This is your Captain speaking....
 

"Boeing didn't expect 737 cracks so soon" Well just I want to read since I'll be on a 737 Monday and Wednesday next week, as a pilot I understand about fatigue cracking, as a passenger....I'm less than thrilled.:frown:

Here's a link to the story, uneasy fliers may want to avoid it, or have a couple more drinks in the departure lounge.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110405/...light_diverted

Russian news also showed this.
I'm shocked. In Russia, a lot of Boeing. Everything goes to that stop their exploitation is not collected.

Most planes are old. In that age there are bound to be issues. But the FAA is real strict.

Most of the fleet are from the 70's I'd imagine or 80's. But you have to wonder, how long is long enough for the life of an aircraft?

As I know, the plane lives long. 30 years old - a young age.
Resource of various parts of the aircraft is calculated separately.
Engines - regulation establishes a specific number of working hours.
The machinery and fittings - also have laws change.
Electronics and navigation equipment - replacement in case of change of common standards.
I saw a film about the modernization of aircraft. Change everything, including the nuts and bolts. But the body of the airplane (glider) - practically eternal life! Does not corrode, is not affected by temperature, does not suffer from collisions. Aluminum and titanium.
I'm amazed that there are cracks.
Or mistake of the project, or poor-quality material.

The Boeing Dreamliner is carbon fibre should last longer.:twothumbs:

As geg said, the fuselage of an aircraft is the most durable part even given its fragility. The Boeing B-52 is heading for a service life set to exceed 100 years as the USAF has no plans to retire the fleet and continues to upgrade the units in service. This new issue with relatively young aircraft is disturbing because of their youth, four to five years old is not the time to expect issues with fatigue. There are problems with the 737's that need to be addressed before there is a "hull loss", which is a fancy FAA term for a crash.

I wonder if it's due to inferior gauge metals being used to save a "proverbial dollar"?

Not to save money, but WEIGHT...

737s are known for lap joint fatigue cracks. It's all in the design...

Where operators "save money" is farming out crucial repair work such as heavy overhauls of their aircraft to places like El Salvador, but that's corporate America these days :frown:

It's simply metal fatigue. And it's been happening on 737's (and other planes)for years. This happened in Hawaii in 1989. A guy I know was on this flight.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-8fpfWBD9k