On January 18, Atlas Air Flight 3885 was between Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico, when the crew received a fire indication in the Boeing 747-8F’s No. 2 engine at approximately 3,000 feet. An emergency was declared and the aircraft returned to Miami with no injuries reported.

• READ MORE: NTSB Issues Urgent Safety Warning for Some Boeing 737s

No signs of an uncontained engine failure were found, the NTSB’s final report noted, though minor burn damage was reported on the GEnx engine’s thrust reverser fan duct. The aircraft returned to service nine days later on January 27.

According to the agency’s report, a third-party maintenance contractor was tasked with performing a borescope inspection on the No. 2 engine, requiring the removal of a plug. Both the mechanic and inspector certified that the inspection had been completed in line with maintenance manual standards.

The removed plug was found loose in the engine cowling, which resulted in the fire.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post NTSB Blames Boeing 747 Engine Fire on Shoddy Maintenance Work appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In a rare news release about the hyper-secret mission of the X-37B, the Space Force said it will employ aerobraking to rapidly change orbits using the drag of the atmosphere and only a little fuel. The spaceplane needs to get closer to Earth to jettison equipment it no longer needs. If it dumped the space junk at higher orbits, it would remain there for years, but dropping closer to the planet assures speedy and fiery reentry.

• READ MORE: U.S. Space Force’s Secret Robot Spaceplane Could Be Headed to Deep Orbit

Presumably the maneuver will have other uses beyond taking out the garbage, and the Space Force seems pretty excited about it.

“This first-of-a-kind maneuver from the X-37B is an incredibly important milestone for the United States Space Force as we seek to expand our aptitude and ability to perform in this challenging domain,” said chief of space operations General Chance Saltzman. “The success is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the team.”

The X-37B is testing “Space Domain Awareness technologies” on its seventh mission.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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The financially ailing aerospace giant also announced sweeping changes to its commercial aircraft programs, including the 767 and previously-delayed 777X.

The company continues to face a month-long Machinists strike with Boeing’s chief operating officer Stephanie Pope saying it is looking at “next steps” due to unproductive negotiations.

• READ MORE: DOT Audit: FAA’s Boeing Oversight ‘Not Effective’

In a letter to employees sent Friday afternoon, Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg said the manufacturer is in a “difficult position.”

“Beyond navigating our current environment, restoring our company requires tough decisions and we will have to make structural changes to ensure we can stay competitive and deliver for our customers over the long term,” he added.

According to preliminary earnings figures, the company expects to report $5 billion in losses for the third quarter.

“We need to be clear-eyed about the work we face and realistic about the time it will take to achieve key milestones on the path to recovery,” Ortberg shared. “We also need to focus our resources on performing and innovating in the areas that are core to who we are, rather than spreading ourselves across too many efforts that can often result in underperformance and underinvestment.”

Ortberg said the company plans to lay off roughly 10 percent of its workforce, equating to 17,000 jobs. The cuts are set to take place over the next several months, he said, and will include executives, managers along with rank-and-file employees.

In addition, Boeing will further delay its Boeing 777X with initial delivery of the jet now expected in 2026, roughly a year behind schedule. Ortberg said the company is also permanently halting 767 production in 2027 after fulfilling current freighter orders.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post Boeing Cuts 10 Percent of Workforce, Delays 777X Program appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Boeing production has been under the microscope since January, when an improperly installed door plug blew out from an Alaska Airlines 737 900 Max as it climbed out of Portland International Airport (KPDX). There were no serious injuries and the aircraft was able to return to the airport for a safe landing.

• READ MORE: NTSB Issues Urgent Safety Warning for Some Boeing 737s

The event prompted government officials including the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and DOT to take a closer look at Boeing and its relationship with the FAA, the agency responsible for certifying aircraft.

The OIG audit issued 16 recommendations for the FAA to improve its oversight, including developing a structured approach for assessing Boeing production, and guidance for evaluating the company’s supplier control.

