Interestingly enough, the 787 Dreamliner’s first flight in the US was also from Houston to Chicago, so it seems that United is essentially starting all over again from the beginning with its flight schedule. United Airlines tweeted the news today, along with a photo saying, “I’m back by popular demand,” referring to the 787 coming back from its four-month hiatus. However, we’re not sure a lot of passengers are going to be too crazy about boarding a plane that was once grounded for malfunctions.

The Dreamliner’s lithium ion battery had overheating issues in multiple planes, leading to emergency landings and then eventually to a fleet-wide grounding by the FAA in order to further investigate the issue and fix the problem. The FAA grounded all 787 aircrafts back in January, and the planes were then clear to fly again in late April.

As for what the future holds for the 787, let’s hope the battery fixes hold up, or else Boeing will face even more scrutiny. It’s not unheard of for the same aircraft fleet to experience multiple issues, but we’re sure that Boeing and airlines flying 787s don’t want to have to deal with such a problem again, especially with such a new plane that comes with new technology.

The fix for the 787s was estimated at $23.5 million for the entire fleet, which the airlines themselves didn’t necessarily have to pay for, but we’re guessing United Airlines and others lost a bit of money due to canceled flights and the need to reschedule future flights that were planned to take the Dreamliner to their destination.

Early this morning, Boeing’s X-51A was released at an altitude of 50,000 over Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center Sea Range, taken to such a height via the USAF’s B-52H Stratofortress. Upon its release, the Boeing craft was propelled by a rocket booster to Mach 4.8, at which point the booster and an interstage were both tossed aside, leaving the scramjet engine to take it to Mach 5.1.

During the flight, the X-51A consumed all of its jet fuel, at which point it dived into the ocean. This was its fourth flight, a test run for the USAF’s Research Laboratory. Before today, the previous hypersonic flight record was established back in 2010. The project is also in conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Boeing Phantom Works President Darryl Davis said: “This demonstration of a practical hypersonic scramjet engine is a historic achievement that has been years in the making. This test proves the technology has matured to the point that it opens the door to practical applications, such as advanced defense systems and more cost-effective access to space.”

[via Boeing]

This approval follows the FAA’s statement, with Japan’s Transport Minister Akihiro Ohta saying: “We have reached a conclusion that there is no problem with the judgment by the FAA. We believe all possible safety measures would be taken to prevent recurrence of similar problems.” Before the planes can take to the skies, batteries must be changed and an approved system must be installed that will keep the lithium ion batteries from overheating and potentially catching fire.

This is particularly good news for the two Japanese airlines who have the Boeing jets. A total of 50 787 Dreamliners are in service across the globe, with nearly half of them being located in Japan. According to the Associated Press, Japan Airlines has seven 787 Dreamliners and All Nippon Airways has 17 of them, making a total of 24 grounded jets.

On top of the requirements that have been set forth by the FAA, Japan is also making the two aforementioned airlines do some additional changes, which includes a new system that allows those on the ground to monitor the voltage of the batteries on the plane. Estimates have it that the jets will be sky-ready by summertime, with All Nippon Airways saying it’ll take about one week to repair a single plane.

[via Yahoo News]

However, before airlines can get the planes back up in the air, Boeing first needs to replace all the batteries in the fleet of around 50 planes, something that probably should’ve been done before the FAA lifted the official ban, but either way, the aircraft manufacturer says the project will be done in a couple of weeks.

The FAA says that repairs to just United Airlines’ six 787 Dreamliners will cost around $2.8 million, which means that fixing the entire Boeing 787 fleet could cost as much as $23.5 million. However, it seems Boeing will be footing the bill, as it’s technically their problem and not the airlines’ per se.

Plans for a new battery design for the 787 began in February shortly after the defunct ones were discovered, and the first test flights following the incident occurred later that month. It was later announced that Airbus would go back to using the traditional nickel-cadmium batteries found in most planes after they heard about Boeing’s fiasco with the new lithuim-ion batteries. In short, we’re not surprised by Airbus’s decision.

[via Reuters]

Back in January, Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner was grounded following an overheating incident involving batteries on two of the planes. Says Reuters, some analysts were expecting Boeing to peg the financial cost of this problem, which it didn’t do, instead saying that most of it was reflected in the Q1 numbers. According to Boeing’s CFO Greg Smith, the financial burden that resulted was mostly neutralized via resource shifting.

On April 19, we reported that the FAA had approved Boeing’s battery design changes with plans to lift its flight ban following the publication of instructions to operators over the changes. The changes required to the battery design include installing “containment and venting systems for the main and auxiliary system batteries,” as well as replacing the chargers and batteries.

