Ron Wiener

In January, a door plug issue on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 led to increased scrutiny and a second grounding order from the FAA. This situation prompted Boeing to address the problem and improve their safety and quality practices. Boeing has developed a comprehensive Product Safety and Quality Plan to tackle these challenges. Key actions in the plan include: 1. Enhanced Safety Management System (SMS): Boeing is improving its safety reporting system and ensuring all work is completed before moving aircraft to the next production stage. 2. Simplified Processes: The company is streamlining its procedures to make them clearer and easier to follow. 3. Better Supply Chain Oversight: Boeing is intensifying its monitoring of suppliers to ensure parts meet safety standards. 4. Expanded Training: Additional training is being provided to new and existing employees to boost their skills and knowledge. 5. Improved Production Compliance: Boeing is focusing on key areas like debris control and adherence to work instructions, with enhanced daily reviews and audits. 6. Increased Employee Engagement: Boeing is fostering a stronger safety culture through regular quality reviews and involvement teams. 7. Refined Installation Instructions: The company is simplifying complex work instructions to improve safety and clarity. The FAA has reviewed Boeing’s new plan and expressed confidence in the company's commitment to safety. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has decided to work from Seattle to stay close to production and development efforts. These steps position Boeing to enhance its safety practices and restore its reputation in aviation. #aviation #aircraft #boeing #airbus #mro #airline #overhaul #FrontierAirlines #TravelDeals #AviationNews #AirlineIndustry #TravelMore #FlightDeals #LowCostTravel #ExploreMore #MRO #Wanderlust #CheapFlights #EngineAviation #BusinessTravel #VacationMode #Traveling #AirportLife #JetSetter

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An incredible deep dive from Nathan M. into the cultural and structural issues that are plaguing Boeing and how they got to where they are today. This article should be turned into a business school case study it's that good. And many of these issues aren't unique to Boeing. The focus on financial engineering over actual engineering is an issue at play in many scaled aerospace and defense companies. A definite must-read! https://lnkd.in/gkdpF2tM

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AST SpaceMobile Stock Surges, Hits $5.6B Market Cap 🛰 Huge news from AST SpaceMobile as share price jumped another 18% yesterday, bringing its year-to-date market gains to a staggering 326%. The company’s market cap now sits at $5.6B, ranking it among the highest-valued space businesses in the world after SpaceX. AST SpaceMobile Stock Surges, Hits $5.6B Market Cap - Payload (payloadspace.com)

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Archer Aviation has announced plans to launch an air mobility network in Los Angeles by as early as 2026, reports a press release. The company seeks to change the way Southern California residents and visitors commute, travel and spend their free time. Adam Goldstein, CEO of Archer, commented, “This is a big moment for Archer. Establishing our LA network ahead of the global events that are coming to the region over the next three years is a milestone that will put Midnight on display for the whole world to see. LA is known for its horrendous traffic. Our goal is to offer a safer, faster and more sustainable alternative travel option.” Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, added, “The State is showing the world what’s possible when you embrace innovation, entrepreneurship, and clean energy to help solve your biggest challenges. Homegrown companies like Archer Aviation are pioneering the next generation of zero-emission transportation that will help California cut pollution, clean our air, and reduce traffic.” And Kevin Demoff, President of the Los Angeles Rams, remarked, “We are excited about the opportunity to bring Archer’s game-changing technology to Hollywood Park. This underscores our commitment to enhancing the guest experience as we continue to build this transformative global destination for sports and entertainment.” Read the full article on our blog. #AvfoilNews #ArcherAviation #AirMobility #UrbanAirMobility #MidnightAircraft #ElectricAviation #eVTOL #AviationInnovation #FutureOfTransport #ZeroEmissions #SustainableTravel #CaliforniaInnovation #GreenAviation #SmartCities #LosAngelesTraffic #SoFiStadium #HollywoodPark #AviationTechnology #AviationNews

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Southwest Airlines and Archer have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop operational plans for electric air taxi networks utilizing Archer’s eVTOL aircraft at #California airports where Southwest operates. Both companies intend to collaborate on a Concept of Operations that lays the foundation for integrated electric air taxi networks, which would support California airports and the surrounding communities that Southwest serves. Southwest is the Golden State’s largest air carrier and operates at 14 airports across the state. This collaboration will include partnering with Southwest employees and respective unions, including Southwest Airline Pilots Association (SWAPA), to maintain and improve efficient operations. https://lnkd.in/eKycTyDw #evtolinsights #southwestairlines #archeraviation #evtol #midnight #airtaxi #usa #electricaviation #advancedairmobility