FAA Responds

The OIG report noted that the FAA lacks “an effective system” to oversee individual Boeing factories and has not assessed the effectiveness of Boeing’s safety management system. Earlier this year, the latter was discussed at length at NTSB hearings addressing the door plug event.

FAA officials said the agency “concurs with all the OIG’s recommendations and has provided the Inspector General an implementation timeframe,” according to a statement sent to FLYING. “The agency is committed to continuously improving our oversight processes and took aggressive action following the January 5 Alaska Airline door plug incident.”

• READ MORE: Boeing Considers ‘Next Steps’ After Pulling Contract Offer for Striking Workers

In addition to enhanced oversight of the aircraft manufacturer, “The FAA is currently conducting a comprehensive, systemwide review of our oversight models,” the agency said. “This work, in alignment with the OIG’s recommendations and recently passed reauthorization legislation, will enhance the agency’s capabilities to provide more dynamic, data driven oversight.”

Boeing officials continue to “engage transparently” with stakeholders and federal regulators in order to improve quality and “regain the trust of the flying public,” the company told FLYING in a statement. 

“This audit reinforces the improvements we are making as part of the Safety and Quality Plan we presented to the FAA in May 2024,” the manufacturer said. “Our plan emphasizes workforce training, simplifying manufacturing plans, eliminating defects, strengthening our safety and quality culture, and monitoring the health of our entire production system including with suppliers.”

The post DOT Audit: FAA’s Boeing Oversight ‘Not Effective’ appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) has been on strike for 27 days now seeking higher pay, a better savings plan, and more affordable health insurance.

Boeing COO Stephanie Pope said in a message to employees Tuesday that the strike in the Pacific Northwest has deeply affected Boeing’s business, its customers, and its communities.

• READ MORE: FAA Issues Safety Alert for Some Boeing 737 Operators

“We understand that the steps we’re taking to preserve cash affect you and your loved ones,” Pope said. “We do not take these impacts lightly as we take actions and consider next steps.”

She said that Boeing’s leadership team recently concluded a third round of bargaining with a federal mediator, which included two days of negotiations this week.

“Our team bargained in good faith and made new and improved proposals to try to reach a compromise, including increases in take-home pay and retirement,” Pope said. “Unfortunately, the union did not seriously consider our proposals. Instead, the union made non-negotiable demands far in excess of what can be accepted if we are to remain competitive as a business. Given that position, further negotiations do not make sense at this point and our offer has been withdrawn.

• READ MORE: Boeing Halts 737 Production

“This is a disappointing outcome and not one we wanted. We remain committed to finding a resolution and will work with the union when they are ready to bargain an agreement that recognizes our employees and preserves our company’s future,” she added.

Around 33,000 striking workers and their families lost health care coverage last week after the union’s previous contract expired on September 30. The strike has been a bane for Boeing’s business, costing the company an estimated $3.5 billion in September.

Additionally, the strike has brought Boeing 737 jet production to a halt, crippling one of the company’s main revenue builders.

In a statement posted Tuesday by IAM District 751 in Seattle, Washington, IAM said that Boeing refused to propose any wage increases, vacation/sick leave accrual progression, ratification bonus, 401(k) match/SCRC contribution or reinstate workers’ benefit pension.

“By refusing to bargain the offer sent to the media, the company made it harder to reach an agreement,” the IAM statement continued. “Your negotiating committee attempted to address multiple priorities that could have led to an offer we could bring to a vote, but the company wasn’t willing to move in our direction. Through the mediator, Boeing has now withdrawn its September 23 offer.”

The IAM statement said that a survey of the union’s members showed the contract offer wasn’t good enough. It said that the union’s negotiating committee remains ready to continue talks.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

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The SAFO is directed at aircraft equipped with optional Collins Aerospace SVO-730 Rudder Rollout Guidance Actuators (RRGA).

The SAFO, issued this week, identified the potential issue on Boeing 737, 737 -600/-700,-800,-900,- 900ER(737NG) and 737-8, -8200, and -9 (737 Max) series airplanes, noting that the Collins Aerospace SVO-730 RRGA is optional equipment, and not all aircraft have it.