Jim McNerney, Boeing’s CEO, said during the conference call that the company anticipates resuming Dreamliner deliveries early next month, with the modifications to 50 customer jets wrapping up by the middle of the month. He is quoted as saying that the battery modifications needed are “not big” compared to what they could be.

[via Reuters]

Before the FAA will lift the ban, however, they will be publishing a set of instructions for operators to follow in order to implement the design changes in all of the 787 Dreamliners currently out there. And while the FAA will lift ban sometime next week, this doesn’t necessarily mean that airlines will start flying the planes again, as they will have their own protocol as to when they decided to get the Dreamliners back up in the air.

As for the changes that operators will need to make, the FAA says that they will need to “install containment and venting systems for the main and auxiliary system batteries, and to replace the batteries and their chargers with modified components.” Once the changes are made to the planes, they’ll be free to fly again.

Plans for a new battery design began in February, with the first test flights following the incident occurring earlier that month. It was later announced that Airbus would go back to using the traditional nickel-cadmium batteries found in most planes after the manufacturer heard about Boeing’s fiasco with the new lithuim-ion batteries.

The preliminary design review is the first step for Boeing in getting its device approved to participate in NASA’s Commercial Crew Integrated Capability initiative. Boeing says that it is on track to complete all 19 of its required milestones during NASA’s initiative. In addition to Boeing, there are two other companies working with NASA on this particular initiative.

NASA’s goal with this initiative is to lead the way for the availability of human spaceflight services from NASA. NASA lost the ability to put astronauts into orbit when the space shuttle fleet was retired. The Boeing component that has completed the preliminary design review is the Launch Vehicle Adapter. This is a critical component that allows Boeing’s space capsule designed to carry astronauts to be attached to the tip of an existing rocket.

The adapter specifically attaches Boeing’s Crew Space Transportation-100, also known as CST-100, spacecraft to the Atlas V rocket. The adapter attaches the capsule above the rocket’s second stage. Boeing has also completed two other milestones for this program recently including the Engineering Release 2.0 software release and the Landing and Recovery Ground Systems and Ground Communications design review.

[via Space-Travel]

However, Airbus says that the reason for not using these unpredictable lithium-ion batteries has nothing to do with safety concerns, but rather scheduling and the possible delay of the A350 aircrafts, which are expected to ship to airlines sometime during the summer next year. Airbus says that they don’t want the ongoing battery investigation to interfere with their production schedule.

Airbus will switch back to traditional nickel-cadmium batteries in the A350, mostly because the technology has been proven solid over the years, and they believe in the safety of the tried-and-true batteries. Of course, Boeing’s bold step toward lithium-ion technology was unprecedented and an ultimate game-changer, but it was a risk that ended up turning sour for the airplane manufacturer.

Airbus expects its new A350 to make its first test flight sometime this summer, and it will then undergo further test flights over the year. The manufacturer plans to seek certification from European aviation authorities by early 2014, with an expected launch date of summer 2014, where the new plane will finally be ferrying passengers around the world.

[via WSJ]

According to Reuters, Boeing said that the test flight was “uneventful,” meaning that the two-hour flight didn’t experience any problems, and the lithium-ion batteries seemed to hold up. The plane took off from and landed at Boeing Field in Seattle, WA, and the test crew on board were there to collect detailed information on the batteries while in-flight.

In the meantime, Boeing is redesigning the batteries as a temporary fix until a permanent solution is thought up. While a “temporary fix” might make some flyers queazy, Boeing notes that numerous tests will be run to make sure the redesigned batteries are in 100% working order before they put the planes back up in the air.

It doesn’t look like Boeing will be doing any test flights today, but it’s guaranteed that the company will be conducting numerous test flights over the next few weeks to get to the bottom of the issue. The battery problem has cost airlines tens of millions of dollars, and that number may continue to increase as long as the birds are left on the ground.

[via Reuters]

The battery redesign would minimize the risk of a meltdown happening, thus reducing the risk of a fire on board, which is what was suspected of happening in the past on the new planes. Again, it’s not Boeing’s permanent solution, but they say it’s the quickest way to get the planes back up in the air the safest way.

The redesigned batteries will have more space and separation between cells, and Boeing is also planning to add enhanced heat sensors. Plus, the company also plans to make the battery cells more rigid to keep them from moving around. We’re not sure if the cells were prone to moving around beforehand, but either way, it looks like Boeing is fully committed to using lithium-ion batteries in the 787, rather than nickel-cadmium batteries found in most other planes.

Boeing has hundreds of engineers and other experts working around the clock to resolve this issue, but there’s no word one when the new planes will be ready to fly again. The last we heard, investigations were going smoothly, but there was no rush to get the aircrafts back in service, so it could be a while before we see them in the air again.

