PREVIEW: Big earnings day for Boeing Commercial Airplanes

Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) expects later this morning to post a good second quarter, and we’ll wait for the final tally to decide if we should further modify ‘good’ with ‘very’. It’s the first time that’s possible to say without any major caveats since 2007. With the 787 and 747-8 finally certified amidst swelling demand for commercial aircraft, BCA can have a nice quarter for once.

The numbers don’t lie. Operating earnings for the BCA segment have plunged even as revenues have stabilized. Aircraft deliveries hit a five-year low in what was already a down-cycle in 2010, and then barely improved in 2011. This year, BCA already has reported delivering 150 aircraft in the second quarter, including 13 total 787s and 747-8s.

Although that’s a huge improvement, BCA will have to work hard to meet its full-year delivery guidance of between 35 and 42 787s. The airframer has delivered only 11 787s in the first half of the year. Meeting that delivery target is essential for BCA to begin unwinding its mountainous stockpile of 787 inventories.

787 work in progress, including deferred production

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U.S. FAA issues rule to enhance commercial pilot training

WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday issued a final rule that it said would "significantly advance" the way commercial airline pilots are trained in the United States.

FAA administrator Michael Huerta said the goal was to give pilots "the skills and confidence to handle any situation they might encounter," including "events which although rare, can be catastrophic."

Much of the focus will be on handling crosswinds and gusty winds, as well operating aircraft in the event of the loss of automated systems, Huerta said at a press conference.

The final rule stems in part from the crash of Colgan Air flight 3407 in upstate New York in February 2009, which triggered a number of enquiries, and a subsequent Congressional mandate to enhance pilot training efforts.

The National Transportation Safety Board in 2010 determined that the accident, which killed all 49 people on board the plane, which was en route from Newark, New Jersey, to Buffalo, New York, was caused in part by the pilots' inability to respond properly to warnings of an aerodynamic stall.

"Today's rule is a significant advancement for aviation safety and U.S. pilot training," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.

Among other things, the final rule requires:

- Ground and flight training that enables pilots to prevent and recover from aircraft stalls and upsets;

- Use of data by air carriers to track remedial training for pilots with performance deficiencies, such as failing a proficiency check or unsatisfactory performance during flight training;

- Training for more effective pilot monitoring; and

- Enhanced runway safety procedure.

The plane in the February 2009 crash was a Colgan Air Bombardier Dash 8-400 regional jet; it was operating as a Continental Connection flight under a codeshare agreement with Continental Airlines.

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