The SAFO was issued after a flight crew of a United Airlines 737-8 reported the rudder pedals were stuck in the neutral position as the aircraft rolled out on landing at Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) in New Jersey in February. 

• READ MORE: NTSB Issues Urgent Safety Warning for Some Boeing 737s

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) preliminary report released in March indicated that the servo that activates the rudders may have been adversely impacted by the cold. That determination was made, according to the agency, after the incident actuator and an identical unit from another airplane were cold-soaked and tested in a cold environment, and the actuators’ function was found to be significantly compromised.

In September the agency made urgent safety recommendations to Boeing and notified the FAA about the potential issue involving the rudder of some 737 aircraft in the event the rollout guidance actuator becomes unresponsive.

The NTSB reported that investigators found evidence of moisture in the actuators that had failed, and Collins subsequently determined that a sealed bearing was incorrectly assembled during production of the actuators, leaving the unsealed side more susceptible to moisture that can freeze and limit rudder system movement.

The NTSB said that, “Collins notified Boeing that more than 353 actuators that Collins had delivered to Boeing since February 2017 were affected by this condition.”

According to the FAA, “if the rudder restriction condition is encountered in flight, Boeing recommends flight crews follow the jammed or restricted flight controls non-normal Checklist (NNC). If this rudder restriction is encountered on the ground, use differential braking to maintain runway centerline. Avoid using nose wheel steering above 100 knots indicated airspeed (kias) unless necessary for airplane control as a potential for over-control exists.”

Per the Boeing operations manual bulletin, “restricted rudder may also be identified during a dual autopilot approach on airplanes equipped with fail operational autoland systems with RRGA installed. The autoflight system conducts a test of the autopilot rudder servo after capturing the localizer or glideslope, when below 1,500 feet to verify servo functionality by initiating a small movement of the rudder.”

If there is an issue with the RRGA, a “NO LAND” message will alert the flight crew, which can then abort the landing and climb to a safe altitude to follow the company approved procedures for jammed or restricted flight controls.

The full FAA SAFO may be found here.

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A Fortune report stated that two separate representatives from Boeing confirmed the production stoppage after a Tuesday Bank of America analyst note suggested production of the company’s best-selling jets had come to a “complete halt.”

This comes as 33,000 striking International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) members refused to vote on Boeing’s “final offer” for a contract on Monday. IAM stated that the offer wasn’t negotiated with union representatives and did not go far enough to address members’ concerns.

The strikes are predicted to cause $3.5 billion in revenue losses for Boeing by the end of September. A Bloomberg report analyzing the potential billions in revenue loss this month at the aerospace giant stated that the largest driver of sales is its 737 deliveries.

The company has attempted to cut costs by furloughing workers last week. It is currently unclear how long 737 production will be stopped.

Boeing did not immediately respond to AirlineGeeks’ request for comment.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post Boeing Halts 737 Production appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

December 11 is the submission deadline for Stage 1 of GoAERO—a three-year contest backed by NASA, Boeing, RTX, and other key aviation stakeholders seeking to aid the estimated 4.5 million Americans living in “ambulance deserts,” who may need to wait longer than 25 minutes for emergency services to arrive. The aircraft created by competitors could rescue people in danger and respond to disasters, medical emergencies, or humanitarian crises.

Officially launched on February 5, GoAERO (Aerial Emergency Response Operations) has been recruiting teams of university students who lack the financial backing of large corporations. But the competition is open to just about anyone over the age of 18, GoAERO founder and CEO Gwen Lighter told FLYING.

“It is a call for engineers and entrepreneurs and innovators and universities and students and professors and retirees and businesses and corporations and all of that to join us and to create these emergency response fliers,” said Lighter.

Lighter envisions GoAERO’s emergency response flyers as “another tool in the first response toolkit.” Helicopters, she said, are great for emergency response but are expensive to procure and operate, require a pilot, and struggle to operate in tight spaces.