[via WSJ]

Reuters reports that the investigations into the failed batteries are going well so far. Kelly Nantel, spokeswoman for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, says that “investigators are moving swiftly and we are making progress.” Authorities from the US, France, and Japan are all investigating into the matter.

However, according to Bloomberg, US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (who recently just stepped down from the position), says that investigators are “not feeling any pressure,” and mentioned that the team is “going to get this right,” meaning that they’re not taking any shortcuts whatsoever in order to get the planes back in the air.

However, this means that there’s no specific timeframe when Boeing and the FAA will have the 787 Dreamliners flying again. Tom Haueter, aviation investigations chief at the NTSB, said that the investigation could take years to complete, based on the complexity of the evidence found during the battery failures. In the meantime, airlines are making due without their new 787s in service, and you can bet that Boeing is paying dearly for this incident.

The new logo and livery will be introduced on the airline’s new and upcoming Boeing 777-300 airplanes at the end of the month, and have ordered hundreds of other new planes that will be delivered throughout the coming years. Many of the new planes will be made of composite materials to make them lighter. However, they must be painted over, making the iconic unpainted silver look of current AA planes no longer an option. Instead, though, the airline plans to paint them using silver mica paint that will at least maintain AA’s long-lasting heritage.

The new planes will features redesigned first- and business-class seats, and every seat on the new planes will feature all-new in-flight entertainment systems, as well as power outlets and WiFi access. The entertainment systems will feature a huge selection of movies, TV shows, music, and games.

Flight attendants will be equipped with Samsung Galaxy Note Tabs to better assist passengers, and pilots will be given iPads to “fly more efficiently” and to cut down on paper products to save on fuel costs. Gate agents at the airport will also be given mobile devices to help passengers check-in quicker by speeding up the boarding pass process and checking-in luggage.

[via Gizmodo]

After two fires caused my malfunctioning lithium-ion batteries were reported, the FAA has ordered all US airlines to ground their entire 787 fleet, and the administration also warned international airlines as well, and all of them have heeded the news and grounded their respective 787 Dreamliners.

The battery failures in question are said to possibly start a domino effect with on-board critical systems and structures, as well as the possibility of fire starting on board. The FAA has said that it’ll work with Boeing to come up with a plan to fix the issues and put the new aircrafts back in commission safely and quickly.

Currently, there are only six 787 Dreamliners in commission in the US, all which are operated by United Airlines. Furthermore, Japanese airlines operate 24 Dreamliners, with other international airlines operating 20 of the new planes. In total, there are 50 787 Dreamliners in operation, all of which have been grounded until further notice. United Airlines has said all passengers who were scheduled to fly on a 787 will be flying on different aircrafts for the time being.

[via WSJ]

Boeing must check that onboard wireless signals don’t interfere with navigation and communication systems, and in order to get the best possible results, they use what they cleverly call SPUDS (Synthetic Personnel Using Dielectric Substitution) to help replicate how airborne signals are bounced and absorbed by real-life passengers, but without the need for Boeing to go out and find real people who will sit for hours on end.

Boeing spokesman Adam Tischler said that the sacks of potatoes accurately replicate the way human passengers reflect and absorb electronic signals. Furthermore, this strange method has dramatically shortened testing times for Boeing. What usually took two weeks now only takes a few hours, thanks to SPUDS.

It turns out that there are a lot of considerations for optimizing WiFi in an aircraft. The company explains how signal variations can shift dramatically even in a small area, and there’s also the difficult task of finding the best WiFi signal strength for passengers without interrupting critical communication systems in the cockpit.

[via LA Times]

Image via Flickr

The Federal Aviation Administration said that the fuel leak issue could have caused the planes to run out of fuel, experience an engine-power loss, or even start a fire. Once the 787 Dreamliner landed in New Orleans, fire crews went ahead and immediately inspected the plane, but found no evidence of discoloration or other indications of heat, fire or smoke, either from the possible fuel leak issue or the initial electrical problem.

The FAA estimates that each inspection will take around 10 hours and will cost about $2,700. Inspections of all 787 Dreamliners should be complete within three weeks from now. The FAA didn’t specifically identify the Dreamliners that had the issue, but they did say that affected planes weren’t flown by US carriers.

The 787 had already been through three and a half years of delays before finally making its commercial debut last year. Boeing struggled with the composite materials and the new manufacturing system that relied more on suppliers. The FAA says that the fuel leak issue was traced back to a manufacturing fault.

