Airbus has already snatched some of Boeing's market share and now they're moving in on another front with the opening of the Tokyo office. The European aerospace giant is talking with some of Japan's key aerospace manufacturers to produce parts for its A380 super jumbo. A deal is expected to be finalized by early summer that would have Mitsubishi Heavy Industries build the wings of the enlarged version of the 747. Fuji Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries would manufacture other wing components. This is new territory for Boeing and its engineers are now figuring out ways to transport the mammoth wings from the Port of Everest to Boeing's widebody facility.
Silence is something most powered pilots never want to hear.
It's also a terrible sensation for experienced passengers too. So, you can imagine just how uneasy everyone felt aboard the United Airlines Boeing 767 that experienced a dual-engine shutdown on March 4 over the Pacific Ocean. United Flight 42 was about 70 miles from Hawaii on its way to LAX when the 767 lost power in both of its engines. Luckily, the pilots were able to restart both engines and make a precautionary landing in Kona, Hawaii. In August the FAA issued a one-time inspection of shear pins in the 767 elevator system.