The ecoDemonstrator Program is a

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

flight test Flight testing is a branch of aeronautical engineering that develops specialist equipment required for testing aircraft behaviour and systems. Instrumentation systems are developed using proprietary transducers and data acquisition systems. D ...

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

program, which has used a series of specially modified aircraft to develop and test aviation technologies designed to improve fuel economy and reduce the

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...

and

ecological footprint The ecological footprint is a method promoted by the Global Footprint Network to measure human demand on natural capital, i.e. the quantity of nature it takes to support people or an economy. It tracks this demand through an ecological accounti ...

of airliners. Starting in 2012, several aircraft have tested 230 technologies as of 2022: many remain in further development but some are being implemented such as

iPad app The App Store is an app store platform, developed and maintained by Apple Inc., for mobile apps on its iOS and iPadOS operating systems. The store allows users to browse and download approved apps developed within Apple's iOS Software Deve ...

s for pilot real-time information to reduce fuel use and emissions; custom approach paths to reduce community noise; and cameras for ground navigation and collision avoidance.

History

Quiet Technology Demonstrator program

The ecoDemonstrator program followed the joint

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

and Boeing Quiet Technology Demonstrator (QTD) program, which ran in 2001 and 2005 to develop a quieter engine using chevrons on the rear of the nacelle and exhaust nozzles, as well as an acoustically enhanced inlet liner. In 2001 an

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

Boeing 777-200ER The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap betw ...

with

Rolls-Royce Trent 800 The Rolls-Royce Trent 800 is a high-bypass turbofan produced by Rolls-Royce plc, one of the engine options for the early Boeing 777 variants. Launched in September 1991, it first ran in September 1993, was granted EASA certification on 27 Jan ...

engines was used for the flight tests. Much testing was carried out at Glasgow Industrial Airport, Montana, the airport of Boeing's subsidiary, Montana Aviation Research Company (MARCO). The tests were successful, demonstrating better noise reduction than predicted and leading to redesign of wing

leading edge The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...

de-icing holes to eliminate whistling, a modification which was immediately applied on the 777 production line. Once the QTD2 program began, this program started to be referred to as QTD1. JA733A (7608618534)

The resulting design changes were demonstrated in the 2005 Quiet Technology Demonstrator Two (QTD2) program in which a new Boeing 777-300ER, fitted with General Electric GE90-115B engines, was used for a three-week trial, again mainly at Boeing’s flight test centre at Glasgow Industrial Airport. As well as the modifications, the aircraft was equipped with extensive sound measurement equipment, and microphone arrays were laid out around the airfield. The chevrons have since been adopted on the

Boeing 737 MAX The Boeing 737 MAX is the fourth generation of the Boeing 737, a narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), a division of American company Boeing. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG ...

series,

747-8 The Boeing 747-8 is a wide-body airliner formerly developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and the largest variant of the 747. After introducing the 747-400, Boeing considered larger 747 versions as alternatives to the proposed double-deck ...

and 787 Dreamliner aircraft. Also tested on the QTD2 were streamlined toboggan fairings on the main

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...

to reduce noise. In 2018 a new design of engine inlet liner was flight tested in a successor program, Quiet Technology Demonstrator 3 (QTD3), using acoustic arrays at

Moses Lake Moses Lake is a lake and reservoir along the course of Crab Creek, in Washington state, USA. Moses Lake is part of the Columbia River basin, as Crab Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River. Although originally a shallow natural lake, Moses ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. The

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

-designed inlet was installed in the right-hand nacelle of one of Boeing's two 737 MAX 7 prototypes, powered by

CFM International LEAP The CFM International LEAP ("Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion") is a high-bypass turbofan engine produced by CFM International, a 50–50 joint venture between American GE Aviation and French Safran Aircraft Engines (formerly Snecma). It is the ...

1B engines. The testing took place between 27 July and 6 August.

QTD aircraft summary

, Boeing 777-200ER , New , N757AN , American Airlines , Delivered to American Airlines , - , 2005 , QTD2 , Boeing 777-300ER , New , N5014K ,

All Nippon Airways , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had mo ...