Drones, at the other end of the spectrum, are excellent for delivering medical supplies. Drone delivery companies Zipline and Wing, for instance, have collectively transported hundreds of thousands of shipments of blood, vaccines, and equipment. But when it comes to search and rescue, drones can only complete the latter portion of the mission.

“What we are doing is we are saying, ‘OK, helicopters are one end of the spectrum, drones are the other,’ and then putting them together, molding them into something that can deliver a first responder to someone in need, rescue someone who needs help, deliver needed goods and supplies, all within the rubric of natural disasters, everyday medical emergencies, events caused by climate change, humanitarian crises,” Lighter said.

The aircraft are intended to be simple, compact, and uncrewed, flying either entirely on their own or with help from a remote pilot. They must also be easily transportable, deployable within minutes, and capable of delivering first responders, patients, or supplies in cities, rural areas, and disaster zones.

Aviation for Public Good

Lighter previously organized GoAERO’s predecessor GoFLY, which similarly sought to put groundbreaking technology into the hands of people who otherwise would not have access. But whereas GoFLY was geared toward personal, recreational flight, GoAERO is about helping others.

“GoAERO is really focused on a singular mission, which is saving lives,” Lighter said. “It is aviation for public good.”

According to Lighter, all GoFLY partners have signed on to the new initiative, and even more have joined. Boeing is the lead GoAERO sponsor, but the contest is also backed by RTX, Honeywell, Iridium, and industry groups such as the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS). First responders, aviation regulators, and other organizations are on board.

“We’ve had hundreds of discussions with not only aviation [firms], but first responders in a wide variety of different types of response, whether that is search and rescue, whether that is wildfire, whether that is earthquake, whether that is everyday medical emergencies and EMTs,” said Lighter.

She added: “Collectively, we have landed on these technical rules and specifications to create aircraft that really allow first responders to be first responders, rather than pilots and all of these other things.”

GoAERO will provide teams with some design guidelines. But Lighter told FLYING that the goal is for participants to produce a wide range of designs. Teams will be permitted to focus on medical needs and disaster scenarios specific to their area, for example.

“Success for us looks like in three years, at the end of the competition, that we have a multitude of different flyers that show up, and some are better in everyday medical emergencies, and some are better in urban environments, and some are better in remote environments, and some are better in wildfires,” said Lighter.

Participants will have some help from above. The competition offers what Lighter called a “full education platform,” with educational webinars, legal assistance, and one-on-one mentorship opportunities with experts from Boeing, U.S. government agencies such as the FAA or Department of Defense, and other mentors. Those relationships can help them refine design concepts, build autonomy, or raise funding.

GoAERO earlier this month, for example, signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA that will see the space agency lend its personnel to the initiative. NASA also committed $400,000 through its University Innovation Project to support U.S.-based university teams and will grant access to free or discounted software, services, and products.

“I think GoAERO represents bringing the best of aeronautics and aviation to the public space, to public good, making sure that we are bringing our capabilities, our technologies, our genius together to work for the American people and for the people across the globe that need these kind of services,” said Bob Pearce, associate administrator of NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) and GoAERO mentor.

The Fly-Off

The GoAERO competition will culminate in a three-day “fly-off” beginning February 2027, during which teams will put their aircraft through a series of missions to gauge adversity, productivity, and maneuverability.

At stake are $2 million worth of prizes, including a $1 million grand prize for the winner. In addition, the top performer in each of the three fly-off missions will win $150,000. A $100,000 RTX Disruptor Award will be handed out for “disruptive advancement of the state of the art,” while a $100,000 autonomy prize will highlight the best use of automation.

All missions will be flown in a single-occupant aircraft carrying a mannequin, “Alex,” or other nonhuman payload. The contest will evaluate a range of different scenarios, testing competitors’ ability to save an injured person from under a forest canopy, douse a wildfire, rescue a drowning victim, and complete other emergency missions.

