Tag Archives: boeing

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Boeing says ‘Ooops’ finds structural flaw in new 787 Dreamliner

Boeing is reporting that they have found a flaw in parts used to make the troubled 787 Dreamliner.  The parts are made in a South Carolina factory.

Boeing insists the flaw will not affect the safe operation of the aircraft, but then says the parts are used to strengthen the carbon fiber structure of the aircraft.  History is wrought with examples of aircraft crashes because of weakened airframes!

All Nippon Airways is the first airline company to get the 787.   They got their jets three years behind schedule!   The reason for the delay was that Boeing kept encountering strength problems in assembling the high tech light weight components (among other things)!

Business/Economics, U.S.

Employees at U.S. military helicopter factory doubled as drug dealers

“This investigation and prosecution focused not only on the sellers, but also on the users because of the critical role that these employees play in manufacturing military aircraft.”-Zane David Memeger, U.S. Attorney General’s office

After a four year investigation, 37 current and former employees at the Boeing plant in Philadelphia, have been arrested for selling drugs.  The plant builds CH-47 Chinook helicopters and V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft.

Most of the drugs being sold were prescription pain killers. The customers were fellow Boeing employees.

Investigators say the drug dealing, and drug use did not affect production, however, in 2008 one employee sabotaged a Chinook by cutting 70 electrical wires.

Business/Economics, International, U.S.

Boeing & Airbus claim victory in WTO case

Depending on which media source you read, Boeing won its World Trade Organization case against Airbus.  Depending on which media source you read, Airbus won its World Trade Organization case against Boeing.  Yes, that’s the idea.

Both Airbus and Boeing are declaring victories in their WTO case against each other.

U.S. officials say the ruling helps Boeing: “This definitive victory will benefit American workers who have had to compete with a heavily subsidized Airbus.”-Tim Reif, general counsel for the U.S. Trade Representative

Airbus officials say the WTO ruling upheld European loan subsidies: “…government loans are a legal instrument and that none of the government loans made to Airbus over the past 40 years were prohibited…”

Boeing reps said this is a “definitive victory” for the United States, but Airbus said “This is a big win for Europe.”

Who’s right?  The WTO looked at the allegations line by line, and voted line by line, basically splitting the difference.  So both sides think they won, when in reality they broke even.