Warszawa 2014-11-15
Boeing B-787 w Polsce.
History of the first year of operation of the B.787 at LOT Polish Airlines.
The fact that the national carrier, which is PLL LOT, is still functioning is bordering on a miracle. That it has not yet been sold to the Germans by the liberal-masonic Government of the Republic of Poland of Prime Minister Donald Tusk is at least strange. PLL LOT's network of long-distance connections is small. Practically, LOT Polish Airlines flies only in Europe and there are only three connections to North America to New York, Chicago and Toronto. All exclusively from Warsaw. One connection to Beijing. And a new “attraction” – charter flights to war-torn Ethiopia.
Prior to the delivery of the B.787 aircraft, the heads of PLL LOT claimed that the leasing expenses would pay off with a vengeance, as the greater capacity and a different layout of seats in the new planes would allow PLL LOT to earn more.
November 15, 2012. SP-LRA.
On November 15, 2012 (Thursday), LOT Polish Airlines became the first European owner of B 787 aircraft and one of the first in the world. PLL LOT became the owner of the B 787 a year after the first user, which was the Japanese airline ANA. The first Polish Dreamliner B 787-8 No. 061/35938, in the B 787-85D variant, received the SP-LRA registration. Layout of passenger seats; Business Class (BC) - 18 seats in a 2-2-2 seating arrangement. Premium class (PEC) - 21 seats in a 2-3-2 seating arrangement. Economy Class (EC) - 213 seats in 3-3-3 seating arrangement.
Two tendencies could be observed in the Polish-language media. The first was the support of the undisguised admiration of the Polish society for the new aviation technology. On the other hand, searching for any downsides of the new plane, especially its minor faults, which were blown up to the size of a national disaster. However, we wrote about it below. In the first weeks of the presence of B.787 in the Republic of Poland (November 23, 2012 - December 13, 2012), training flights were performed. The most difficult approach maneuver in commercial aviation, the landing itself and the touch and go maneuver were practiced. Airports were airports; Okęcie, Bydgoszcz Szwedowo, Rzeszów Jasionka, Wrocław Strachowice, Kraków Balice. The schedule changed due to the weather. Due to the great interest of aviation enthusiasts, individual airports previously announced the arrival of B.787. In Krakow, the plane was supposed to appear on; November 28, 2012, December 7, 2012 and December 8, 2012. On November 23, 2012, B.787 was in Gdańsk, and on November 24, 2012, in Wrocław. Also in Bydgoszcz and Krakow. This was the time when Boeing had already delivered 40 B.787 aircraft.
At the time of the arrival of the first B.787 to Poland, the heads of PLL LOT spoke about the good condition of the company. A month passed and in mid-December 2012, the management board of the carrier, due to the company's difficult financial condition, applied to the Minister of Treasury for aid in the amount of PLN 400 million in the first tranche. The Ministry of Treasury informed that it is preparing to grant public aid to the company. The application was approved and the money was paid. Now society is waiting for the European Union to consider this loan incompatible with EU law and demand the sale of PLL LOT to Germany.
December 21, 2012. SP-LRB.
On December 21, 2012, the second aircraft B 787-85D No. 78/37894 arrived in Poland, which received the registration SP-LRB. The machine made its first flight on December 1, 2012. The machine on its flight to Poland took off at 05:40 Polish time, from Paine Field airport, and landed at 15:30 at Okęcie Airport. The aircraft was included in the crew training cycle.
The first tickets for flights on board the B.787-8 were offered by LOT Polish Airlines as early as November 2012, for seven flights in the period from December 21, 2012 to January 2, 2013. Tickets to New York, Chicago, Toronto and Beijing have also gone on sale. Overseas flights were planned; to Chicago (January 16, 2013), Toronto (February 1, 2013), New York (February 3, 2013) and Beijing (March 3, 2013).
