FAA Expected to Announce 787 Can Fly Again

Just received a breaking news alert from the Wall Street Journal  that FAA administration chief Michael Hueta is expected to announce as soon as tomorrow that he is allowing the 787s to begin flying again. The report indicates that foreign aviation agencies are expected follow the FAAs lead and let the jet fly again. 

Once the jet is approved to fly again Boeing will begin installing a battery fix to prevent the problems of batteries arcing and catching fire, which grounded the jet in the first place. The fixes will take a few weeks and so the 787 may not be back in full service until May so that all of the instillation an testing can take place.

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Transportation Secretary Still Has Questions On 787s

As Boeing continues to troubleshoot their battery problems with the 787 and continues to progress toward a reinstatement from the FAA Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made it clear in an interview on Wednesday with The Wall Street Journal that he still has lots of questions he needs answered before he will give it the OK to fly which is needed before US operations can start again.

A quick approval process is key for Boeing who will start to be subject to late penalties paid to the airlines if the delays continue.

The article comes as the National Transportation Safety Board plans to release an update to their investigation of the fire aboard the Japan Airlines 787 that occurred in January.

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Grounded Like the 787 Dreamliner!

Grounded! That word is one of my least favorite. As a child, I use to despise hearing it. Normally, it was in the phrase, “You are grounded,” I was a naughty child. Always pushing the acceptable boundaries to see how far I could push it. I am still that way today especially in the planning of my trips.

 I have been planning a major trip for March. First, it was a bro trip to Niger, to visit our friends. Well, the French decided to bomb Mali and the entire region is a hotbed now. Our friend told us to put the trip on ice and stuff it into the freezer for the time being. With that trip cancelled, I went about planning a trip to hit two counties: one in Europe and one in Asia. I was calling it…the trip to countries you have never heard of.

 That was until last week. In our 90 day outlook meeting, my boss grounded me. I have been grounded like the 787; indefinitely. I can’t take vacation time, other than the half days already on the books, until the Spring market is over.

I should have seen this. Similar to the 787, the warning signs were clear as glass. When the real estate market heats up, the mortgage market will as well. Record low interest rates, improving stock market & economy, plus lower than average housing prices is creating the perfect storm. In Washington, DC, there are more people wanting to buy than there is housing inventory. The houses that are for sale are attracting multiple bids with escalation clauses and quick financing turn around.

 So, the FAA (my boss) has grounded me until further notice. No junkets to far off lands. No crazy mileage runs to Turkey. The best I can do is weekend trips to the West coast, like Portland in March. I am a travel junkie and my boss is forcing me to go on a detox.

 You know what this means. While I am grounded, its time to stock pile points to spend when I can take off again. You can put the travel junkie in detox, but the point addict will always look for his fix.