Boeing has unexpectedly ditched plans to fit cutting-edge wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) technology to the 787, but insists the move to the more conventional hard-wired replacement system will not affect the aircraft's schedule or cost.
News of the change, which the company says was only firmly decided on in the second week of January, comes just days after an industry analyst issued a disputed report saying some 787 customers had been told their aircraft deliveries could be delayed.
Boeing refutes the Wachovia Capital Markets report and insists the schedule remains firm. Boeing says "there are no delivery delays in 2008 and we are still scheduled to meet entry into service in May 2008".
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IFE rethink does not change long term plans for a wireless PC network |
It also says first flight remains on track for the end of August.
Mike Sinnett, Boeing 787 systems director, says the "hard decision" to reject WiFi IFE was made "because a couple of things converged on us" - specifically, Boeing could not get 100% international confirmation from countries around the world to allocate frequencies in the IFE system's 5GHz operating bandwidth.
In addition, concerns were raised about the ability of the wireless chipset technology to use the same frequencies for multiple uses, and for it to keep pace with the expected volume of seat-back content.
The frequency issue was due to several nations requiring the bandwidth close to the IFE frequency for various air traffic, weather radar and military requirements, says Sinnett. "We got 99% complete, but there are a couple of places in the world where those frequencies are already allocated to other uses."
Sinnett also adds the IFE change does not affect longer-term plans to develop a wireless system in the cabin for passengers to use personal computers in flight. "We're targeting 2009 for entry into service for that," he says.
The 787 systems programme has meanwhile passed a critical milestone, with all major systems having now attained aircraft level functionality. Reaching the final interface control document level means "all the aircraft systems can now talk to each other", Sinnett says.
Data from sensors such as the Rockwell Collins Integrated Surveillance System has also been passed through the Common Core System, which forms the heart of the 787's avionics suite.
Another recent milestone is the first successful power transfer between the "aircraft" and the ground in the Hamilton Sundstrand Airplane Power System Integration Facility at Rockford, Illinois. "It was a big step," Sinnett says.
Source: Flight International
