Update: Boeing on Wednesday issued a scathing critique of the program.
EVERETT — Al-Jazeera is airing a documentary critical of Boeing’s 787 program on Wednesday.
The documentary, ‘Broken Dreams: the Boeing 787,’ raises questions about the airplane’s safety, including footage from workers inside the plant saying they’d never fly on a Dreamliner.
The expose, which airs at noon PDT Wednesday on Al-Jazeera’s English channel, covers a lot of familiar ground, including the 787 program’s extensively outsourced supply chain, more than three years of production delays and battery problems.
The centerpiece appears to be the footage filmed by a Boeing worker inside the North Charleston, S.C., plant and an internal document that allegedly shows an emphasis on quantity over quality.
But based on a preview, the documentary’s sources leave a lot to be desired, for example many of the report’s biggest allegations seem to come from trash talking workers who didn’t know they were being filmed, and the memo is interpreted by a former president of the engineering union.
That said, people who aren’t fans of Boeing will certainly find it to be entertaining television.
The Rise of the Jumbo Jet
The Smithsonian Channel recently produced a very entertaining look at the early days of the 747 program. It is a tribute to the jumbo jet’s creation and includes interviews with many key figures at the time.
Air times can be found on the channel’s website.
Dan Catchpole: 425-339-3454; dcatchpole@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dcatchpole.
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