ended Nov. 2 “gave our critical suppliers some breathing space,” Airbus spokesman Justin Dubon said.
“Reduced demand from Boeing due to the strike allowed suppliers to focus on Airbus,” Dubon said.
LMI Aerospace, which operates Leonard’s Metals in Wichita, spoke with analysts recently about the company’s third quarter results and more. Here’s a transcript of the call.
A University of Dayton professor, an expert in flight control systems, said the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be worth the wait despite production delays.
“For a customer who flies a lot, the Dreamliner will be fantastic,” said Raul Ordonez, a University of Dayton associate professor, in a statement. “It will be a treat to fly in it.”
Ordonez spent eight weeks in the Boeing Welliver fellowship program. He was one of about 10 Boeing selects a y ear for the program.
The way pilots interact with the Dreamliner will be much improved.
“Passengers don’t think about the control systems of the plane,” he said. “But improvements in those areas are important to help the pilot have an easier time flying the plane; therefore, it will be safer.”
Boeing’s problem with fastener’s on its new 787 Dreamliner was caused by an engineering error in Everett, Wash., the Seattle Times reports. Mechanics are now replacing thousands of of fasteners in the aircraft. It could mean replacing up to 8,000 fasteners on the first dozen planes in varying stages of completion.
It’s unclear how much the delay will add to the 787 program.
The Civil Air Patrol is celebrating its 67th anniversary Dec. 1. The all-volunteer, nonprofit group performs a multitude of missions in communities around the country.
It responds day or night when a plane is overdue and an emergency locator transmitter goes off. Its volunteers perform 90 percent of the inland search and rescue missions in the continental U.S. CAP provides disaster relief during hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes and countless other emergencies. It also performs homeland security and counterdrug measures when asked.
It also takes part in aerospace education and mentors young people through its cadet program.
The Civil Air was formed on Dec. 1, 1941, less than a week before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The group has 57,000 members across the country.
was formed on Dec. 1, 1941.
A top Pentagon official chastised Northrop Grumman Corp. over an advertisement it ran in the Washington Post resuming its attack on Boeing, the Wall Street Journal said.
Northrop Grumman ran a full-page ad Nov. 19 saying that Northrop’s first 68 Airbus A330-based planes cost $3 billion less to make than the same number of modified Boeing 767s.
The ad resumes the sniping in national and Washington-area newspapers as the two companies competed for a $40 billion aerial refueling tanker contract from the U.S. Air Force. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates postponed the competition until after the new administration takes office.
John Young, undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics confronted Northrop on the ad. “I called the company and said, ‘I don’t appreciate this and I don’t think it’s necessary.’”
Some notable names with ties to the aviation industry are being considered for high-level positions in Obama’s administration, according to Aero-News.
At the top of the list is reportedly former FAA administrator Jane Garvey, who oversaw the agency during Sept. 11 crisis. Garvey resigned from Bombardier’s board of directors last week and was named to Obama’s transition team, the report said.
Another name rumored to be a strong candidate for FAA administrator is Duane Woerth, former president of Air Line Pilots Association and pilot at Northwest Airlines.
According to a report in Reuters, EADS still wants to sell some of its factories in Germany and France. Read more about it here…
Fashion designer Ralph Lauren ponied up $4.18 million for a two-year tax bill related to operating his $50 million Gulfstream V business jet, according to the New York Post . He reportedly is fighting to get his money back.
