Boeing ecoDemonstrator 787 tests innovations for more efficient air travel

The Boeing ecoDemonstrator 787 has begun flight testing more than 25 new technologies aimed at improving aviation’s environmental performance through every phase of flight. The Boeing ecoDemonstrator Program accelerates the testing, refinement and use of new technologies and methods that can improve efficiency and reduce noise. This new round of testing, using 787 Dreamliner ZA004, will evaluate software and connectivity technologies related to operational efficiency; remote sensors to reduce wiring; aerodynamic and flight control improvements for greater fuel efficiency, and icephobic wing coatings to reduce ice accumulation. The ecoDemonstrator 787 completed flight tests in July for an acoustic ceramic matrix composite nozzle designed by Boeing to reduce weight and noise. These tests were part of the FAA Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions and Noise (CLEEN) Program, a competitively bid five-year program with costs shared by participants. In 2011, with an American Airlines Next-Generation 737, the ecoDemonstrator Program tested 15 technologies including aspects of the Advanced Technology Winglet that will improve fuel efficiency by up to 1.8% on the new 737 MAX. In 2015, the ecoDemonstrator Program will test more technologies on a 757 in collaboration with TUI Travel Group and NASA. Supplier partners for ecoDemonstrator 787 technologies and flight tests also include Rolls Royce, Honeywell, Rockwell Collins, General Electric and Panasonic.