777-200LR Flight Test Journal: Archives

25 October 2005

At your service

Stuart Kramlich, flight test program manager, General Electric

Boeing uses a lot of engines manufactured by General Electric (GE) in its products. This is no surprise considering the number of flight test programs, research projects and commercial jetliners the company manufactures and operates. Anytime a question or issue comes up about a GE engine, it comes to the onsite engine support team in Seattle.

There are approximately 24 GE support staff onsite at Boeing. We're the point of reference for anything to do with the engines; we're the go-to people for the engine vendor. It's a lot more efficient than making Boeing work through a dozen separate contacts back at our manufacturing facility. Questions and issues can range from the engine's hardware configuration to operational issues, such as why the engine is behaving in a certain way. We take care of everything.

I manage the flight test program for the 777-200LR and the -300ER. The team's focus is generally divided among the different airplane models, but our support stretches beyond production and flight test to special projects, like the second Quiet Technology Demonstrator (QTD-2) program in Glasgow, Mont., in August. A good example of other areas we support is the flight test program. Supporting flight test involves a lot of planning, so we monitor schedules and get the aircraft ready for remote flights and testing. We'll put together lists of spare parts we think the engine might need, and they'll be waiting for us at the airplane. We work closely with Boeing to make sure any items or personnel we might need are there to support the scheduled testing.

Sometimes the engine might need special adjusting to complete a test. For example, some adjustments will disable certain engine systems to help us get a baseline performance understanding of how the engine works.

Even with our best planning, test conditions can change instantly, often because of the weather. We were trying to get the 777-300ER to Yuma, Ariz., in September to test what's called a thrust bump, which gives the pilot an option to get out of a hot and heavy airfield. If it's at high altitude and the airplane is full, the pilot has the option to use the bump. We needed 107 degrees to do the test but couldn't schedule the remote in September. Now those temperatures in Yuma are gone. We'll probably have to fly overseas to find the right conditions.

In supporting flight test, it's good to remember to expect the unexpected. Sometimes, issues come up that are outside of our experience. It gives us the chance to work things out in real time on the spot. This is a very dynamic job. If you live by a schedule and don't like change, this is not a job for you. You need to be able to respond and adapt quickly and be able to make decisions with the data you have on hand. That's what I really love about it. I come into work never knowing what new opportunity will develop in supporting our products.