Technology
Aeronautics /
USA
High Tech Program
Boeing to test new technologies on Etihad plane
Etihad Airways
787-10
Boeing Media Room
José PEDRO M Ramos
7/20/2020
Boeing has been conducting what it calls "ecoDemonstrator" flights for about ten years, a series of tests aimed at developing safety, economy and sustainability technologies.
Many models of Boeing and several operators have already been used, including even an Embraer regional jet, but the plane selected for the round of the day is a 787-10 destined for Etihad, one of the major companies in the Middle East.
The technologies covered by this type of flight are comprehensive, novelties have already been tested in such areas as winglets, navigation, aerodynamics and wing coating, among many others.
In this round, different technologies will be tested but the highlight seems to be the acoustic area, with concerns about noise including aerodynamics. Concerns even affect the hissing of structures exposed to the wind, such as landing gears. To reduce aerodynamic noise fairings will be tested to readjust the airflow around the landing gears when they are exposed.
Another area of "u200b"u200bprominence in this round will be air traffic control, through the automation of air traffic instructions, allowing the aircraft to comply with the flight coordinates of the ATC bodies autonomously.
The schedule for carrying out these tests is already set. The aircraft will leave its North Carolina assembly line, conduct tests in Montana and then return to the factory where it will be delivered to its future operator, Etihad, in September.
The next editions of ecoDemonstrator will focus on weight reduction and increased use of electric moving parts instead of hydraulic ones. The objective will be to obtain leaner, simpler and more economical systems and structures.
Etihad Airways
787-10
Boeing Media Room
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