Ockie
Resident Lead Bender
JETSTAR's highly-touted Boeing 787 Dreamliner will not be able to fly near thunderstorms at high altitude because of problems with icing in its high-tech engines.
The problem has also prompted Japan Airlines to delay the introduction of the 787 on the Tokyo-Sydney route next month and JAL has said it will instead use another type of plane.
Boeing on Friday told airlines flying 747-8s and 787s equipped with General Electric engines to avoid flying within 80kms of thunderstorms at high altitude after six aircraft experienced a temporary loss of thrust.
The problem, which affected five 747-8s and one 787 between April and November, was traced to a build-up of ice crystals behind the front fan which subsequently ran through the GEnx engines, a GE spokesman told Reuters. All of the aircraft landed safely.
He said GE and Boeing are working on software modifications to the engine control system which they hope will eliminate the problem.
"The aviation industry is experiencing a growing number of ice-crystal icing encounters in recent years as the population of the large commercial airliners has grown, particularly in tropical regions of the world," he said.
The timing of the warning comes as Australia is in the thunderstorm season on the east coast, where Jetstar is currently operating the aircraft between Melbourne and Queensland.
Jetstar has one 787 in operation and two more are expected to be delivered by the end of the year.
The 787 has suffered a series of high-profile problems and delays, the most serious of which resulted in the global fleet being grounded earlier this year while authorities investigated overheating lithium ion batteries.
Comment is being sought from Jetstar.
Boeing said in its message to airlines that it was prohibiting flight within 50 nautical miles (92.5kms) of all thunderstorms that may contain ice crystals.
''Boeing is working with its customers and GE to address the icing issue,'' it said. ''Only a small number of GEnx engines have experienced the ice crystal icing issue in flight. GE will introduce the improvements necessary to return the engine to expected performance levels.''
''Boeing is disappointed in any impact this situation may have on our customers, as is the GE team. We, like our customers, expect the delivered product to meet all expectations and will work closely with GE to address the subject condition.''
Jetstar said it would follow Boeing's advice.
''We expect this will not have a significant impact on our operations,'' a spokesman said. ''We have been advised that GE are working on a solution and we will follow the recommendations of Boeing or regulators as they arise.''
Separately, Australia's air safety watchdog is investigating a flight deck instrument failure on an Etihad Airbus A330 that prompted the crew to issue a mayday call and return to Brisbane on Thursday.
The Etihad A330-200 was operating flight EY 473 from Brisbane to Singapore with 164 passengers and 11 crew on board when an air speed indicator, and possibly other instruments, failed.
''The flight crew followed all standard operational procedures, declared an emergency, and made a precautionary landing,’’ the airline said. “The aircraft landed without incident and all passengers and crew are safe. Passengers are being rebooked to continue their journey on alternate carriers.''
The Australian Transport safety Bureau confirmed yesterday that it was investigating the incident but said inquiries were still in their early stages.
An incorrectly functioning air speed system contributed to the loss of an Air France A330 flying between Brazil and France in 2009.
- See more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/bus...y-e6frg95x-1226767124636#sthash.g5xdGhQX.dpuf
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/bus...787-dreamliners/story-e6frg95x-1226767124636#
It must be said though that engine problems cant really be blamed on Boeing ...no matter how much I want to /grin
