777-200LR Flight Test Journal: Archives

19 August 2005

Refurb

Ken Christiansen

777-200LR Build Team Leader

Airplane refurbishment, or “refurb,” is the simple task of removing flight test equipment, reconditioning worn or damaged parts and installing customer-unique equipment. This can include seats, lavatories, galleys and painting the customer livery. Basically, we do the work after the flight test program is complete and before our field team prepares the airplane to fly again.

Many people assume the refurb process begins when the program has been completed and the airplane returns to the hangar. In the past, that was true to a point. But, profile and importance of refurb has risen to such a level that planning now actually begins when the plane’s initial design requirements are being developed.

We have set a very aggressive refurb schedule for the two flight test Worldliners. In past programs, we’ve planned for about 90 manufacturing days to do a full flight test refurb. For WD001, the fully instrumented airplane that is doing most of the certification testing in this program, we have reduced that flow to 40 days.

For WD002, which has less instrumentation but boasts a special-interior and auxiliary fuel tanks, we have a 25-day refurb plan. We are making these changes to add value to the program and because the inventory holding costs of a completed airplane are considerable.

How can we cut our times so dramatically? Mostly through statement-of-work reduction, intense pre-planning and dedication of resources. I’ll explain more, but first I should back up and explain “refurb.”

The definition of a refurb airplane is an airplane that has been specifically instrumented to support flight test. That means it has been used to test the flight characteristics of the airplane and to validate that it performs the way it needs to. Therefore, it is really important that the airplane is built just like any other production plane.

However, the two 777-200LRs were also built to serve their individual purposes during flight test. WD001 contains miles and miles of instrumentation wiring that connect thousands of sensors all over the plane. WD002 contains some instrumentation in addition to the special interior and auxiliary fuel tanks.

From the beginning, we consulted with design engineers, manufacturing engineers, industrial engineers and factory mechanics to find areas where we could make reductions. Some examples that we came up with include:

• The installation of crew rest areas, which are located in the crown of the plane, above the passenger section, during production instead of during refurb.
• The installation of instrumentation in the back of the plane so that it can be installed and removed through the rear of the plane (Door 5) and not delay work in the front of the plane.
• Installation of lavatories and galleys during production. Installing these elements during refurb has really slowed us down in the past. By installing them early and figuring out a way to protect them during flight test, we saved time.

We have also broken down the 1,100 refurb tasks required for WD001, and the 300 or so needed for WD002. A kit of required parts and tools will be put together for each task, and each task will be assigned to a specific individual and scheduled for a specific time. We are working with our factory partners to have dedicated workers, and we will be working with those people in advance so they understand what they need to do. In the past, refurb projects have often been treated as afterthoughts, where the people doing the work would only get to it after their “regular jobs” were done.

Of course, all the pre-planning and innovative thinking will only get us so far. We can’t start work on either of the planes until they are done testing, so we are pulling for our flight test partners to complete their work on time so that we can get to ours.