[via Bloomberg]

The official launch began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Bush Intercontinental Airport before the 787 Dreamliner took off at 7:20 AM for its first US domestic flight. The aircraft touched down two and a half hours later at O’Hare International Airport, greeted by a water cannon salute and applause from the passengers and crew.

The Boing 787 Dreamliner first landed on American soil back in April, when the aircraft flew from Tokyo, Japan to Boston, MA on a Tokyo Airlines flight. However, yesterday marked the first day that the 787 entered its US domestic service with United Airlines. The airline is the first US airline to fly the Dreamliner, and they have ordered a total of 50 Dreamliners to add to their fleet over the next couple years.

The new 787 Dreamliner may not be the biggest commercial aircraft (the Airbus A380 still holds that crown), but the Dreamliner is unique because it’s the first commercial aircraft to use a lightweight composite fuselage, which saves on fuel costs tremendously. Plus, It features extra comforts for passengers, such as bigger windows, larger overhead bins and better ventilation. Currently, there are around 30 Dreamliners built, with over 800 orders yet to fulfill.

[via Chicago Sun-Times]

The test was carried out by the Boeing Phantom Works team and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate team members, as well as members from the high-powered microwave supplier Raytheon Ktech. The target was a two-story building filled with desktop computers and electronics. The missile fired a burst of microwave awesomeness at the building, at which point every electronic thing inside died. Throughout the test, seven targets were hit using the missile.

Said Keith Coleman, the CHAMP program manager for Boeing Phantom Works, “This technology marks a new era in modern-day warfare. In the near future, this technology may be used to render an enemy’s electronic and data systems useless even before the first troops or aircraft arrive.” He followed this up by stating, “Today we turned science fiction into science fact.” The success of the test is, according to the Boeing statement, a big step in non-lethal warfare.

According to James Dodd, VP of Advanced Boeing Military Aircraft, there is a need for this type of weapon. “We know this has some capabilities and some impact, we’re really trying to engage the customer to see if there is a way we can actually get this fielded and implemented sooner than later.” For now, Boeing is taking a look at the data and telemetry from the completed mission.

[via Boeing]

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was talking about the iPhones of the future today, and a new teardown from iFixit gives a peek at the iPhone 5′s innards. iPhone 5s sold at Verizon have been confirmed to be GSM unlocked, and a new report is saying that iDevice users are updating to iOS 6 122% faster than they updated to iOS 5. Apple has said that its poorly-received Maps app in iOS 6 will be getting better soon, and Jelly Bean has finally arrived on the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Samsung announced a new hot pink Galaxy S III for Korea today, and Google Headquarters opened today to welcome the cast and crew of The Internship.

Facebook pulled the plug on its facial recognition tool over in Europe, while it announced that users will soon be able to see their search history in their Facebook Activity Log. One Wii U launch developer is expressing concerns over the console’s CPU, and the Samsung Galaxy Note II is already up for pre-order at US Celluar. Kickstarter put some new rules in place for product creators today, in an apparent attempt to move away from the implications that backers are buying things instead of funding development.

GeeXboX 3.0 has arrived with XBMC integration all ready to go, while Hulu Plus, HBO GO, and Max GO all received an update that adds closed captioning on mobile devices. Boeing announced that it will begin allowing cell phone use on its flights starting next year, and finally tonight, the latest ASUS Padfone 2 leak had a lot to say about the incoming phone’s specs. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, so you know what that means: it’s time to go out and enjoy the weekend. Have fun, everyone!

Passengers aboard Boeing’s 747-8, massive 787 Dreamliner, and 777′s will soon be able to use their cell phones according to the company and CNET. Back in July when Boeing unveiled their new 787 Dreamliner they were showing off their Android-based entertainment systems on board — but apparently that wasn’t the only Android and smartphone usage they had in mind.

Here in the US however, the FAA has a ban in place that probably will never allow for such activity. So the uses for this new technology and improvements isn’t really known at this point. Whether other countries and officials will allow the use of cell phones is an entirely different situation. Yes we have on-flight WiFi, but making calls is another level.

Along with cell phone use, WiFi as usual, and more, Boeing also states they’ll have actual live TV, and even wireless media streaming by sometime in 2014. If you need to have a video conference while sky high — Boeing will have you covered. Many still think smartphone usage on planes is no big deal and of no security concern, just ask Alec Baldwin.

[via AndroidCommunity]

Boeing takes away the biggest purse, with $460m, while SpaceX is shortly behind with $440. Sierra Nevada grabs $212.5m. All three companies will need to demonstrate that their craft can meet NASA’s full mission safety requirements, with certification expected to take place in a future phase of the program.