(ANA) , Delivered to ANA as JA733A , - , 2018 , QTD3 , Boeing 737 MAX 7 , Boeing , N7201S , Boeing house colors , Returned to Boeing

ecoDemonstrator program

The ecoDemonstrator program was formally launched in 2011, in partnership with American Airlines and the FAA. The first ecoDemonstrator aircraft, a

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boein ...

, operated during 2012. Since then a different aircraft has been used each year, excepting 2013 and 2017, with testing operations lasting from a few weeks to over six months. The testing is usually done in collaboration with many industry partners, including

, the FAA, airlines, makers of engines, equipment and software, and academic institutions. The results of the tests are rarely publicised, respecting the confidentiality of the industrial partners. In 2022, the ninth aircraft in the program, a Boeing 777-200ER wore a special 10th anniversary livery.

Participating aircraft

2012: Boeing 737-800

Boeing 737-823, American Airlines AN2236182

This was a new aircraft destined for American Airlines and in their livery. With this, the first ecoDemonstrator, Boeing tested

laminar flow In fluid dynamics, laminar flow is characterized by fluid particles following smooth paths in layers, with each layer moving smoothly past the adjacent layers with little or no mixing. At low velocities, the fluid tends to flow without lateral mi ...

technology for winglets, improving fuel efficiency by 1.8 percent. This fed directly into the design of the

winglets Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft' ...

used on the subsequent 737 MAX series. The aircraft tested other technologies, including: * variable area fan nozzle to optimize engine efficiency * regenerative hydrogen fuel cell for aircraft electrical power *adaptive outer wing trailing edges for greater take-off lift and decreased drag in cruise * active engine vibration control * flightpath optimization for operational efficiency * carpet made from recycled materials *

sustainable aviation fuel An aviation biofuel or bio-jet fuel Note: About">Investable Universe>About' or bio-aviation fuel (BAF) is a biofuel used to power aircraft and is said to be a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The International Air Transport Association (IATA) co ...

(SAF).

2014: Boeing 787-8

The fourth production 787, a Boeing test airframe, was employed as the second ecoDemonstrator. It conducted 35 projects including: * use of a 15% blend of SAF by both engines for nine flights * acoustic ceramic matrix composite nozzle for weight and noise reduction * aerodynamic and flight control improvements. * advanced wing coatings to reduce ice accumulation. * software applications and connectivity technologies that can improve flight planning, fuel-load optimization, in-flight routing, and landing. *

touchscreen A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is often ...

displays on the flight deck. * wireless sensors to reduce wiring, reduce weight and save fuel. * outer wing access doors made from recycled 787 carbon fibre. * development of the Airborne Spacing for Terminal Arrival Routes (ASTAR) system to reduce spacing between aircraft on approach to airports.

2015: Boeing 757-200

This aircraft served with

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

for 23 years before being used by Boeing for the ecoDemonstrator program. The aircraft was painted in the

TUI Group TUI Group is a German leisure, travel and tourism company. TUI is an acronym for ''Touristik Union International'' ("Tourism Union International"). TUI AG was known as Preussag AG until 1997 when the company changed its activities from mining to ...

livery as a mark of their collaboration in the project, particularly in the environmental efficiency aspects. NASA's

Langley Research Center The Langley Research Center (LaRC or NASA Langley), located in Hampton, Virginia, United States of America, is the oldest of NASA's field centers. It directly borders Langley Air Force Base and the Back River on the Chesapeake Bay. LaRC has fo ...

was also a major participant as part of its Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) project. At the end of the testing period the aircraft was, in conjunction with the

Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association The Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) is an international non-profit association that brings together manufacturers, recycling companies, and aviation tech companies across the aircraft industry. Its aim is to promote environmental best ...

and the aircraft lessor Stifel, disassembled for recycling. Around 90% of materials were reused or recycled. Technologies explored included: * improvement of airflow with insect shields and anti-bug coatings on one wing *

active flow control Flow control is a major rapidly-evolving field of fluid dynamics. It implies a small change of a configuration serving an ideally large engineering benefit, like drag reduction, lift increase, mixing enhancement or noise reduction. This change ma ...

over the

vertical tail A vertical stabilizer or tail fin is the static part of the vertical tail of an aircraft. The term is commonly applied to the assembly of both this fixed surface and one or more movable rudders hinged to it. Their role is to provide control, sta ...

with the aim of increasing efficiency and reducing its size * green diesel fuel testing.

