Boeing says it’s designed the 787 Dreamliner to be 30 percent less expensive to maintain than any comparable product, savings due to its advanced design, wide use of composite structures and highly-integrated systems architecture. That means fewer maintenance tasks and longer intervals between them.
Now, the Federal Aviation Administration has approved Boeing’s scheduled maintenance program, which defines the tasks and the intervals operators will use to maintain the jets. The report was accepted by the Maintenance Review Board, an FAA organization that reviews and accepts maintenance requirements. It’s one of many requirements needed for the plane to be certified.
The maintenance program is supported by more than 33,000 pages of supporting analysis, the participation of eight regulatory agencies, 25 airlines and 30 suppliers and partners, Boeing said.
NASCAR champion and Kansas native Clint Bowyer has taken delivery of a Beechcraft Premier 1A light business jet. Bowyer was in Wichita for the delivery. While here, he toured Hawker Beechcraft and signed autographs for employees.
The plane cruises at 520 mph, fulfilling Bowyer’s need for speed on the racetrack and in the skies, the company said.
Bowyer, who grew up in Emporia, is a three-year veteran of NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, finishing in the top five in 2007 and 2008. He drives a Chevrolet Impala for Richard Childress RAcing in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series. He has two career victories in the Sprint Cup Series.
Boeing achieved a milestone recently on its KC-767 tankers it’s building for the Italian Air Force.
Over the skies of northern Kansas, one of the tankers was refueled by another Italian KC-767 refueler. It’s the first time the KC-767 tanker has been refueled by another aircraft, Boeing officials say.
Boeing Wichita has been working on the tanker modifications.
During the flight test, Boeing aircrews made seven contacts and transferred more than 10,000 pounds of fuel using a system located at the top of the aircraft, behind the cockpit, the company said.
Boeing has two KC-767s in flight test for Italy and is building two additional tankers.
