Bo ing T-7A Crew Shuts Off, Restarts Engine in Flight to Demonstrate Reliability
Single-engine jet’s in-flight restart demonstrates robust design
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 27, 2020
– Restarting a military jet’s engine in flight is a critical safety feature that
can only be demonstrated by doing something a flight crew rarely wants to do:
shutting off the engine in flight.
That’s all the more daunting in a
single-engine aircraft. Yet, a Boeing [NYSE:BA] T-7A trainer crew recently did
it, at 20,000 feet above an Illinois test area, then flew the plane for 48
seconds before restarting the GE F404 engine and landing back at Boeing’s St.
Louis site.
“Engine air start testing requires a
large amount of preparation, planning and teamwork,” said T-7A Chief Pilot Steve
Schmidt. “It’s a test of all the subsystems built for backup in the event a
pilot would have to shut the engine down in an emergency and power it back up
again.”
Schmidt performed the test with fellow
Boeing Pilot William Berryman. The test was the latest success for a program
that’s meeting all its critical development milestones. The company expects to
deliver the first T-7A Red Hawk to the U.S. Air Force in 2023.
“This is a testament not only to the
confidence our pilots have in the reliability of the T-7A aircraft, but also to
the team who designed, engineered and built this new trainer aircraft for the
Air Force,” said Chuck Dabundo, T-7 vice president and program manager.
In September 2018, the U.S. Air Force
awarded Boeing a $9.2 billion contract to supply T-7A Red Hawk aircraft and
training simulators. Designed by Boeing and Saab, the T-7A has already
accumulated more than 175 hours of flight time in more than 160 developmental
test flights.
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