There is no denying that the first months of operation of the B.787-8 showed several defects that resulted in the cancellation or delay of the flight. However, it must be emphasized that not a single hair fell from anyone's head. Defects also affected machines operated by PLL LOT, which was reported diligently, though with large errors, by the Polish-language press and television. During training flights, there were problems with the landing gear, which required adjustment. During the flight to Prague, the cabin leaked due to a defect in the door seal. The pilots had to maintain a flight altitude of 4,500-4,800 m instead of over 10,000 m. The required cabin pressure could not be maintained.
On December 21, 2012, at 5:20 p.m., SP-LRB was supposed to depart for Vienna. Due to a malfunction, he did not fly. Passengers departed on a replacement B 737 aircraft. At that time, SP-LRA had a door seal defect being repaired. It was a journalistic lie. Not the only one. The B 787 SP-LRB aircraft arrived on December 21, 2012 and had to have documentation. In accordance with the procedures, before the first commercial flight, the aircraft must be entered into the Air Operator's Certificate (AOC). The necessity to complete this formality meant that SP-LRB could not fly with passengers at that time.
As a result, four flights planned to European cities were not performed. On January 5, 2013, flight No. L0379 did not depart for the flight to Frankfurt. On January 11, 2013, the B 787, which was supposed to depart with passengers to Budapest, was diverted from the taxiway. However, few people know that B 787 aircraft are constantly monitored by Boeing. Through the satellite system, on-line data flows to the central office.
On December 22, 2012, at 9:00 am, the second B 787 SP-LRB took off from Okęcie Airport on its first commercial flight with passengers. The flight was to London Heathrow Airport. The cruise to London was part of a series of promotional cruises around Europe, during which Dreamliner visited a total of nine European cities: Prague, London, Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt, Hanover, Kiev, Budapest and Brussels. The SP-LRB machine replaced the SP-LRA, in which a technical defect was removed.
In December and the first half of January 2013, B 787 SP-LRA and SP-LRB aircraft made several training flights without passengers. The planes flew to Bydgoszcz, Wrocław, Kraków, Rzeszów and Gdańsk. On January 12, 2013, SP-LRB made a training flight Warsaw-Kraków-Bydgoszcz-Kraków-Warsaw.
Big Water Flight.
It is worth mentioning the plans of PLL LOT regarding flights across the Atlantic Ocean. LOT's Dreamliner will make its first trip across the Atlantic on January 16, 2013 to Chicago. From February 1, 2013, machines of this type will start flying to Toronto. On February 3, 2013, passengers will fly the Dreamliner to New York, and Beijing will welcome the B 787 in LOT's colors on March 3, 2013.
On Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at At 17:10, B 787 SP-LRA took off on the first transatlantic flight to Chicago. Originally, the take-off was scheduled for 15:55, but there were problems with passengers, and more precisely with their boarding, because representatives of the Masonic-liberal Government of the Republic of Poland who were going to the USA were late on the plane. In addition, due to bad weather conditions, it was necessary to undergo the process of removing ice. There were 212 passengers on board. The plane flew without complications and landed safely at Chicago O'Hare Airport.
But on January 17, 2013, the US authorities grounded all B.787 aircraft due to a failure (fire, meltdown) of the batteries in the Japanese aircraft. That is why the Polish B.787 SP-LRA remained in the USA for a long time. The plane was supposed to leave for Poland in the evening.
Serious fault.
Due to a battery fault posing a potential fire hazard, the US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) temporarily grounded all B.787 Dreamliners on January 16, 2013 (Wednesday). The Authority requested all airlines to suspend B.787-8 flights. There is a risk of the battery catching fire. The Office added that together with the manufacturer and carriers, it is developing actions allowing B.787 machines to return to routes "in the fastest and safest way possible". In the USA, six B.787 aircraft flew in the colors of United Airlines. These are the only American lines operating new machines.
The reason for the decision was technical problems that occurred in the B.787 used by Japanese airlines. Smoke appeared in the cockpit of one of Japan's B.787s, and the automatic safety system signaled a malfunction. It turned out that the plane had electrical problems. An All Nippon Airways plane made an emergency landing.
