FAA Expected to Clear 787, Friday, April 19th, Is An Epic Day In U.S. History..... So April 25 Is A Better Day to Announce

FAA Expected to Clear 787

Wall Street So Says It could Be Tomorrow

By ANDY PASZTOR

Wall Street Talking Points:

• The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to move as soon as Friday to end a three-month grounding of Boeing Co.'s BA -0.66% 787 Dreamliner jet, according to people familiar with the matter.
• Spokeswomen for the FAA and the Department of Transportation declined to comment. Without commenting on the timing of a decision, a Boeing spokesman reiterated that the company stands "ready to reply to additional requests and continue in dialogue with the FAA to ensure we have met all of their expectations."
• When the plane maker submitted its full data package to the FAA earlier this month, according to people familiar with the details, the company asked for a final decision by about April 16 on the grounds that was enough time for regulators to validate its conclusions.
• The only suspense, according to people familiar with the deliberations, was whether the FAA would choose to give the green light before or after the National Transportation Safety Board holds public hearings next week that are intended to dissect and criticize the agency's original 2007 approval of the 787's battery system.
• On Tuesday, Mr. Huerta told the Senate Commerce Committee that Boeing performed 20 specific tests and then "provided a very extensive set of documents to the FAA."
• The agency, according to government and industry officials, also is expected to maintain approval for 787s to fly routes over water or polar regions that take the planes up to three hours from a suitable emergency landing strip.
• Now, he (Huerta) is confronting critics inside and outside the safety board who contend FAA leaders before him made serious mistakes and failed to exercise aggressive oversight of Boeing when they approved the batteries in the first place. Those questions are likely to dominate next week's safety board hearings.
• In his Senate testimony on Tuesday, Mr. Huerta buttressed the point that when it comes to the 787, he doesn't always get to make the ultimate decision by himself. When asked about his role, Mr. Huerta told the panel that "I would be the one making the recommendation" to Mr. LaHood.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So goes the 787 saga. I place this article as a footnote to the blog, and not just as a repeat of the article, but the filtering of meaningful regulatory status provided by the WSJ. Use it for further discussion or comment. Readers may comment if you choose.  Something is about to happen with the 787 before May 1, 2013.