Rolls-Royce, makers of powerful jet engines and brilliant cars, has announced the start of the flight test campaign for their engine, the Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X.
The Pearl 10X will power the Dassault Falcon 10X, the French manufacturer’s newest flagship aircraft. The first flight of the engine was onboard the company’s dedicated test aircraft, a Boeing 747 flying testbed.
The Pearl 10X is the newest member of Rolls-Royce’s state-of-the-art Pearl engine family. It is also the first-ever Rolls-Royce engine to power a Dassault business jet.
The flight test program
Pilots and flight test engineers will thoroughly test the engine in the coming months as part of the flight test program. This program includes engine performance and checks at various speeds and altitudes.
“We are excited to enter into this important next phase of the engine development program with the start of our flight test campaign. All the tests completed to date confirm the reliability of the engine and show it will meet the performance requirements,” said Senior Vice President Philipp Zeller, Dassault Aviation, in a statement.
Guaranteeing the efficiency and dependability of engines before their integration into customer service is the key. A crucial helper is the Flying Test Bed (FTB), a Boeing 747-200 owned by Rolls-Royce, located in Tucson, Arizona. The Flying Test Bed can have a range of engines fitted to give the engine real-life test runs in the air.
These tests provide valuable performance data, up to 20GB per day, more than the monthly usage of an average UK household.
What makes this special?
As explained, the aircraft typically has four engines to ensure safety at all times. How? One test engine operates alongside three other engines already established in service. This time FTB will become a five-engine aircraft with the Pearl 10X joined by a Trent 1000 and three RB211s. Trent 1000 and RB211 are both aircraft engines developed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce. Trent 1000 is known for its fuel efficiency and reliability. The RB211 is an earlier turbofan engine developed by Rolls-Royce and has been in service since the 1970s.
Deborah Robinson, Director of Test and Experimental Engineering, singled out the FTB as a great asset to them. It is part of a wide range of test capabilities and helps ensure that the engines do everything required. While computers and rig tests can do so much, testing in the air takes it even further. They can perform a wide range of tests to confirm the results of extensive ground and rig test programs. “We can take the opportunity to test the corners of the flight envelope and feedback into our extensive models,” she added.