The Boeing concern, taking care of its image and passenger safety, conducted the whole matter in the spotlight. It is true that the focus was on the batteries, but the entire electrical system, which is the basic system of the aircraft, was taken into account. B.787 has no pneumatic system and the hydraulic system is reduced.
The first fire incident in a B 787 occurred in 2010. On November 9, 2010, the B 787 aircraft No. ZA002 made a test flight. Smoke appeared in the cabin during this flight. The plane made an emergency landing. Nothing happened to anyone. A Boeing spokesman said: "The plane landed safely and the crew was evacuated after landing at Laredo International Airport, Texas. It was quickly determined that the cause was a foreign element in the wiring harness. Flights resumed on December 23, 2010.
January 7, 2013.
It seemed that another such event would not happen again. However, on January 7, 2013, the aircraft B 787 of the JAL carrier standing at the Boston airport suffered a similar-looking failure. Smoke appeared in the rear of the hull. Thanks to the attention of the aircraft's staff, effective actions were taken to avert the danger. The cause of the battery's smoldering has not been identified. At the time, the aircraft's systems were drawing negligible amounts of electrical power. The fire started 12 hours after the plane arrived in Boston, after a flight from Tokyo. The machine was not connected to the ground power source. Everything was melted around the battery within 20 inches. The battery itself inside was partially melted. The ignition took place in cells 5, 6 and 7. The basic task of this battery is to start the APU, and it was not started at that time and was at a standstill. The aircraft was delivered to JAL only in December 2012. It became known that the problem still existed. And it was a problem that the constructors of electric cars equipped with lithium-ion batteries have already encountered. Four days after the Boston fire, the NTSB ordered a review of all B 787s.
January 14, 2013.
On January 14, 2013, the ANA B 787 made an emergency landing due to a fire. All 137 people on board exited the plane via the escape ramps. This time the fire occurred in the forward compartment, behind the flight deck. The entire battery compartment was blackened. This battery is the primary source of energy for the entire aircraft when stationary, when the power generators are not working. Although the aircraft was already a year old, its battery was replaced in late October 2012. This put Boeing in a very difficult place. Later tests showed that the temperature in one cell of the battery reached over 300 degrees Celsius. Within half an hour, its housing cracked and gases were released, which ignited spontaneously. The fire caused damage to subsequent cells (their overheating) and the fire flared up.
To begin with, it must be said that the B 787's electricity demand is approximately 1 MW. It is 2-5 times bigger than traditional planes of the same size. The batteries used in the B 787 are lithium-ion. Such batteries are already standard in electronics. They are used in mobile phones, tablets and other small devices. One of the side features of these batteries is their relatively high operating temperature. So in winter at the bus stop, we can warm our hands with a mobile phone. The problem is that for the B 787 you need large, even huge batteries, which are the size of the traditional lead-acid batteries in our cars.
Boeing chose lithium-ion batteries for the B 787 because they have more energy and can be recharged quickly. Boeing gained government authority to use lithium batteries in the B 787 and other jetliners in 2007.
Batteries for the B 787 are manufactured by the Thales concern, namely its Japanese company GS Yuasa Corporation, whose products were selected for the B 787. GS Yuasa Corporation is a Japanese company founded in 1917 and producing batteries and accumulators. Yuasa formed a joint-venture with General Corporation in 1976 and began manufacturing 12 volt batteries in the US in 1979. Yuasa in 1980, developed the first maintenance-free battery. Until 2004, there were several ownership changes. In 2004, Yuasa Battery Inc in the USA merged with Yuasa Japan Storage Battery to form GS Yuasa Corporation. The company is a tycoon in the production of batteries for sports cars in North America. It produces batteries for forklifts and other machinery in countries such as China and Thailand. GS Yuasa won the tender in August 2012 to supply lithium-ion battery cells to the International Space Station. The company received the contract for batteries for the B 787 in 2005, and it was a godsend for them after the losses incurred in the production of batteries for the automotive industry. The batteries for the B 787 are being built in Kyoto. The electrical installation with which the battery is mounted is manufactured by Thales, Europe's largest concern of military electronics.
