Concern Over Boeing 787 Dreamliner Safety

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a modern and advanced aircraft, however, is all this new technology a risk to passenger safety? Before the 787 is given the green light to fly commercially it must undergo a stringent process of tests to prove that its computer systems are not vunerable to being hacked by accident or by a malicious person on the aircraft.

Boeing have announced that the aircraft has systems in place to prevent its computer systems from being interfered with however Bruce Schneier of security services firm BT Counterpane has said "The odds of this being perfect are zero, it's possible Boeing can make their connection to the Internet secure. If they do, it will be the first time in mankind anyone's done that." However a spokesperson for Boeing said the systems required for flight in the 787 are "not connected in any way to the Internet."

Up until now there have been no regulations in place to deal with an aircraft with these kind of systems which is why the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires Boeing to show that the systems cannot be tampered with.

Concerns about the aircraft do not end with the computer systems however as worries exist about the material it is constructed from. The 787 is the first aircraft to rely heavily on Carbon Composites for its construction unlike many others that are built from Aluminium. The FAA is concerned that in the case of a fire this would cause the aircraft to burn more substantially than an Aluminium based plane, however Boeing are to illustrate to the FAA that this is not the case.

One of the final concerns about the new aircraft is the departure from the conventional system of air being drawn through the engines to create power. The 787 creates its power from large generators located in the aircraft. Concerns exist about the results of these generators failing and if the aircraft would be able to land safely which again Boeing will be attempting to demonstrate is not an issue.

For more information please visit Associated Press

Published by: Jon Vickery