Saying Hello to the Dreamliners
The Boeing Factory Tour is a tradition of mine every time I come to Seattle.
Naturally, I checked in on the 787. Dreamliner One is surrounded by a gated red fence requires anyone working with the airplane to check in and state your purpose for working with the aircraft.
The aircraft was on its own wheels and its flaps (all installed) and spoilers were extended. Yellow testing lights were on signifying the on-going functional testing of all the aircraft’s systems. Another thing I noticed was that ZA001 had its nose cone attached and it appeared to be new! It was painted fresh white, not the shades of blue we saw at the roll-out.
I could also see some flight test equipment installed in the cabin. The engine inlets were shielded with red covers and the chevron-edged cowlings were installed.
Down the line, ZA002-ZA004 all had their nose cones tipped up, revealing the honeycomb radar underneath. Also, ZA003 was sporting a bright red rudder for Northwest. ZA004 was surrounded by tooling and the MOATT (mother of all tooling towers) which had been installing the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. I could also see the wings for ZA005 laying beside ZA004, as well as the tail cone and horizontal stabilizer in the aft soak area.
I’m going to Disneyworld!
Okay, I’m not going to Disneyworld, but Boeing and the IAM certainly are.
According to one veteran machinist deeply familiar with Boeing/IAM labor policy, had the IAM refused to accept the help of a federally appointed mediator and the 48-hour extension, immediate beginning a strike, the IAM would have been deemed negotiating in bad faith, opening themselves up to legal action.
Article 24 of the existing contract allows for a potential extension of up to 1 year if the union agrees to it. It has never been done for this long, though it was done for 5 days in 1986 to give additional time to the Union membership to see the changes to the contract and vote. The same could be done this time around to call for a vote later this weekend without going on strike. A simple majority (50%+1) is required to approve the new contract.
Right now, Boeing and the IAM are in a media blackout while the extended negotiations are underway.
777F’s Busy Summer
Flight Testing at Boeing is going as strong as ever. I spotted the second 777F for Air France weaving in tight turns in the skies above Boeing Field today while driving north on I-5 to Everett. Both aircraft are based at BFI.
One thing you didn’t know about the IAM contract
Reading the contract today I thought it was interesting was that Boeing has now added “or same-gender domestic partner” after group benefits were previously allocated only for spouses.
Twenty-three hours forty-seven minutes to go.
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.