When Koito Industries was found to have falsified safety testing results for some of its airline seating products, there was no great disruption for the rest of the OEMs and their customers, as some might have predicted. Only a few aircraft deliveries have been delayed because of it, says Beverly Holland, a communications specialist at Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

The terms “fuel cell” and “bladder” tanks are used interchangeably to describe a fuel tank that is completely removable from the airframe for servicing and not integral to the aircraft. While all but gone from commercial transports, they will likely see continued application in general aviation aircraft. Removable tank maintenance is frequently overlooked until a leak is spotted. Then, the only alternative may be a total replacement, according to Erich Hartwig, manager of Hartwig Aircraft Fuel Cell Repair in Hallock, Minn.

For airlines and business jet operators, there has long been the argument that radials are the aircraft tire of the future, given their significant advantages over bias types. Southwest Airlines’ Richard Giacomello reports that the carrier has seen about a 30% increase in overall tire life with radials over bias tires. The basis of that comparison is data collected since 2001 on the radial tires used on Southwest’s Boeing 737-700 and the bias types on its 737-300 and -500 aircraft.