ETOPS og 787

Særdeles alvorlig dette her.
Denne artikkelen i Seattle Times er foruroligende: http://tinyurl.com/29f2tqk Det antydes at de regler som gjelder for å fly tomotors fly over øde områder kan få betydelige konsekvenser for B787. Her følger et utdrag av artikkelen:

Any limitation on Boeing's ability to win an FAA rating to fly the 787 Dreamliner long distances over water could be a big liability for the aircraft, analysts say.
Extended-range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standard, or ETOPS, is a certification required by the Federal Aviation Administration to allow twin-engine passenger aircraft to fly long distances away from airports, usually over oceans. The concept is that the aircraft, and its systems, are reliable enough to guarantee the aircraft can reach an airport within 180 minutes or 240 minutes, depending on the level of certification, even with only one engine working.
The ETOPS issue was raised by a Seattle Times story on the 787's problems. The Times reported that John Hickey, the FAA's deputy associate administrator for aviation safety, warned Boeing that problems with the 787's Rolls Royce engines and the plane's electrical systems could jeopardize its certification.
"It's a serious concern in my opinion. Without extended ETOPS rating, the 787 doesn't make any sense for its customers," said Hans Weber, president of Tecop International Inc., a San Diego aviation consultancy. "It's intended to be a long-haul aircraft, and this goes to the very heart of the 787's utility."
In the Times story, Dreamliner program director Scott Fancher downplayed the problems, and said Boeing will "fully address" the FAA's concerns.
Weber agreed that the issues withe the engines and the electrical system raise the bar for Boeing in its quest for ETOPS certification for the 787.
"For ETOPS, a very important requirement is to demonstrate systems reliability and redundancy, " he said. "The failure of the electrical system was by itself not so much a problem, but the way the system responded to it, by not switching to alternative electrical power the way it was supposed to - that puts into question the ability of the electrical system to function under ETOPS."
Aerospace analyst Scott Hamilton, president of Leeham Co. LLC in Issaquah, said the situation Boeing faces with the 787 is much more demanding than with the earlier twin-jet 777, which was certified "out of the box."
"It's very worrisome," Hamilton said. "Boeing is going to have to demonstrate that following the Rolls Royce Trent failure, and the electrical fire, that systems are reliable before they grant ETOPS."
He added that the November electrical control panel fire, and the engine problems, put Boeing on the defensive.
"I would say they're working under another challenge, that obviously they'd prefer not to have," he said.
Foto: Per Gram