Recently, I posted about being uneasy with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, specifically regarding the use of composite materials. Today NewScientist has a short article that gives a clue as to why there have been so many delays:

Why large carbon-fibre planes are still grounded

Clearly, composites are a work in progress. The trouble, says aviation engineer Philip Irving at Cranfield University in the UK, is that computer simulations often differ from reality. “Computer models are good at calculating composite displacement and stress levels, but they are not yet good at accurately predicting when they will fail,” he says.

The article ends with a note that extensive testing will ensure that planes made using composite materials will be safe to fly. Any change in design or materials in an application where failure can result in injury or death is risky, and no amount of testing can remove all risk. I’m sure there will eventually be a catastrophic failure and subsequent finger pointing that will ignore the fact that nothing is without risk.

Yes, I’m uneasy about the change to composite materials, in part due to some experiences I’ve had with them, but I won’t refuse to fly on a Dreamliner. We all make risk-benefit decisions every day, whether we recognize it or not.

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Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice.
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