All of these must be performed under difficult conditions such as inclement weather, unknown terrain, or uncooperative air traffic control. Competitors will not have access to the mission courses or locations of obstacles until the day of the event. In addition, they should “expect the unexpected”—mission conditions and elements may not be exactly as advertised.

The FAA helped write the technical rules of the competition and will mentor teams to ensure their aircraft comply with federal rules. The agency will be “deeply involved” in the fly-off to maintain safety.

“We are closely working with the FAA in a number of their departments, and we have fully integrated our programming into today’s FAA certification process, and we will be helping our teams through that,” Lighter said.

During the contest, teams will have to dodge pylons and walls and contend with less-than-ideal takeoff and landing conditions. “The Flood” site, for example, is an 18-inch deep pool with simulated rain conditions—teams must touch or pop a balloon floating on its surface. Other locations will feature inclined slopes, sandy pits, or heavy winds.

A panel of expert judges will rank attempts by completion, speed, and payload, with bonus points awarded for one-person crew operations, quick deployment, and few operator inputs. To be eligible for the grand prize, a team needs to complete two missions, or complete one and partially complete another.

What Happens After?

Lighter emphasized that GoAERO hopes to produce not just emergency response flyers, but an ecosystem around them.

“We’re building this ecosystem so it’s not one company, it’s not one university, it’s not one entrepreneur, it’s not one regulator, it’s everybody coming together to use transformative technology to save lives,” she said.

At the end of the fly-off, the winning teams will have full control over what happens next. They will retain all intellectual property rights and do not necessarily need to commercialize their technology with a partner.

But while there are zero post-competition requirements, GoAERO aims to set teams up for success. Partners such as Boeing and RTX will be present for the fly-off, and winners will then have the option to meet with them and start a partnership.

“What we want to do is enable our teams to make the best choices for themselves at the end of the competition, whether that is licensing technology, whether that is building on their own, whether that is raising funds to commercialize, whether that is joining with a strategic partner—all are open and options for each of our teams,” Lighter said. “We certainly would never dictate to our teams how they should deploy. Rather, we will create the conditions where they have multiple options to be able to commercialize should they wish to do so.”

She added: “We all came together because we realized that there’s been a convergence of breakthrough technologies in aviation and in adjacent industries, and we now have this first moment in history that we have the ability to create new forms of emergency response aircraft.”

How to Get Involved

The deadline for GoAERO’s initial paper submission phase is December 11, which means there is plenty of time to apply.

To do so, applicants can visit goaeroprize.com to find the Stage 1 application forms, which include short biographies of each team member and legal documents covering liability and insurance, for example. Application is free, but there is a design submission fee of $250 for individuals and $500 for teams.

“Everything is on the website, from the technical rules to the schedules to the webinars to who the advisors are and who the partners are to how to engage with us,” said Lighter.

GoAERO excludes applicants under the age of 18, employees of Boeing or RTX and their families, and citizens or residents of countries subject to U.S. sanctions or export controls. But all others may apply, and the competition already includes teams from 40 countries. Entities that would prefer not to form a team but are interested in a partnership can also contact GoAERO.

Ten $10,000 winners will be selected from the Stage 1 pool, and eight Stage 2 teams will win $40,000 each. But teams can enter the competition at any time, including during the final fly-off. For that last phase, participants will need an aircraft with registration and airworthiness certification that has demonstrated, via video evidence, controlled flight with a full payload.

The stage is set. The rules are clear. All interested parties need to do is join the competition.

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The post Innovators Compete to Build Self-Flying Emergency Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Boeing workers walked off the job at midnight on September 12 after more than 94 percent of union members rejected a tentative contract offer by the company.

After joining several picket lines in Washington state and Oregon on Wednesday and Thursday, Bryant told FreightWaves in a phone interview that union members were resolved to achieve fair pay and better benefits.