In 2009, it was confirmed that the automotive industry would stick to more traditional (usually gel) batteries. It seemed that lithium-ion batteries would remain only in small electronics. In addition, the French took the position that such an aircraft as the B 787 cannot be operated, precisely because of the huge demand for electricity and its large amplitudes.
Lithium-ion batteries are specific and, as it turned out, not fully understood. They have great potential and capacity. Too much current flowing from or to the battery, even if its voltage is normal, can cause the battery to overheat. The battery is like a big sponge that can pick up water droplets or the entire cross-section of a garden hose. Until it breaks down.
In the first days after the grounding of the B 787, it was found that the batteries were defective. It was pointed out that several of them had been replaced for over a year of operation. The focus was on the process of their production. But the inspection showed no faults.
Of course, the NTSB played a major role in the whole affair. Its representatives stated on January 24, 2013 that the grounding of aircraft will take much longer. The cause of the high temperature, overheating and melting of the batteries could not be determined. The chain of cause and effect could not be established. Need to understand what happened? It was stated that the matter is not a matter of weeks, but even months. The work was multi-pronged. Boeing focused on better monitoring the condition of the batteries and securing them in the event of a fire. An audit of the technical procedures around the aircraft was carried out. Not only the battery manufacturer joined the work, but also the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other institutions around the world.
Already in February 2013, Boeing developed technologies to protect batteries against ignition. It was discovered that the rear battery should be connected to the APU in a different way. The wiring has been changed. The change was the redesign of the batteries themselves, which have 8 cells. Increased spacing between targets. The ceramic partitions are now much thicker. The battery box itself has been changed, with an additional flame retardant lining. The battery is now bigger.
February 14, 2013. LOT Polish Airlines.
While the American company Boeing tried to solve a potential security threat, the liberal-masonic government of the Republic of Poland of Donald Tusk once again showed dilettantism, announcing that Polish B 787 aircraft will not return to flights until October 2013. LOT Polish Airlines CEO Sebastian Mikosz said that he could not plan the connection network for the spring-summer 2013 season for two grounded aircraft. "The FAA's decision is a blow to the national carrier, which in Poland is trying to cut costs and plans mass layoffs to survive." For Poland, the grounding means it will need to renew the lease on three B 767s currently in service and lease two more in the summer. Importantly, other carriers planned routes excluding B 787 in periods of one month. None of the companies with the B 787 in stock came out with the decision to ground the machines for almost a whole year.
March 15, 2013. Japan.
On March 15, 2013, a presentation of a permanent solution to the B 787 battery issue took place in Japan live, broadcast worldwide. It was done in Japan because the airlines of this country suffered the greatest financial losses and their image was tarnished. This solution was the result of detailed and rigorous work involving people from all over the world. Its creators were convinced that this was the right solution. The proposed changes have been positively verified by an independent group of lithium-ion battery experts from many industries, universities and laboratories.
The changes covered six basic issues: Cell structures and the construction of the entire battery were redesigned. Changed the production and control system for both the cell, the entire battery and its control in Japan. Operating voltage ranges have been changed. The battery housing has been changed. The rectifier responsible for charging the battery has been changed. The battery was placed in an additional cover.
Boeing, Thalesa and GS Yuasa developed a significantly modified battery. Reconstruction was given individual cells, as well as the entire battery. New production standards were developed and implemented, as well as tests at individual stages of production. The control of production and service processes has been strengthened. Standards have been tightened. The battery is subjected to 10 different tests during the production process. And that's every battery built in Japan. Each cell undergoes a 14-day special test, with data recorded every hour. The maximum and minimum charge ranges have been changed. The highest tier has been lowered and the lowest tier has been raised. So the deficit is smaller. Battery charging is now less aggressive. The charging current amperes have been reduced and its control has been more gentle. This allows the battery to undergo less stress during charging. The gaps between cells have been increased by introducing thicker ceramic partitions. In addition, each cell received additional short-circuit insulation. Even in the event of a failure, adjacent cells should not be short-circuited. Thermal insulation is now much more efficient. Both between the cells and from below. The heat of the individual cell should be kept within the cell without emitting to the outside.
