When Boeing broke ground on its new factory near Charleston in 2009, the plant was trumpeted as a state-of-the-art manufacturing hub, building one of the most advanced aircraft in the world. But in the decade since, the factory, which makes the 787 Dreamliner, has been plagued by shoddy production and weak oversight that have threatened to compromise safety. A New York Times review of hundreds of pages of internal emails, corporate documents and federal records, as well as interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees, reveals a culture that often valued production speed over quality. Facing long manufacturing delays, Boeing pushed its work force to quickly turn out Dreamliners, at times ignoring issues raised by employees. <br/>
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Representatives from at least 9 countries and regions will participate in a panel that the US FAA convened for the purpose of reviewing the Boeing 737 Max’s flight control software. Led by veteran US transportation safety investigator Chris Hart, the FAA’s “Joint Authorities Technical Review” panel will first convene April 29. The group will likely conclude its review in 90 days, adds the FAA, signalling the 737 Max’s grounding might not lift until the second half of the year. The non-US representatives include “experts” from civil aviation authorities, including those overseeing airlines that have already received, or have orders for, Boeing 737 Max. Delegates hail from the aviation agencies of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the EU, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and United Arab Emirates. <br/>
Mitsubishi Aircraft is close to finalising a refined design for the MRJ70, the shorter version of its MRJ regional jet, and by the end of June, 2 additional MRJ90 prototypes will be ready for MRJ flight testing, Mitsubishi Aircraft president Hisakazu Mizutani said. As the program works toward making a much-delayed first delivery in mid-2020, Mizutani said the company is aiming to achieve simultaneous airworthiness certification from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and the two foreign agencies that are conducting shadow audits on the MRJ, EASA and the FAA. After more than 3 years of company evaluation of MRJ prototypes in the air, certification flight testing under supervision of the JCAB began March 3. The specific subject of the certification work is the 88-seat MRJ90 version, which the 76-seat MRJ70 is trailing by about 1 year. <br/>