Tuesday, February 1, 2011

The latest Boeing 747-8 undergoes extreme testing


This very interesting video clip shows how Boeing is conducting edge-of-the-envelope tests on the latest model of its venerable 747 Jumbo Jet.







It's good to know that they test these aircraft so thoroughly . . . but I still get goosebumps when I see them deliberately dragging the tail on the runway!





Peter

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ground effects are tacky bits of plastic stuck to cars.

Ground effect is a phenomenon encountered by low wing aircraft within about one wingspan of the ground.

Sorry Peter, that one bugged me. You should see the videos of the rejected take-offs to prove that the landing gear can survive that: Max aircraft weight, max speed at the decision to abort, minimum tire pressure, and all the brakes worn to limits. Gee whiz.

Jim

Anonymous said...

Flutter testing and stalling a million-pound freighter certainly qualify as "extreme."

TC

Anonymous said...

I always drag my tail on the runway.

Chief Pilot Ray

Old NFO said...

That qualifies as an E-ticket ride :-)

Comrade Misfit said...

Vmu is pretty standard. Flutter testing could get, um, exciting if flutter happens.

Crosswind testing can be fun to watch.