The new focus in aircraft development, the production

By Bjorn Fehrm October 17, 2019, ©. Leeham News: Over the last decades the focus for new airliner projects has been technological advancements in aerodynamics, structures, engines, and avionics. This has offered 15% efficiency gains for the new… Read More

Is re-engining the Boeing 767 a good idea?

By Bjorn Fehrm Subscription Required Introduction October 17, 2019, © Leeham News: FlightGlobal writes Boeing is investigating re-engining the 767-400ER with GE GEnx engines to produce a new freighter and perhaps a passenger aircraft as a replacement for… Read More

737 MAX special report

Oct. 16, 2019: AlJazeera produced a 30 minute special report on the Boeing 737 MAX. Unlike the hour-long hit piece on the 787 several years ago, undertaken with questionable tactics, this one is well done. See the report… Read More

Pontifications: Muilenburg loses chairman’s title; are his days numbered?

Oct. 14, 2019, © Leeham News: Look for Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg to leave in 2020. At least this is my view. But some aerospace analysts I spoke with over the weekend are split. Some believe Friday’s action… Read More

The time for a 767RE passenger model has come and gone

Subscription Required Introduction Oct. 14, 2019, © Leeham News: Boeing is reconsidering a previous idea to re-engine the 767 with GEnx powerplants, Flight Global reported last week. The idea was run up the flagpole, so-to-speak, in 2017. Boeing… Read More

JATR study “damning” to Boeing, FAA, New York Times says

Oct. 11, 2019: The international study group that was named to examine the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX and the MCAS system was issued today. The New York Times obtained an advance copy. It wrote that the… Read More

Boeing’s 737 in another pickle, Part 2

By Bjorn Fehrm October 8, 2019, ©. Leeham News: The FAA Air Worthiness Directive (AD) for high time Boeing 737 NGs regarding cracked rear pickle forks was issued Thursday last week. Boeing had a call with 737 NG operators… Read More

Pontifications: Muilenburg’s departure wouldn’t go far enough

Oct. 7, 2019, © Leeham News: A recent call for Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg by my friend Ernie Arvai to resign or be removed has a litany of woes at the company that occurred under the CEO. These… Read More

Bjorn’s Corner: Fly by steel or electrical wire, Part 11

October 4, 2019, ©. Leeham News: In our series about classical flight controls (“fly by steel wire”) and Fly-By-Wire (FBW or “fly by electrical wire”) we now discuss pitch stability augmentation systems when we need to improve the… Read More

Boeing’s 737 in another pickle

By Bjorn Fehrm October 1, 2019, ©. Leeham News: The FAA has issued an Air Worthiness Directive (AD) for high time Boeing 737 NGs, requiring immediate inspections for cracks in their wing attachments called pickle forks. The cracks were… Read More