By Gary Thomas
Boeing has teamed up with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the American Airlines in the 2012 ecoDemonstrator program. The American Airlines 737-800 airplane is to be used for ascertaining environmentally progressive technologies.
The Boeing, American Airlines 737-800 ecoDemonstrator rolls out of the paint hangar at Boeing Field preparing for the installation of environmentally progressive technology. After the installation of these innovative technologies, the ecoDemonstrator heads to Montana for a month of intense flight testing.
The intense flight testing of the ecoDemonstrator airplane will take place in Montana and the plane is being fitted with sophisticated equipment and technologies. Boeing Commercial Airplanes director of Environmental Performance, Jeanne Yu stated that the ecoDemonstrator program aims to speed up the integration of progressive technologies for more clean, quiet, more fuel efficient and sustainable material solutions. The ecoDemonstrator and other demonstration programs provide a platform for learning and applying novel environmentally progressive technologies.
Different technologies will be fitted on the new Next-Generation 737-800 which has been loaned by American Airlines. These technologies will aim to reduce noise, fuel consumption and test sustainable materials. Improvements will be done to increase the efficiency of the engine and the wings. Technologies for the flight trajectory methods to enable fuel economy will also to be tested.
The 2012 ecoDemonstrator program with the Next-Generation 737-800 forms a part of a multi-year endeavor. The program will continue in 2013, wherein a wide-bodied airplane will be used for testing purposes.
The FAA is collaborating in both the programs and is contributing to the flight test costs and two of the technologies through the continuous lower energy emissions and noise program.
Source: http://www.boeing.com/