2016: Embraer E170

The third E170 prototype first flew in 2002 and was retained by Embraer as a test and demonstration aircraft. It was the only non-Boeing aircraft so far to participate as an ecoDemonstrator. Testing projects included: * use of

LIDAR Lidar (, also LIDAR, or LiDAR; sometimes LADAR) is a method for determining ranges (variable distance) by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be ...

to complement existing air data sensors * ice-phobic paint to reduce icing and insect debris buildup * new noise-reducing flaps * special sensors to investigate airflow and improve aerodynamics * use of 10% Brazil-produced bio-fuel and 90% standard kerosene.

2018: Boeing 777F

FedEx FedEx Corporation, formerly Federal Express Corporation and later FDX Corporation, is an American multinational conglomerate holding company focused on transportation, e-commerce and business services based in Memphis, Tennessee. The name "Fe ...

supplied a newly-delivered 777 freighter for use in the ecoDemonstrator program. After two months of conversion, it was used in the testing program for around three months before restoration to its freighter role. Technologies explored included: * smaller, lighter weight

thrust reverser Thrust reversal, also called reverse thrust, is the temporary diversion of an aircraft engine's thrust for it to act against the forward travel of the aircraft, providing deceleration. Thrust reverser systems are featured on many jet aircraft ...

Safran Safran S.A. is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures aircraft engines, rocket engines as well as various aerospace and defense-related equipment or their components. It was formed by a merger between SNECMA and ...

electrical power distribution system * use of 100%

biofuel Biofuel is a fuel that is produced over a short time span from biomass, rather than by the very slow natural processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. According to the United States Energy Information Administration (E ...

– the first commercial airliner to be entirely powered by SAF *

3D printed 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...

titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...

tail fin cap using waste material and reducing the weight * synthetic ILS using

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...

giving increased reliability and potentially allowing reduced separation of aircraft on approach * wake riding, involving flying closely behind another aircraft to give a fuel efficiency increase of up to 10% * LIDAR

clear-air turbulence In meteorology, clear-air turbulence (CAT) is the turbulent movement of air masses in the absence of any visual clues, such as clouds, and is caused when bodies of air moving at widely different speeds meet. The atmospheric region most suscepti ...

detector * SOCAS - Surface Operations and Collision Avoidance System, merging radar and video images for obstacle detection * FLYHT Aerospace Solutions’ Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) for tracking, distress and data-streaming from flight data recorders.

2019: Boeing 777-200

This airliner had served

Air China Air China Limited () is the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China and one of the "Big Three" mainland Chinese airlines (alongside China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines). Air China's headquarters are in Shunyi District, ...

since 2001 before Boeing purchased it to join the ecoDemonstrator program. During testing, the aircraft visited Frankfurt, Germany, as several experiments were sponsored by German organisations including the German Aerospace Center (DLR),

Diehl Aerospace Diehl Aerospace GmbH is an interiors and avionics specialist. Headquartered in Überlingen, Germany, the company is organised as a joint venture between the German Diehl Group and the French Thales Group. Diehl Aerospace was founded in 2006 v ...

, and

Fraport Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide,chromate-free

primer Primer may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Primer'' (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth * ''Primer'' (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour Literature * Primer (textbook), a t ...

for

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...

parts to reduce manufacturing health risks * sharing digital information between

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

(ATC), the

flight deck The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters ...

and an airline's operations center to optimize routing efficiency and safety * a connected

electronic flight bag An electronic flight bag (EFB) is an electronic information management device that helps flight crews perform flight management tasks more easily and efficiently with less paper providing the reference material often found in the pilot's carry- ...

application to provide re-routing information * connected

galley A galley is a type of ship that is propelled mainly by oars. The galley is characterized by its long, slender hull, shallow draft, and low freeboard (clearance between sea and gunwale). Virtually all types of galleys had sails that could be used ...

s, lavatories, and cabin temperature and humidity sensors * cameras for an outside view for passengers.

