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Thatsa whatibeena trynata tellya

by YankeeJim | June 25, 2010 at 07:53 am

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The shims are not up to snuff.

I used to cut them from phenolic plastic when working in an aircraft factory as a college student. You have to pick the right material and it must be precision cut on a milling machine. Installation may involve using an adhesive.

If you use too many shims to shore up manufacturing, the product will weaken. And when you read they are using shims in the horizontal stabilizer, well that makes me shake.

“Boeing Grounds 787 Jets

Manufacturing.Net - June 25, 2010

SEATTLE (AP) -- Boeing Co. says it has decided to inspect its five flight-test 787 jets before they fly again because of a quality problem found in a portion of the tail built by Italian manufacturer Alenia.

The Seattle Times reported Thursday that the problem in the horizontal stabilizer, the smaller wing on the plane's tail, was found within the past week.

Boeing spokeswoman Yvonne Leach told The Times that engineers are inspecting all 23 of the jets built so far, with inspections to take one to two days.

In a statement late Thursday, the company said it decided to inspect the planes before they fly again to ensure any "rework" is completed as quickly as possible. If a fix is needed, Boeing says it could take eight days per plane.

The problem is "regrettable but under control," Leach said.

"We made a decision to be prudent and do the inspections first," she said.

Boeing has flown five 787s so far as part of its testing program.

The Times said Planes 2 and 3 were due to fly in the next few days while the other three are in ground tests or preparing for future tests.

Leach told The Times that the problem won't further delay the schedule for completing flight testing or the first delivery of the plane to All Nippon Airways by the end of the year. She did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press.

The Times said workers at Boeing's assembly plant discovered the problem, which involves small pieces of material called shims that are frequently used to fill small gaps during assembly.

"Shims were improperly installed in a manner that could lead to lower-than-expected longevity for a joint within the horizontal stabilizer," Leach said.”