Boeing in trouble after a second model of new flagship jet found to have cracks in engine

Boeing 787 - Dreamliner

Discovery follows a review of all Boeing 787 and 747 engines by the National Transportation Safety Board

Engine's forward end of fan midshaft found fractured similar to one that sparked a fire off a runway in South Carolina in July

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A second cracked engine in a Boeing Dreamliner has been found just two months after a similar plane's engine cracked and failed during a test run that sparked a fire off its runway in South Carolina. 

Adding further federal scrutiny to the jetliner, an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board uncovered the latest cracks after a recommended review of all Boeing 787 and 747 engines by the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this month.

After the forward end of a fan midshaft (FMS) fractured and separated in a General Electric GEnx-1B turbofan engine on July 28 in Charleston, examination of other models revealed the second engine's crack.

iPad & airlines pilots: The case of Air France & American Airlines

Air France: iPads serving the needs of flight safety

Air France is the first major European airline to equip its 4,100 pilots with an iPad digital tablet. Boeing 777- qualified pilots have been using it on a daily basis since June, and all the Company’s pilots will be equipped by summer 2013.

Interview with Sébastien VEIGNEAU, First Officer on B777 & iPad project pilot correspondent. 

What are the advantages of using this tablet?

The Flight Operations Division and the Air France IT Systems Division have been working together with Apple to personalize this tool and adapt it especially for our pilots. It will simplify access to information, notably for consulting regulatory documentation, and facilitate our communication channels within the Company.

Starting in 2013, iPad will offer training and refresher e-learning modules, i.e., aircraft system revision, self-service briefings, flight path and airfield recognition. With this tool, Air France has chosen to promote use of new technologies and is the first European airline to equip its pilots. 

Video - Special Report - Who's Flying The Plane?

63 Years Flying, From Glamour to Days of Gray

As the crush of passengers boarded United Flight 618 to Hawaii here last month, they passed by a silver-haired flight attendant in bifocals who greeted them with an “Aloha, welcome aboard.”

Most of them appeared more focused on finding their seats than sizing up the flight crew, but this flight attendant, Ron Akana, stood out, not least because of the 11 sparkling rhinestones on the wings pinned to his lapel. The first one was to commemorate his 10-year anniversary as a flight attendant, and he was given another for every subsequent five years of flying.

Yes, Mr. Akana has worked as a flight attendant for 63 years, clocking some 20 million miles along the way, the equivalent of circling the globe about 800 times or flying roughly 40 times to the moon and back. Though no one tracks seniority across all airlines, he is widely believed to hold the title of longest-serving flight attendant in the United States.

“People keep on telling me to apply to the Guinness Book of Records,” he said. “I’ll let somebody else do that."

NTSB calls for safety upgrades for Boeing 737 cabin, pilot seats

Passengers and pilots in a series of survivable Boeing 737 crashes may have been injured by approved cabin overhead systems or crew seat belt restraints designed or tested to inadequate levels for an actual crash.

A series of new recommendations from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) call on the US Federal Aviation Administration to modify the design and test requirements related to passenger service units (PSUs) in Next Generation Boeing 737 family aircraft, and to analyse aircraft from other manufacturers for similar problems.

PSUs, which are mounted above each seat on the underside of the overhead bins, include supplemental oxygen generators, oxygen masks and ventilation air vents, and typically weigh about 5.7kg (12.5lb).

The Mystery of Air France Flight 447

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Qantas grounds A380 after finding 36 cracks on wings

A Qantas Airways Airbus A380 has been grounded after 36 cracks were found on its wings on 5 February.

The aircraft, which bears the registration VH-OQF, had its airframe built in 2010 and has clocked 399 flight cycles totalling 2,454 flight hours, according to Flightglobal's ACAS database.

The aircraft was first grounded when Airbus requested a second phase of precautionary checks on its wings after it went through severe turbulence in January, said Qantas. Airbus made the request after reviewing data of the turbulent flight.