Honeywell B757

[bhx bod]

An interesting arrival into BHX this evening.
The Honeywell B757-200(N757HW)test aircraft has just landed.
Anyone have any idea why it is at BHX and what is it currently testing??

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Another forum reports that it will be there for a few days.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Is this the one with a fighter jet nose and canards ?

[DaveReidUK]

Is this the one with a fighter jet nose and canards ?

Not quite. It has a stub wing/pylon that has in the past been used to mount various Honeywell engines for flight testing, including the TFE731 and (in the photo) the AS907/HTF7000 series:

http://www.air-and-space.com/20101110%20PHX/_BEL0795%20757-225%20N757HW%20Honeywell%20right%20side%20take-off%20l.jpg

Although I don't think it currently has a test engine installed.

[bhx bod]

DaveReidUK.
Thanks for the info,maybe it will spend some time in the MAEL hanger.
Interesting aircraft though.

[Evanelpus]

It's an old JMC frame isn't it?

[DaveReidUK]

Fifth production 757, originally delivered to launch customer Eastern in 1983:

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/2/1/7/0451712.jpg

Then to Airtours International/MyTravel before Honeywell acquired it 10 years ago.

[Reverserbucket]

Large scale Ops Trial to validate the ability to provide CPDLC Initial Operation Capability in French Airspace next week. Honeywell may be involved as a manufacturer?

[bhx bod]

Thanks for that Reverserbucket.

[grounded27]

As an avionics tech there is nothing more frustrating than a system designed on precedent and theory, test flown a few times then mass produced. I do not know how many times I have had a bonehead engineer on the phone with nothing better to say than "I do not understand why it is doing that"! They use an operator to test and help them wring out the problems with the crap system they designed.

Ok rant over... It pleases me to see Honeywell putting the extra effort into R&D, they have a good reputation. This aircraft is probably primarily used for engine development, you can not completely simulate environmental conditions to test an engine in a test cell.

GE and Boeing both operate a 747 for this purpose, the GENx engine for the 777x is the last I have heard of undergoing test flight.

[ZFT]

grounded27
they have a good reputation.Really? I'm intrigued. In what area?

Of all the (Avionics) manufacturers we deal with Honeywell are by far the worst in just about everything.

Obviously I'm missing something!

[DaveReidUK]

GE and Boeing both operate a 747 for this purposeAs do P&W, they operate two 747SPs for flight testing engnes.

http://aviationweek.com/site-files/aviationweek.com/files/archive/www.aviationweek.com/Portals/AWeek/TWW/PrattTB1.jpg

http://waynefarleyaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/lg5.jpg

[c52]

I'm totally amazed at those engine mountings.

Must I assume from the pic above that the top of a 747's bubble is strong enough to take the asymmetric thrust of an extra engine. or will there be some structural work inside?

Why ever would you want to test an engine like that when the empty 747 could manage perfectly well on three engines regardless of whatever's being tested?

Why wouldn't the front, top mounted engine muck about with the tailfin?

[tdracer]

GE and Boeing both operate a 747 for this purpose, the GENx engine for the 777x is the last I have heard of undergoing test flight.

Boeing has pretty much retired RA001 (the very first 747) - it now belongs to the Seattle Museum of Flight. Boeing now expects the engine companies to do the heavy lifting in testing new engines.
GE actually has two 747 test aircraft - one real early 747-100, and a newer 747-400 that they recently refurbished into a flying test bed.
One of the GE 747s is being used for the CFM LEAP engine (737 MAX/A320 NEO), the other will soon start flying with the GE9X engine for the 777X.

[Intruder]

The GE airplane with the LEAP engine was in ANC this morning.

[DaveReidUK]

Must I assume from the pic above that the top of a 747's bubble is strong enough to take the asymmetric thrust of an extra engine. or will there be some structural work inside?

I'd be amazed if there wasn't some serious internal ironmongery taking the loads from that stub wing/pylon.

[DaveReidUK]

As C52 said asymmetry may pose an interesting challenge? Particularly with a potentially longer thrust arm with the test engine being mounted fairly far forward.I'd guess that C52 meant asymmetry in the sense of structural loads on the fuselage, rather than handling characteristics.

In the case of the latter, I can't see there being much problem as the GTF is no further outboard than No 2/3 engines, and producing much less thrust.

[Diverskii]

Looks like she was out on manoeuvres today.

http://i.imgur.com/9LXTdHT.png