Tag: Testing

Boeing’s 777-9 Certification Program Paused to Address Engine Component Cracks

Aviation Week reports, “Cracks in engine attachment components that have stalled Boeing’s 777-9 certification program were found in a fourth test aircraft that has not flown in nearly three years, Aviation Week has learned. The latest discovery, on WH004, is expected to help narrow down Boeing’s investigation into the failures in the thrust links—assemblies that connect the airframe with the aircraft’s GE Aerospace GE9X engines.
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Boeing’s 777-9 Certification Program Paused to Address Engine Component Crack

Aviation Week reports, “Cracks in engine attachment components that have stalled Boeing’s 777-9 certification program were found in a fourth test aircraft that has not flown in nearly three years, Aviation Week has learned. The latest discovery, on WH004, is expected to help narrow down Boeing’s investigation into the failures in the thrust links—assemblies that connect the airframe with the aircraft’s GE Aerospace GE9X engines.
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Vertical Aerospace Begins Ground Testing New Air Taxi Prototype

Flying Magazine reports, “U.K.-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi manufacturer Vertical Aerospace is back to testing aircraft. The manufacturer has begun ground testing a new, more advanced full-scale prototype of its flagship VX4 air taxi after an initial prototype was damaged during an uncrewed flight test last year.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)

Rolls-Royce Starts Testing New B-52 Engines

Aviation Week reports that Rolls-Royce “has begun tests of the F130 turbofan for the U.S. Air Force B-52H re-engining program in the bomber’s distinctive twin-podded configuration for the first time.” The company says that initial results have been “very positive” and could provide new life for the decades-old bomber platform.
Full Story (Aviation Week)

Boeing Pauses 777 Testing After Engine Issue

FlightGlobal reports that The Boeing Company “has halted its 777-9 flight-test programme due to a problem involving a flight-test aircraft’s GE Aerospace GE9X turbofan, prompting engine evaluations by GE.” Both companies confirm “the flight-test pause but provide few details about the problem, leaving the extent of the issue and its potential impact on the 777-9’s certification timeline unclear.” GE says it “discovered the problem, later found to involve temperatures, following a borescope inspection.” Boeing’s 777-9 certification program “is already substantially delayed, with Boeing most recently – in April – pushing its expected first 777-9 delivery back two years, to 2025.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)

Pratt & Whitney Begins Test of GTF on A320neo

FlightGlobal reports, “Airbus and Pratt & Whitney have started development flight testing of a more efficient PW1100G geared turbofan – known as the GTF Advantage engine – on an A320neo aircraft.” Pratt & Whitney said, “This early flight-test campaign will continue to mature the engine by testing it in a variety of environments, including hot and cold weather and operation from high-altitude airports.” On the GTF, Pratt & Whitney President of Commercial Engines Rick Deurloo said, “[The GTF Advantage engine] enhances aircraft capability by increasing thrust and protects durability by running cooler. For airlines, this means new revenue opportunities and better operating economics. Our revolutionary geared-fan architecture is the foundation for more sustainable aviation technologies in the decades ahead, and the GTF Advantage engine is the next step in that journey.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)

US Navy Tests MQ-8C Fire Scout for Maritime Expeditionary Operation Support

ExecutiveGov reported that the US Navy “tested the possibility of deploying a Northrop Grumman-built autonomous helicopter from a ship to land to support maritime expeditionary operations at a recent joint service training.” A MQ-8C Fire Scout remote helicopter “took part in the demonstration of the Navy’s Expeditionary Advance Base Operations concept during the Resolute Hunter exercise.”
Full Story (ExecutiveGov)

AIAA Statement on New U.S. Position on Destructive Direct-Ascent Anti-Satellite Missile Testing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 19, 2022 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Executive Director Dan Dumbacher made the following statement:

“We applaud the administration’s commitment to not conduct direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile tests and call for other spacefaring nations to follow this new international norm for responsible behavior in space. This comes following the Russian Federation’s reckless and irreversible ASAT test last fall, which created more than 1,500 pieces of debris that threatens national security and commercial assets and those aboard the International Space Station. Such a declaration will help preserve the security and sustainability of space going forward. The United States is leading by example, and we hope other nations will make the same commitment to work together and conduct space activities in a responsible, peaceful, and sustainable manner.

AIAA continues to call on the U.S. Congress to address the worsening orbital debris problem, as well as establish a domestic civil space traffic management function before a catastrophic event takes place. We believe this would provide stability and certainty so that the commercial sector can continue to innovate and experiment with new ventures that create a robust space economy.”

Media Contact: Rebecca B. Gray, AIAA, [email protected], 804-397-5270 cell

About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, and follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.