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About to #swisslathe some pew-pew adjustment screws with "hexalobe" drivers (aka Torx)🔫🪛far better than Phillips or Robertson IMHO. I’m going to get straight to the point and say that it’s time for Robertson and Phillips screws to be retired and supplanted by Torx. *️⃣ Torx has been widely replacing Robertson and Phillips in the United States since then. They have been around for about 50 years, though only commonly available for the last 15 years. ⏹️ Robertson screw drives are also known as square drives. They are a simple and elegant design which looks good and is relatively easy to manufacture. They have been around for over 100 years. Robertson drives were invented in Canada and are a source of Canadian pride. While ubiquitous in Canada, they were rare in the USA for decades because the inventor P. L. Robertson refused to license the system to anybody else and thus drove away interested parties from the US and other countries ❎ Phillips drives will likely continue to exist for decades due to momentum and because they are cheap and because they don’t suck so bad that they are unusable. Eradicating Phillips drives in the US is about as hard as eradicating the Imperial measurement system, and for many of the same reasons. I can’t think of a single technical reason why Phillips should exist in this modern world. A big reason why we are all stuck with it is that Ford Motor Corp a hundred years ago went with it due to being denied licensing by Robertson! 💪 I think the primary argument as to why Torx is superior to Robertson is about torque and cam-out. Torx screws handle more torque, with less cam-out, than Robertson, especially at smaller sizes. And that difference is significant in practice. It’s the reason it was named “Torx” in the first place! Compared to Robertson, Torx has a better angle of torque application. The torque is closer to being perpendicular to the interface, and there are six interfaces vs the four of Robertson. Robertson doesn’t cam out like Phillips – the king of cam-out – but it rears its cam-out head when subjected to higher resistance and increasingly worn drivers. 💰Torx would have been significantly more difficult to manufacture 100 years ago when Robertson was invented. But today the difference is insignificant. Plus there is no longer patent encumbrance for Torx (expired 1988) and in fact it’s an openly available ISO standard. The Torx design has an ISO standard now which anybody can implement too. Overall I’m arguing here that Torx is better than Robertson and not that Robertson sucks. Robertson is far better than all the slotted and Phillips variations out there, as well as some of the other types. But there’s a good reason why Torx has been replacing Robertson (and Phillips variants) in all the hardware stores: people who use them recognize the superiority. #manufacturing #engineering #design #fasteners #machining #machineshop #aerospace

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#CommercialAviation, which typically flies aircraft with over 100 seats, represents more than 80% of revenue seat miles flown and emissions generated in the aviation sector. However, we haven't seen much investment in breakthrough approaches for more the larger #aircraft that serve these operations. Investors have made big bets in breakthrough #aerospace technologies for smaller aircraft (e.g. #eVTOLS, #eSTOL and #hydrogen themes), which address less than 16% of aviation emissions and less than 10% of current aircraft. #SAF investments can help commercial #aviation move forward with #sustainability goals, but SAF is likely to cost 2-3X as much as JetA, which will create significant demand destruction and financing issues for airlines. #Boeing and #Airbus have explored breakthrough technologies for commercial aviation that would increase aircraft efficiency beyond what traditional tube and wing aircraft can achieve -- Boeing's X66 Truss Braced Wing concept for example. However, the only programs currently planned -- next generation tube and wing #aircraft -- will deliver gains that fall far short of the industry's needs to achieve its sustainability goals. The #BWB concepts in progress, of which JetZero is the most advanced, can help fill this gap in product development and sustainability for the most important part of the #airline business by cutting fuel consumption per RPM by 30-50%. SAF will continue to play an important role, which BWB concepts will accelerate by eliminating the trillions of dollars of incremental cost that would have put a primarily SAF based solution under immense pressure. In the end, the fuel savings tied to new equipment will help the industry achieve its sustainability goals while reducing costs and accelerating industry growth. That makes for a healthier industry going forward. Alaska Airlines has a strong history of pragmatic thought leadership in the aviation industry. With this investment they have led the industry towards an attractive future where a robust, profitable industry and sustainability have become mutually reinforcing goals that build on the industry's legacy as the world's most fuel efficient. large scale transportation system. Many investors focused in sustainability have not had the right combination of vision and pragmatism to take this type of step. Congrats to Alaska Airlines and JetZero on moving us in the right direction. https://lnkd.in/evYUCwbx

