The success of Rolls-Royce’s flight test program for the Boeing 787’s Trent 1000 engine has led it to consider retaining the Boeing 747 it acquired for the tests and using it as a flying test bed for future programs. These programs include the new RB212 turbofan Rolls-Royce is developing for the Dassault Falcon super mid-size business jet.
The last time Rolls-Royce operated its own flying test bed was in the early 1970s, when it used a VC-10 for RB211 trials. Now Boeing and other customers are trying to push risk down the supply chain, corporate flight test specialist Andy Roberts told a recent meeting of the Royal Aeronautical Society. The objective of the latest program, accordingly, was “to demonstrate the new engine’s stability, operability and maturity, and to ensure a safe, efficient and unrestricted start to the Boeing 787 flight test campaign.”
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