777-200LR Flight Test Journal: Archives

31 October 2005

Heart of the plane

Anngelique Bowen, AIMS Platform Engineer

Rochelle Mai, Displays Lead Engineer

Wayne Fortner, Technical Focal, Flight Data Acquisition & Recording Systems, Flight Deck Printers

Edward Nolte, Jr., Avionics-Flight Management/Guidance Lead Engineer

For us in the Aircraft Information Management System (AIMS) group, Flight Test is the fun part of our jobs. It's when we see the new functions actually working on the airplane. It's always rewarding to see what you've designed on paper actually working in the air. Then, after you fly it, the best is when the pilots and customers say the addition is a good thing. That is what we strive to do.

AIMS is the heart of the plane. It provides flight and maintenance crews pertinent information concerning the overall condition of the airplane and interfaces with more than 70 different systems. This critical information converges in the flight deck. There are eight main AIMS functions: Displays, flight management, central maintenance, thrust management, flight deck communications, aircraft condition monitoring, data conversion gateway and flight data recorder.

Our group, about 25 people, works in Everett, Wash. We don't travel to exotic places for testing. Our test flights takeoff from Renton, Wash., and usually last 2 to 3 hours. The Flight Test for the 777-200LR Worldliner has had its hurdles. Our time between verification tests and the certification tests has been compressed. Plus, we are testing the 777-300ER Enhanced simultaneously.

Our biggest challenge is communicating between engineering and Flight Test so everyone understands the new features. Some of the new functions specific to the 777-200LR are an upgrade to the Aero Engine Database for the new airframe and larger thrust engines, an airspeed correction change required for the location of the static probes and auxiliary fuel tanks.

We work in cycles of 18 to 24 months, called Blockpoint updates. We are working on Blockpoint 05 right now. Flight Test is the final stage of that cycle. In the beginning, we gather input on new features from member groups, pilots, customers, and the sales team. We have strategies across Boeing and synthesize what's most important. We ask the supplier the cost. If management approves, we design and specify the new systems. We send specifications to our partner supplier, Honeywell, which builds it. The system comes back, and we do the higher level validation testing. If there are problems, we work with our supplier to fix the bugs.

Before a flight test, we develop a tip sheet. It's the procedure of conditions we want to check. We lab test the changes before we fly. There is a tip sheet dry-run on the ground. We always have an AIMS engineer on board to video tape the displays.

After the flight, we get a flight test report, typically the same day. We might also receive a "squawk" report, the pilots' comments when something does not work as expected. When a problem occurs, we help determine the root cause. Many times our displays are the messengers of trouble in other parts of the plane. First we have to understand if it is a tip problem: the way it was written, or a logic problem, or maybe it wasn't performed correctly. We request flight data and match it to the video, if necessary. Our displays are always guilty until proven innocent.

We also have to be nimble. For example, the 777-200LR has space for auxiliary fuel tanks. We planned on testing instruments to monitor the auxiliary tanks, but they weren't installed, so we could not test it. The customer has since decided to add the tanks, so it will be tested at a later time before delivery.

We are finishing final certification for Blockpoint 05 and then we'll start some small changes, referred to as Block 05A enhancements. We always look for ways to make the airplane more useable, more valuable to customers, more accurate and more efficient.

Flight Test is the way we prove that we accomplished our goals.