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I'm going to predict something here - I'm seeing more indications that boards of directors are moving away from finance-oriented CEOs and towards those with more engineering and technical experience. I believe this will be a driving trend for the next several years. There are a few reasons I believe this. First of all, the news cycle lately seems to be awash with companies that are failing because they've put profits ahead of research, safety, security, and infrastructure, all things that were key to making these companies competitive in the first place. This decline in engineering quality translates directly to lost sales, dissatisfied customers, and increased regulation (with hefty fines). Additionally, there's a generational change occurring as those born in the 1960s increasingly are making their way to the helm of these companies even as existing executives, brought up primarily in the sales and financial world, are retiring. This cohort, in general, is much more engineering and technically focused, meaning that they have an understanding of the underlying product in a way that salespeople usually don't - and are much less likely to cut corners because of it.

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“We’re always balancing priorities and budgeting, but certainly the future is going to be in hybrid systems," says Prime Division Chief Lt. Col. Jonathan Gilbert.

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Today marks a watershed moment for the future of aviation with Congress's passage of the FAA reauthorization bill. Why does this matter? ⚠ The status quo: For a long time, drone operators have had to navigate a fly-by-waiver process where every operation is subject to the Administrator's whims. This is largely why high-value UAS applications like middle-mile logistics have fallen by the wayside and what ultimately prevented UAS operations from scaling in the US. ✔ Now: There is a clear pathway for the FAA issuing a new rulemaking under Part 108, with an emphasis on standardization and operational clarity (and within a specified timeline!). This will enable BVLOS operations at scale, with increasingly larger drone aircraft with enhanced performance capabilities, and move away from an otherwise arbitrary decision-making process, that to-date has handicapped the US drones market. Delivering burritos is cool, but delivering pallets of tortilla shells is far more valuable (I think). More to come! AUVSI — Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International did a great job summarizing the key provisions of the bill here: https://lnkd.in/efP29RRB #drones #UAS #UAVs #aviation #middlemile #logistics

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The global #AdvancedAirMobility market is only getting more exciting, so I'm really grateful to have now been invited onto shows to talk about this space in more detail. In this instance, I had a great time talking with Landry Holi in his latest episode. We covered a load of topics in the time we had, so please click on the link below to give it a listen. Thanks again for the invite! 🙏 It feels always strange to be the one answering the questions, but this industry is something I'm very enthusiastic and passionate about; you can see for yourself during the conversation! #evtolinsights #thankyou #interview #discussion #evtol #airtaxi #electricaviation #urbanairmobility

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Tired of traffic and long drives into the city? In a new piece adapted for DCI, guest contributor Kalea Texeira discusses the prospects of the new partnership between Archer and United Airlines. Read what this deal means for sustainable aviation technologies and the urban transportation landscape. https://lnkd.in/exct23C9

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It is disappointing to see this outcome. There are many bad incentives in play here that ultimately will not result in the safe carriage of the flying public. After the 737 Max debacle, I had hoped that the industry and our stakeholders would have approached this situation differently. Considering all the near misses at airports, quality challenges in commercial aircraft manufacturing, and the need for investment in aviation talent and infrastructure, it is disappointing that the lobbying of a fundamentally flawed aircraft architecture would get so much emphasis in our legislative process. The FAA needs additional resourcing of people and technology for existing FAA obligations including continuing airworthiness of the fleet and management of the airspace. I hope more stakeholders, investors and employees do their own homework about the economics and scalability of the designs at the core of the EVTOL industry. As always, this important topic is masterfully covered by Elan Head in The Air Current. Bravo for continuing to set the bar high for other journalists.

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The venture apocalypse is upon us. Only two funds raised 44% of the venture money in the US in 2024. The cash amounts deployed against emerging managers (firms with less than three funds) relative to more established firms dropped from 19% in the 2010 to 2020 periode to 16% and falling. Lux Capital's predictions of 30-50% of emerging managers ceasing to exist over the next couple of years are over-shadowed only by claims of an outright extinction of venture capital. This post explores the bigger context and why such developments are short term healthy and long term risky for a nascent startup ecosystem: https://lnkd.in/d-fsYg6b

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