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Bombardier unveiled images of its EcoJet research project's second test phase to NBAA-BACE attendees. The flight tests were conducted with an 18-foot wide demonstrator, demonstrating important results and contributing to the advancement of the project.
The EcoJet research project has a mission to reduce aircraft emissions by up to 50 percent through aerodynamics and propulsion. The project is a sustainably-focused research and technology initiative formed 15 years ago. The EcoJet project has grown to include a series of Blended Wing Body test vehicles and flight tests are conducted to develop and mature the relevant technologies. Analysis of collected data from the 18-foot prototype will allow the engineering team to perfect its knowledge of aviation control laws, adapting them to the varied BWB geometry in hopes of developing more sustainable business aircraft in the future.
Flight campaigns on scaled models allow the team and academic partners to explore the BWB-designed prototype behavior in free flight. The testing is comprised of multiple free-flight campaigns over many years to generate more precise data in real-world environments. The 18-foot-wide prototype flew for the first time in 2022 and can fly autonomously. Bombardier's Research and Technology team began testing the real-life feasibility of the work in 2017 with the first prototype, with a wingspan of about eight feet. Bombardier will continue forming a basis for more sustainable business jets while using the EcoJet prototypes to continue creating a high-quality customer experience.RELATED STORY:Bombardier reveals EcoJet progress, completion of phase 1 testing
Bombardier had last announced progress on the EcoJet project at EBACE 2023. The company noted the positive results discovered during the design optimization loops and the initial flight test campaign. This included the deployment of a next-generation Product Lifecycle Management platform. Phase one of the project confirmed the capability of the sixth-generation transonic wing modeling and the demonstration of new aircraft control architecture.
"Our engineers are eager to start working with the results yielded by this second phase of the flight test program," said Stephen McCullough, senior vice president of engineering and product development. "Building on the significant data drawn from the initial flight-testing phase, and now leveraging a model twice as large as the first prototype, we can further refine our analysis. With each additional experimental stage, we are paving the way for more sustainable aircraft designs and new technologies.''2023 NBAA-BACE CoverageFAA, NTSB leaders headlining panel at 2023 NBAA-BACEJSSI launches PartsHub at 2023 NBAA-BACE