global briefing
// This year’s ecoDemonstrator will fly to Frankfurt
Airport in Germany during its flight test program
Latest boeing eco-plane
takes to the skies
BBoeing’s annual ecoDemonstrator
program is set to start its flight test
program this month.
The ecoDemonstrator test program will
assess 50 technologies that aim to enhance
safety, sustainability and the passenger
experience. Among them are projects that are
trialing sustainable biofuel, smart toilets and
digital communications technology for air
traffic control.
The modified-777 being used this year for
the test program is the sixth test airplane in
the ecoDemonstrator program.
Mike Sinnett, vice president of product
strategy and future airplane development at
Boeing said, “The latest addition to our
ecoDemonstrator program lets us learn faster
and move forward on improvements much
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quicker and with greater fidelity in defining
their value.”
This year’s ecoDemonstrator program
features a project that uses external cameras
to provide passengers with a view of the
outside of the airplane. It is also testing a
digital network for the sharing of information
between air traffic control, the flight deck and
an airline’s operations center to optimize
routing efficiency and safety.
Another project on the aircraft will trial an
electronic flight bag application that
automatically provides rerouting information
to pilots.
More than a dozen partners are
participating in the 2019 program, including
an industry consortium developing a
connectivity standard for networked cabins
of the future known as iCabin. The standard
aims to make galleys and lavatories smart
and monitors cabin conditions such as
temperature and humidity to facilitate
automatic adjustments.
Boeing’s ecoDemonstrator program first
took to the skies in 2012. Five airplanes — a
737-800, 787-8 Dreamliner, 757, an Embraer
E170 and a 777 Freighter — have tested 112
technologies before this year.
Around a third of the technologies tested
on board ecoDemonstrator aircraft over the
last six years have been commercially
implemented by Boeing or its partners, the
aircraft-maker said. Almost half remain in
further development while testing on the
other projects was discontinued after
learnings were accomplished. \\
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