Aviation

Changes to the design of its 787 "Dreamliner" batteries will prevent electric fires in the future, airplane manufacturer Boeing said after the tweaks were approved this week by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA announced on Tuesday that it was approving a new certification process for the 787 "Dreamliner" airplane's lithium-ion batteries, which the agency and Boeing cast as a vital step toward the plane's return to service.

Boeing said it was confident the fixes would prevent a reoccurrence of the smoke and electrical fire that led the FAA to ground the planes in January.

"Working with internal and external experts in battery technology, we have proposed a comprehensive set of solutions designed to significantly minimize the potential for battery failure while ensuring that no battery event affects the continued safe operation of the airplane," Boeing CEO for commercial aviation Ray Conner said in a statement.

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Tuesday that it was approving the proposed redesign of the Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" airplane, which the agency cast as a vital step toward the plane's return to service.

The FAA said the approval requires Boeing to redesign the lithium-ion battery system that was used in early versions of its 787 to reduce the potential for electrical fires, as well conduct "extensive testing" to demonstrate that the new batteries can fly safely.

The changes Boeing is proposing to make include improving the insulation system of the 787 batteries and insert containment and venting systems to prevent short-circuiting and smoke from emanating from the batteries. 

The reported commissioned by the drone lobby found unmanned vehicles could add $14 billion to the economy.

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Kansas lawmakers are jumping into an Air Force contract dispute and backing up a home-state company that is protesting the award.

Sens. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) wrote to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday questioning a $427 million contract awarded last month to Sierra Nevada Corp. and Brazilian company Embraer to produce 20 light air support planes.

The Embraer A-29 Super Tucano plane was chosen over the AT-6 from Wichita, Kan.-based Beechcraft, but Beechcraft filed a protest on Friday.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will work this week to finalize its list of air traffic control towers that will be closed because of the sequestration budget cuts.

The FAA has revealed a list of 173 towers to be closed next month to meet its obligation to reduce its 2013 spending by about 9 percent.

But lawmakers have already began pushing back on closing flight towers in their districts.

"We write to express our deep concern about the slated closure of the air traffic control tower at Tweed-New Haven along with 5 additional general aviation control towers throughout the State of Connecticut," Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, all Democrats, wrote in a letter to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta last week.

The FAA says it needs to close 173 air traffic control towers next month due to sequestration.

The union for pilots is pushing the Obama administration to enact tougher rules for shipping of lithium-ion batteries.

The rules should be the same for U.S. lithium batteries as they are for the international shipments, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said Friday in response to a proposed rule change from the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

The DOT is accepting comments on a change to federal hazardous material regulations involving lithium batteries that would do just that.

ALPA Dangerous Goods Program Director Mark Rogers said the pilots' union was concerned about the possibility of fires when they are flying with lithium batteries.

Beechcraft is protesting for the second time the Air Force’s decision to award a contract for planes to the Afghan military to Sierra Nevada Corp. and Brazil’s Embraer.

The company announced plans Friday to file a formal protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO) over the $427 million light air support aircraft that was awarded last week.

“Following our debrief with the Air Force earlier this week, we are very perplexed by this decision,” Beechcraft CEO Bill Boisture said in a statement. “Our belief that we have the best aircraft was confirmed by the Air Force rating our aircraft ‘exceptional’ and the fact that we are the lower cost solution was confirmed by the USAF’s public award announcement.”