“The beginning of this week we wanted to visit with many of our members on the picket lines all the way from Everett [Washington], all the way down here to Portland to let them know they have the complete support of their union, the 600,000 active and retired IAM members both in the United States and Canada,” Bryant said. “… [W]hat it’s really about is, they’ve had 10 years of stagnant wages, 10 years where they’ve lost their pension, 10 years of continual increases in their health insurance. … [T]he workers here have just said enough is enough. … We’ve got to get a contract that truly respects us and recognizes the value that we do for the Boeing Company.”

Bryant said support for the strike has been overwhelming.

“We’ve talked to people who have 45 years in this plant, and we’ve talked to people that just started two months ago, and they’re all on the same page,” he said.

Bryant said that while Boeing does offer a 401(k) matching program, most workers can’t contribute to retirement because their wages aren’t high enough.

“They can’t afford both their mortgages, the rent payments, the vehicle payments, the gas, the fuel to get to work, the food to feed them and their families and their other utilities,” he said. “By the time that’s all done, they don’t have enough income to be able to even participate in the 401(k). It’s on Boeing. They’ve got to correct that. What they did 10 years ago with the pension was just ridiculous and uncalled for, but they’ve got to move forward. They’ve got to do something that gives people income security when they retire.”

Bryant blasted Boeing’s announcement of furloughs in response to the strikes.

“If they want to get serious about what they’re spending on executive salaries and if they’re overstaffed, they could have been dealing with that all [along],” he said. “It’s a cheap shot to make it look like they’re blaming the workers out here on strike because it’s their fault. Look, the workers are on strike here. None of Boeing’s problems have anything to do with these workers. In fact, all of the things that are wrong with Boeing right now are all attributed to bad decisions from corporate. … They’re the ones that have made the bad decisions that are putting Boeing in the position that they’re in. And it’s unfortunate that they’re trying to make this look like it’s the union’s fault. It’s just smoke and mirrors.”

Bryant said it will take a fair contract to resolve this strike and that members are resolved to wait as long as necessary to get that.

“I’m absolutely amazed and impressed with the solidarity and the commitment that our members of the Boeing workers have made to improve their situation,” he said. “This isn’t only happening with the Boeing Company. This strike is being followed all across—not just the U.S.—but in Canada also. This is being followed because the same thing that is happening and has happened to these workers here is happening at many different corporations.”

Boeing did not immediately respond to FreightWaves’ request for comment.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on FreightWaves.

The post Machinists Union Head Joins Boeing Strike Lines Across Pacific Northwest appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

This comes after over 30,000 workers with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) rejected a contract renewal with the company and went on strike last week.

The furloughs were anticipated earlier this week as the aerospace giant attempts to stop the financial bleeding caused by the strike. A Bloomberg Intelligence analysis predicted Monday that Boeing could be out $3.5 billion in cash in the third quarter if the strike continues through September.

• READ MORE: Boeing Freezes Hiring, Considers Furloughs as Strike Could Cost $3.5 Billion

In a memo sent to employees on Wednesday by Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, workers were notified that production was paused across many key programs in the Pacific Northwest due to the strike.

“… [O]ur business faces substantial challenges, and it is important that we take difficult steps to preserve cash and ensure that Boeing is able to successfully recover,” Ortberg said in the memo. “As part of this effort, we are initiating temporary furloughs over the coming days that will impact a large number of U.S.-based executives, managers, and employees.”

• READ MORE: Boeing Machinists Reject New Contract, Go on Strike

Ortberg stated that all benefits will continue for affected employees. The company is planning for selected employees to take one week of furlough every four weeks on a rolling basis for the duration of the strike.

Along with these steps, Ortberg said that he and his leadership team will take pay cuts for as long as the strike lasts. Ortberg is currently one of Washington state’s highest-paid CEOs. The Seattle Times reports his compensation package could reach $22 million in 2025.

He did not specify in the memo how much his pay will be reduced during the strike.

“Most important, we won’t take any actions that inhibit our ability to fully recover in the future,” Ortberg said. “All activities critical to our safety, quality, customer support, and key certification programs will be prioritized and continue, including 787 production.”

The post Boeing to Furlough Workers Amid Ongoing Strike appeared first on FLYING Magazine.