2020: Boeing 787-10

This new aircraft for Etihad Airways was used for just a few weeks between August and October 2020, with testing mainly carried out at Boeing's Glasgow Industrial Airport,

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. The program included: * noise measurement with over 1400 sensors for internal and external measurements * noise reduction including

undercarriage modifications * SAF testing with blends of 30% to 50% * sanitisation methods for the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. * digital text-based ATC routing communications.

2021: Boeing 737 MAX 9

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 ecoDemonstrator N60436

This 5-month program was conducted with a new airframe originally destined for

Corendon Dutch Airlines Corendon Dutch Airlines is a Dutch charter and scheduled airline headquartered in Lijnden, Haarlemmermeer. It is a sister company of Corendon Airlines and Corendon Airlines Europe. History Corendon Dutch Airlines is the Dutch branch of the ' ...

but was painted in a special

Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest airline in North America when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and the numb ...

livery with ecoDemonstrator stickers. In October 2021 the aircraft flew from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, for the United Nations COP26 Climate Change Conference, bringing executives from Boeing and Alaska Airlines and fuelled by a 50% SAF fuel blend. The testing program included: * low profile

anti-collision light Anti-collision lights, also known as Beacon lights or Strobe lights are a set of lights required on every aircraft to improve visibility to others, as well as collision avoidance measures by warning other pilots. Historically they have used incandes ...

for weight and drag reduction and increased visibility * text-based ATC communications * halon-free fire extinguishing (ground testing only) * noise reduction engine nacelles * cabin walls made from recycled material * 50% SAF blend * atmospheric

greenhouse gas A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorbs and Emission (electromagnetic radiation), emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse ...

measurement system integration for airliners * passenger air vent designs to create an air curtain between seat rows.

2022: Boeing 777-200ER

The aircraft was originally delivered to

Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA) is the flag carrier airline of the Republic of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Singapore Changi Airport. The airline is notable for highlighting the Singapore Girl as its central figure in ...

in 2002, and flew most recently for

Surinam Airways Surinam Airways ( nl, Surinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij), also known by its initials ''SLM'', is the flag carrier of Suriname, based in Paramaribo. It operates regional and long-haul scheduled passenger services. Its hub is at Johan Adolf Penge ...

. It wears a livery celebrating the 10th anniversary of the ecoDemonstrator program. Boeing implies that this aircraft will operate as the ecoDemonstrator test aircraft until 2024. The company states that the six-month 2022 program will demonstrate 30 new technologies, among which are: * the use of a 30% SAF blend * disinfection of water from sinks for reuse in toilet flushing * weight reduction through 3D printed parts * noise reduction techniques *

vortex generator A vortex generator (VG) is an aerodynamic device, consisting of a small vane usually attached to a lifting surface (or airfoil, such as an aircraft wing) or a rotor blade of a wind turbine.

s which retract during cruise * head-worn

head-up display A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...

enhanced vision system An enhanced flight vision system (EFVS, sometimes EVS) is an airborne system which provides an image of the scene and displays it to the pilot, in order to provide an image in which the scene and objects in it can be better detected. In other wo ...

* fire-fighting system that does not use Halon * environmentally-friendly galley cooler refrigerant.

ecoDemonstrator aircraft summary

''Most information from'' Planespotters.net All aircraft apart from the 2022 777 had ecoDemonstrator stickers applied to the fuselage or engine nacelles, at least one retaining them for some time after its participation in the program ended.

References

External links

Boeing: EnvironmentBoeing: ecoDemonstrator
{{Portal bar, Aviation Aircraft noise reduction Boeing Green vehicles Aviation and the environment 2010s United States experimental aircraft Research projects Research and development in the United States Aerodynamics 2011 establishments Noise control