The Wings Stayed On!: More Huffin' and Puffin'

Feb 16, 2009

More Huffin' and Puffin' - certification tests

Here are some tests a new engine model must survive before going into production:

NOTE: This video is incorrectly labeled. It actually shows the result of a fan failure containment test. A selected fan blade is "blown off" at it's root, producing an explosion of shrapnel that must be contained by the engine cowling. Furthermore the structure of the engine must deal with the resulting unbalance condtion. (Thanks to Luke for the correction!)...

For a more complete look at the certification tests of the Rolls Royce Trent engine, including the containment test:

Despite the best-layed attempts in certification to replicate life on the line, sometimes even one bird in the wrong place at the wrong time can produce engine problems (assuming this video is what it seems to be):

4 comments:

Luke said...: The second video isn't a bird strike test (I'd hope a Trent would be much tougher than that!) It's actually a fan blade failure test, to verify that the resulting cascade failure doesn't eject any debris from the cowling and possibly into the aircraft.; Feb 18, 2009, 12:45:00 PM
Aluwings said...: Thanks Luke. My bad - I looked for a more correctly-labeled version of this video but couldn't find one. I've edited the introduction and added another video of the Trent engine certification.

Thanks for the sharp eye!; Feb 18, 2009, 8:09:00 PM
Mark said...: The last video is genuine - it allegedly ingested "2 large birds" on takeoff. Made the news at the time.; Feb 18, 2009, 11:46:00 PM
John Kelly said...: Man, you always seem to find some great videos!; Feb 26, 2009, 5:42:00 AM

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What"s this about?

An eclectic series of articles based on my experiences as a commercial pilot. Sometimes behind-the-scenes tales; sometimes more technical descriptions of Jet Transport Aircraft - and the people who fly them. While the stories are based upon actual experiences and real people, I use composite characters and made-up names*. If they seem familiar, they are. They're the people you live and work with every day. The world is full of interesting people - if we only knew!

The title of this blog comes from my first observation after test-flying my home-built aircraft: "The wings stayed on!" And later I realized that life is often like that. We are continually faced with new adventures. And though we study and train and prepare as much as we can, finally we have to launch and put all this preparation to the test. And unexpected things still happen. As the bumper sticker says, Life Happens. And we deal with it - hopefully with a good dose of humour and hope. And if the "wings stayed on!" well at least that's the main thing. And everything else is just details.

My stories are usually drawn from looking back over my career, which thankfully has been pretty dull. Trust me. When flying a commercial airliner, boring is good. You wouldn't like exciting... So don't expect many stories about engines exploding, and wheels falling off, and cabins catching fire. Though that kind of stuff goes on, thankfully, it hasn't been my experience. My stories are the more mundane things, the little things that inhabit real life.

And while mundane is the reality of modern airline flying, still it's an amazing feat, a dramatic and dynamic accomplishment that we shouldn't take for granted. Perhaps day-in, day-out our world-wide airline industry represents our civilizations' most complex achievement. And though it has become mundane we should never forget that the real drama lies in the times when these bigger disasters are too close for comfort. The times when some small factors could produce seriously different outcomes.

Sometimes all the calm around you is an illusion -- a little like the movie Jurassic Park where the investors are touring the not-quite-ready-for-opening facility, while the technicians thrash away at command central, trying to keep everything together - trying to keep up the facade that it's all under control. But if it is, it's not by much.

Oh yeah, one more thing. Like everyone in the airline industry who's blogging, I'm hoping to write a book, and I'm practicing on you folks. I'm always trying to hone my story-telling skills so if you have any comments please leave them. Also, please respect the copyright thing.

Thanks.

Aluwings