Boeing, American Airlines, FAA collaborate on 737 ecoDemonstrator airplane

Boeing and American Airlines showcased a Next-Generation 737-800 airplane on September 17th, known as ecoDemonstrator, in Washington, D.C., to highlight testing of environmentally progressive technologies. The visit to the nation’s capital follows extensive flight testing in Glasgow, Montana, where it flew a series of missions designed to test and accelerate advanced technologies that increase fuel efficiency and reduce airplane noise. Top officials from Boeing, American Airlines, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) held a joint news conference at Reagan National Airport to highlight innovation and collaboration among government and industry. American Airlines is loaning a new Next-Generation 737-800 to Boeing to serve as the testbed for these advanced technologies. The flight testing completed in Glasgow allowed Boeing engineers to gather volumes of data about the viability of each technology. After testing is complete, the airplane will be returned to standard configuration and delivered to American later this year. The FAA program known as CLEEN (Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise) provided funding for the adaptive trailing edge on the airplane as well as some flight test costs.