Altitude testing at AEDC helps put Trent 1000 through paces of first flight

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Simulated altitude testing on the Trent 1000 jet engine recently completed at Arnold Engineering Development Center helped prepare the engine for its first flight test Tuesday.

Rolls-Royce officials described the maiden flight of the Trent 1000 jet engine aboard a 747 test bed aircraft as "flawless."

The Trent 1000 high-bypass turbofan engine is the launch power plant for the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a twin engine wide-body airliner that is scheduled to make its debut test flight later this year.

The testing for the Trent 1000 was successful, said Gene Klingensmith, an AEDC Air Force project manager.

"This was an important series of tests with a tight schedule for completion," he said. "Rolls-Royce came away with critical data they needed for their first flight test of this engine."

The engine underwent a diverse regimen of testing.

"The test objectives included steady state performance, engine operability and air starts, but the primary purpose of this project was to subject the engine to icing conditions at altitude for FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) compliance," said Doug Hodges, an AEDC engineer for the test. "Icing certification testing at simulated altitude conditions is a capability unique to AEDC, especially for high airflow engines like the Trent 1000."

According to Rolls-Royce, the Trent 1000 is the fifth version of the Trent to be developed since the engine family entered service 12 years ago. A single version of the Trent 1000 will be capable of powering all variants of the Boeing 787.