The battery uses new thicker and more resistant to high temperature wires between the cells. The connections were sealed. The goal is still eight. Care was also taken to drain moisture from the battery through small holes. The batteries were placed in a new stainless steel housing. In addition, the entire battery is inserted into an additional housing also made of stainless steel. It was equipped with electric sockets, which were not there before. This makes it difficult for any fire to escape from the battery. The housing has a direct discharge of vapors from the battery outside the aircraft, through a titanium tube. Gases are supposed to escape through it, mainly oxygen, which supports oxidation processes, i.e. burning. New titanium fixtures are installed in electrical sockets. The temperature limit for a new battery is 150 degrees Celsius. If it is exceeded, the battery is disconnected from the installation. Boeing spent 200,000 hours on the upgrade and another 100,000 hours in testing.
March 23, 2013.
With approval from the FAA, testing of the improved battery has begun. On March 23, 2013, flight tests of the new batteries began. The aircraft B 787 No. 86/35940, which was built for PLL LOT and later received the SP-LRC registration, was used for the tests. The aircraft took off for its first test flight at 12:10 p.m. from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. It should be emphasized that this was the first flight of this aircraft and the whole aircraft was tested, not just the batteries.
On April 5, 2013, LOT Polish Airlines B 787 No. 86 completed the final certification test of the new battery system. At the same time, it was the last test of the entire aircraft. The last test flight lasted 1 hour. and 49 minutes. The CEO of Being said, "I would like to thank our customers again for their support throughout this process, as well as every member of the Boeing team for their tireless work to reach this very important milestone." Captain Heather Ross, on the other hand, said after the flight, "It feels great to know that we are one step closer to returning aircraft to service."
April 19, 2013.
On April 19, 2013, the FAA issued a decision to approve changes to the electrical power system (including batteries) of the B 787 aircraft. This meant that after replacing the batteries, the B 787 aircraft returned to air routes. It is also important that the FAA does not change the ETOPS conditions for the B 787, which means that the plane can fly the route up to three hours (180 minutes) from the nearest airport.
Over 300 specialists working in 10 groups started to replace the battery. The question of when a given plane would be in the air was avoided, and there were 50 machines grounded. It was a big logistical task. The aircraft were modified roughly in the order in which they were delivered. This put Japanese airlines in the front row of the exchange. From Monday, April 22, 2013, teams of specialists began replacing batteries at four airports around Tokyo, in ANA and JAL aircraft. There were 22 machines grounded there. In addition, there were aviation regulations in individual countries that have a required, specific number of test flights, without passengers after modification. The flight engineers also had to undergo additional training. This required time and precise determination of when tickets could be sold again. It was unlikely that all grounded 787s would be back on the road before June 1, 2013.
It was one of the biggest setbacks in the history of commercial aviation. It cost about $600 million. But the most important thing about the whole thing was that no one was injured. Because in previous recourses there were victims, and many of them.
May 14, 2013. Polish B.787.
As we remember, B 787 SP-LRA was grounded in Chicago, and B 787 SP-LRB remained at Okęcie Airport. We must also remember that the Masonic-Liberal Government of the Republic of Poland of Donald Tusk turned down the proposal of the Boeing company to create a service center in Poland. Therefore, on May 14, 2013, B 787 SP-LRA had to make a service flight from Chicago to Ethiopia. Because PLL LOT services its B 787 in Ethiopia in Addis Ababa. After all, Addis Ababa is "near" Warsaw. The air distance from Addis Ababa to Warsaw is; 5,072 km, 3,151 miles, 2,739 NM (nautical miles).
