Model Airplanes

U.S. President Donald Trump continued to flaunt his support for American manufacturing on Friday, at the debut of Boeing’s 787-10 Dreamliner aircraft in North Charleston, S.C.

“What’s happening here at Boeing South Carolina is a true American success story,” said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing chairman, president and CEO. “In just a few short years, our team has transformed a greenfield site into a modern aerospace production facility that is delivering 787s to airlines all over the world and supporting thousands of U.S. jobs in the process.”

[T]hat is one beautiful airplane,” said President Trump. “Congratulations to the men and women here who have built it. What an amazing piece of art. What an amazing piece of work.”

However, not everyone was so positive about Boeing’s prospects.

Robert Martinez, Jr., international president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, released a statement in anticipation of Trump’s visit to Boeing, imploring the President to urge Boeing to bring jobs home.

“During his visit to South Carolina, we hope the President will urge Boeing, which receives billions in taxpayer money, to bring work back home to the United States, instead of continuing to ship jobs overseas,” Martinez said.

“Boeing’s willingness to turn its back on U.S. workers who have made the company so successful represents the business model that the President has so heavily criticized. … We encourage the President to stand up for American manufacturing and American workers.”

This criticism stems from Boeing’s partnership with China’s state-run aerospace company, COMAC.

COMAC, Boeing and Airbus

In November 2015,

Article source: http://www.engineering.com/AdvancedManufacturing/ArticleID/14348/Machinists-Union-to-Trump-Bring-Boeing-Jobs-Home.aspx

In the aerospace world, the procurement of spare parts is not always easy and is usually expensive, specially for older aircraft. At some point, when it comes to vintage aircraft, spare parts become rare, or in a worst case they simply don’t exist anymore. A historically significant airplane disappears from the airfield and becomes in a best case a static exhibit in the museum.

Today, with a help of reverse engineering technology the active life of such an airplane or entire fleet can be extended at a reasonable price. Till just a few years ago the failure of an engine part in a vintage airplane often was its death sentence. Now, there is a way to prevent the aircraft from being wrecked and to get them back in the air, even if there are no spare parts available.

Sheet metal parts are easier to reconstruct, engine parts, specially the big ones like engine blocks, are one much different and complicated story. This is mainly, because after decades casting molds don’t exist anymore – usually the original manufacturer went out of business decades ago and a new series production is not feasible for reasons of cost. In this case, reverse engineering technology now helps to reconstruct parts. This process, a kind of reverse development, makes it possible to re-create a product, which exactly equals to the original part, using an existing (broken) part, a piece of it, or a blueprint. In doing so, reverse engineering must go through a certain process, which includes

Article source: http://www.aviationpros.com/article/12299980/reverse-engineering-how-to-reconstruct-aircraft-parts

#Sigh. Donald Trump made a lame joke about the 30-year-old Boeing 787 during a visit to the Boeing plant in South Carolina on Friday, February 17, while also incorrectly touting the newly revamped plane as an exemplary product made exclusively in the U.S.A.

“As beautiful as it looks, it’s 30-years-old — can you believe it?” Trump said while examining the new Boeing Dreamliner before going on to lavish odd, cringey praise upon the aircraft. “What can look so beautiful at 30? An aeroplane.”

His joke, of course, was quickly mocked on Twitter. “Trump just said ‘what else looks so good at 30?’ We know it’s not his wives. Thats their age when he starts shopping for newer a model,” one person on Twitter tweeted, while another added: “When #Trump says only an Airplane can look this good at 30 😂 Great message for us #women.”

Aside

Article source: http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/donald-trump-makes-terrible-joke-about-boeing-plane-w467760

Governor’s $35 Million Housing Bond Discussed in Ways and Means Committee

Executive Director Gus Selig of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board revealed some of the details this week behind the $35 million bond fund for affordable housing projects announced by Gov. Phil Scott in his January budget address. The plans were outlined in a presentation for the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday.

Funding would come from a bond issued against revenue VHCB receives from its share of the 0.7 percent property transfer tax. The first $2.5 million would be dedicated to debt service for the bond. VHCB is comfortable with this, Selig said, as well as with a request from Scott that it shift its annual funding commitments from 55 percent for housing and 45 percent for conservation to 60-40. The proposal was well received, but Committee Chair Rep. Janet Ancel, D-Calais, questioned the proposed structure of retiring the bond with an otherwise non-dedicated tax. The committee will likely approve the proposal in some form.

Senate Assembles Another Big Economic Development Bill

The Senate Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs Committee on Tuesday opened consideration of a wide-ranging economic development bill. Committee Attorney David Hall walked the committee through a bill that includes minor changes in the Vermont Economic Growth Initiative, a ten percent increase in the research and development tax credit, reauthorization of the Enterprise Fund and establishment of  Enterprise Zones targeted at millennials. The bill would also repeal

Article source: http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/news-from-the-vermont-state-house-an-71352/