Oxygen mask selfies and Boeing moving away from titanium in 787

If you are sane and in an emergency situation I am sure I for one wouldn’t be the one clicking selfies but it seems like some people aboard the United flight UA447 from Denver to Los Angeles seem to find clicking selfies as natural response to any emergency situation. Due to a medical emergency the pilot on the plane decided to divert the flight to the nearest airport and deployed oxygen masks as a safety measure, once the masks were deployed. The smartphones came out and lo and behold it was selfie time for some of them. You can read more about it here.

Boeing 787 has proven to be quite a revolutionary plane due to use of various unique elements in its construction whether it is carbon composites or titanium. Yes, titanium which is lighter than other alloys commonly used in aircraft construction but is sturdy and provides a great reduction in overall weight has been used extensively in the 787 construction ever since the beginning. Now in order to stem the $23 million that Boeing loses on each of its 787 coming out of the factory. The aircraft manufacturer intends to cut down the production costs by reducing the usage of the pricey titanium. While this may sound as great price cut what remains to be seen is how Boeing will meet its promised efficiencies with the increased weight of the frame. Read more about this here.