For the uninitiated, I would like to remind you that Ethiopia is located in East Africa. What was recently said about Ethiopia by Deputy Prime Minister Janusz Piechociński and at the same time Minister of Economy in the Masonic-liberal Government of the Republic of Poland of Donald Tusk - "We have (extremely strong) economic ties with them. We import (strategic) sesame from them. We export agricultural machinery (probably horse plows, because the Ursus factory has already been finished). Our cooperation is (rapidly) growing and already exceeds EUR 11 million.”
In fact, Ethiopia is the poorest country in the world. GDP in 2009 amounted to USD 33.92 billion (only USD 418 per capita). since 1991 Ethiopia is in a state of permanent war with its neighbors and civil war. in 1993 In 2016, a referendum was held in Eritrea, as a result of which the former north-eastern province of Ethiopia gained independence, cutting off Ethiopia from access to the Red Sea. in 1998 A border war broke out between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Significant intensification of fighting took place in 2000. In 2006. Ethiopia's Prime Minister, in a message to the nation, announced that his country was forced to go to war with Somalia, i.e. to intervene in its territory against the Islamic fundamentalists who actually rule there and control the capital. Islam is also strengthening itself in Ethiopia itself, fighting Christianity. So it's great. I think we'll ask for visa-free travel with them. Oh well. This is what the Masonic-Liberal Government of the Republic of Poland of Donald Tusk can afford.
So SP-LRA flew from Chicago to Addis Ababa (12,171 km) on risky batteries. The flight lasted 13 hours. Battery replacement took about 8 days. On May 24, 2013, the aircraft took off after modernization. Then the plane flew to Warsaw (5,072 km).
SP-LRB also flew to Addis Ababa for battery replacement.
May 17, 2013.
On May 17, 2013, the third B 787 SP-LRC arrived in Poland. He landed at Okęcie Airport at 16:15. At the controls of the machine sat Polish pilots: Jerzy Makula, who also sat at the controls of the first B 787 SP-LRA on his way to Poland, as well as Andrzej Szymański and Krzysztof Turkiewicz. After completing the documentation, the aircraft made several training flights, starting from May 19, 2013.
Since May 27, 2013, three B 787s have taken part in training flights in Poland. In the following days, further intensive training flights took place. It was not uncommon for there to be two or even three Polish B 787-8s in the air.
June 1, 2013.
After less than six months, on June 1, 2013 (Saturday), the modified B 787 SP-LRC went on its first commercial flight from Warsaw to Chicago. Tickets for June flights (from June 5, 2013) to Wielka Woda were booked from the beginning of May 2013, and sold from the middle of that month. On June 1, 2013, at 1:05 p.m., the B 787 aircraft took off for a flight to the USA, to New York, to the JFK airport. There was no celebration this time. After about 8 hours, the plane landed in New York around 4 p.m. local time.
Originally, the B 787 aircraft were to start flights from June 5, 2013, on the Warsaw-Chicago route. However, on May 31, 2013, the last flight over Wielka Woda was made by a plane lysed from the EuroAtlantic company. Therefore, the management board of LOT Polish Airlines decided to provide the B 787 SP-LRC aircraft for Saturday (June 1, 2013).
On June 5, 2013, the B 787 flew to Chicago for the first time. Flights to Chicago, New York and Montreal were performed on average 3-4 times a week. The cheapest round-trip tickets started at around PLN 2,500. Regular connections were also launched on the Warsaw-Beijing route, usually once a week. The cost of a round-trip ticket is about PLN 3,500.
June 22, 2013. SP-LRD.
On Saturday, June 22, 2013, another, fourth Boeing 787 Dreamliner SP-LRD belonging to LOT Polish Airlines landed at Warsaw Chopin Airport. Landed at 5.40pm after flying from Everett. The flight lasted 9 hours and 40 minutes.
July 30, 2013. SP-LRE.
The fifth B 787 SP-LRE for LOT Polish Airlines arrived in Poland on July 30, 2013.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman