Sounds right Beagle :-) Interesting piece below...on AIRs 787 engines...
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/...ectid=12068039
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Sounds right Beagle :-) Interesting piece below...on AIRs 787 engines...
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/...ectid=12068039
Makes you wonder if these engines will always have a weakness even when patched up and also whether the so called newer Ten version will be durable.
I see AIR's problems with these engines stretching well past this winter.
Its not a given that they will get their 330 mins ETOPS rating back either.
Hmmmm...yes I think if you push an engine right out to the edge of the technological envelope in the search for fuel efficiency you can create systemic weaknesses.
Good example in the automotive field that's easier for a lot of us to understand is the BMW N63 V8 petrol engine. https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...ns-bmw-n63-v8/ In a nutshell BMW went on a mission to create a very fuel efficient V8 engine to meet new mandated fuel efficiency standards and now customers are facing numerous issues.
Rolls Royce probably pushing that engine too far in the hope of new efficiencies and now there are two separate serious issues which may be systemic weaknesses not properly fixed by the technical update that goes with the ten version ? Only time will tell if that latter ten version is durable and problem free, just like only time will tell if the updated BMW N63 tu2 engine will prove to be durable. Who wants to be a Guinea pig when they don't have to be !
Normal monthly traders pump & dump occurring again ................
I'm much more optimistic. As I wrote in a previous post I well remember the unreliability of the early 747 engines and planes having to transport spare engines in a '5th engine' manner' all over the world to rescue stuck planes. They eventually fixed all the problems and the 747 eventually became one of the most reliable aircraft ever.
I suggest that the first iteration of any new technology, be it planes boats trains or phones, will have unforeseen problems. They all get fixed eventually.
Well, I could think about a number of examples where this theory didn't hold water. Problem is just - given that they are unsuccessful they don't stay for long in peoples minds ...
Remember the good old W-a-n-k-e-l engine (btw this censor program around here is really stupid ...) which not just (the inventor) NSU but neither GM, Mercedes Benz nor Citroen or Mazda managed to make reliable?
A little bit further back - remind me when they turned the Zeppelin into a reliable and trust worthy mode of transport?
Ah yes - and closer to home - what about the Stirling engine?
I guess it is fair to say that many engine and transport concepts never get off ground, some do but never become reliable and a few mature and succeed. History will tell us into which of these categories the latest RR engines belong. I don't hold my breath.
Discl: happy non-holder ;);
A fleet of 787's operating properly would be a very good thing where fuel prices are now because that's when I believe the capex invested in them gives proper payback in terms of operational efficiency but the key question is how long does this whole fleet overhaul process take ? Let's not kid ourselves, all those engines will need to be overhauled.
Air announcing 3-5% international fare increases and holding an institutional investor day on 14th. We are seeing very little transparency from AIR on how long they expect the process to take. Maybe they'll give us some clue during the forthcoming investor day or maybe they really have no idea and are at the mercy of limited RR overhaul capability and massive worldwide demand ?
Not quite true. When Suzuki developed the ****le engine for their motorcycles, they did overcome the seal reliability issue by using carbon seals and a fusion coating in the chamber. they sold this design to Mazda for use in the 13 series engines.
What they could never overcome were the economy and emission issues. ****les are thirsty, and could never meet any of the imposed emission standards.
whilst you all chat about wankel rotary engines RR have announced that they have now discovered a "similar" issue [to the one in Package C] in the Package B engines.
Probably does not make AirNZ woes any worse (I think they have non of these)!
I also hear that AirNZ are upping their international fares