Anyone who has ever interacted with a tech department, or watched episodes of The IT Crowd, knows that when something goes wrong with your PC it's best to try turning it off and on again. Chances are it will fix the problem. Now it turns out that same technique is being employed to fix an issue with Boeing's 787 Dreamliner passenger aircraft.
According to The Seattle Times, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) discovered a glitch which can result in all three of the Dreamliner's flight control compute modules resetting themselves without warning at the same time. That includes while a Dreamliner is in flight.
The control modules on board a Dreamliner manage a whole host of systems, but the one most concerning to the FAA is the "flight control surfaces." This system allows the flight crew to control the flight of the aircraft. If it resets without warning then the crew loses control temporarily.
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Thankfully, the reset scenario only has a chance of happening if a Dreamliner's electrical systems are not shut down and restarted at least once every 22 days. Boeing states it has already informed operators that a power cycle should be carried out regularly, and that "a permanent software fix is anticipated in the second quarter of 2017."
For now, the 99 Dreamliners registered in the US must start carrying out regular power cycling within a week. The other 390 Dreamliners Boeing has shipped to airlines worldwide are expected to follow the same advice.
This isn't the first time the Dreamliner has required a reset to ensure it can fly without issue. Last year, Engadget reported that a reboot of the aircraft was required once every 248 days in order to stop its electrical system failing. This latest glitch sounds similar, but can happen with much more regularity if power cycles are not carried out.