“NASA will build on its rich human spaceflight history by investing in commercial development of fully integrated crew transportation system designs under the next round of funded SAAs, Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap)” NASA

NASA’s three selected partners narrows the field down from seven in the previous round, which together shared a $50m bounty. SpaceX is the furthest along so far, having already managed to dock its unmanned Dragon capsule with the International Space Station earlier this year.

“This is a decisive milestone in human spaceflight and sets an exciting course for the next phase of American space exploration,” SpaceX CEO and Chief Designer Elon Musk said in a statement today. “SpaceX, along with our partners at NASA, will continue to push the boundaries of space technology to develop the safest, most advanced crew vehicle ever flown.”

Musk says that SpaceX aims to undertake a manned flight by 2015, outfitting Dragon with seats for seven astronauts and “the most technically advanced launch escape system ever developed” that will include abort possibilities whether on the launch pad or in orbit. There will also be a propulsive landing system for ground touchdowns on the capsule’s legs.

The Commercial Crew Program isn’t the only project NASA has on the go to push the limits of space flight, however. Operating in parallel is development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle spacecraft and Space Launch System, a crew capsule and heavy-lift rocket that, the agency says, “will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.”

The Thales TopSeries Avant IFECs had been integrated with the Qatar Airways 787 Dreamliner, featuring two classes, economy and business. They’ll have 7-inch and 10-inch touchscreen IFECs with hardware stored in the seat-back unit. A STMicro dual-core ARM processor, 1GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD also come with each IFEC.

Android handsets will be equipped with the Thales TopSeries Avant IFEC, presumably for running applications not built for the large screen will be. Although not specified yet, it’s expected that the Android version used on the system will be either Android 2.3 or Android 3.0.

[via ExtremeTech]

The Preliminary Design Review for the software is a very important part of the spacecraft program. The software is used during lunch, orbital maneuvering, docking and separating from the ISS, reentry, and landing. The software is one of the most important components of the spacecraft. Boeing says that the rigorous design process followed in the design of the spacecraft and software will ensure that there is minimal risk of certification noncompliance that would result in a need to redesign the spacecraft delaying the project and running over budget.

Boeing says that with the successful completion of its software PDR, the CST-100 program is on schedule to complete the remaining development milestones the next few months. The team is also on schedule for propellant tank demonstration test and an orbital maneuvering/attitude control engine hot fire test to provide additional data on spacecraft elements. The first test flight for the CST-100 is expected in 2015 to 2016. If all goes well SpaceX, and its Dragon capsule may be ferrying cargo and astronauts the ISS before Boeing has its first flight test.

The 787 is huge, but it isn’t the hugest. Boeing’s 777 is the truest marvel to watch. But the 787 earns a lot of points in another area – efficiency. It is the first airline in the world to use a composite fuselage. That means it makes much better use of the fuel on board, making it possible to pair up nonstop cities that currently aren’t served by any other airline. The Tokyo – Boston flight, for example, is a staggering 13 hours in duration.

Despite all the problems with the economy and rising fuel prices, this is actually a pretty interesting time for the airline industry. Super-jumbo jets like the 777, along with the Airbus A380, can fit more passengers than ever before, and the new 787 opens up better travel options and the potential for airlines to save on fuel costs. So far, Boeing has sold and delivered nine of the Dreamliners. It has 850 additional orders to fill.

[via Wired]

This is the first time that Boeing will be offering a mobile phone designed for use on cellular networks. The project is already near the end of its development cycle, suggesting that the device may be a fork of Android 2.3 Gingerbread and not of the latest iteration. Similarly encrypted devices currently cost $15,000 to $20,000 per unit and use proprietary software and hardware.

The Boeing Phone, however, wants to drive down that price point, but not necessarily to mass market pricing. The company also finds that its target users may want top security, but they also want access to popular apps. The Android-based Boeing Phone will give users an interface they’re familiar with in the consumer market, while providing them a whole other level of security.

[via Android Community]

The cost of those 33,500 new aircraft is estimated to be $4 trillion. Carriers in Asia-Pacific region alone will gobble up 35% of the estimated need with the new aircraft expected to be worth $1.5 trillion. Boeing splits out the estimated 33,500 aircraft expecting that 60% of the new planes will be needed for expanding fleets, while the remainder will be needed to replace aircraft that are getting too old.

An estimated 80% of the new aircraft in Asia-Pacific fleets will be needed for expansion. Boeing is planning to serve these new and growing markets in all aircraft ranges from single isle to very large aircraft such as the 787 Dreamliner. Boeing is also considering a larger aircraft able to carry more passengers than the Dreamliner called the 787-10X, able to carry 320 passengers.

[via AFP]