Boeing Unveils New High-Tech 737
Tuesday, Boeing unveiled its Technology Demonstrator Airplane, a 737-900 outfitted with the latest in navigation, safety, and enhanced vision devices.
"We're jumping out ahead," said Boeing's Kenneth Hiebert, talking about this technological push. "We're the tip of the arrow."
Boeing's arrow is loaded with the latest in emerging flight deck technologies. They include:
- A Quiet Climb System that uses computerized throttle controls to reduce thrust and noise on takeoff.
- Vertical Situation Display that provides a vertical profile of the airplane flight path, showing a computerized view of the terrain below, warning pilots of ground obstacles in their flight path.
- Surface Guidance System that displays computerized boundaries of every runway to improve taxi safety during poor visibility.
- Enhanced Vision System using infrared cameras to allow pilots to see in-air and ground obstacles otherwise hidden in the dark.
- A Synthetic Vision System that provides a computer generated view of the outside world. Pilots essentially watch a computer screen much like a video game. In theory they could fly without even looking out of the cockpit window. The plane's host of navigation devices provide an accurate computer-generated view of both the flight path and runway.
"Even though the technologies are cool in themselves, I think they almost sell themselves," said Hiebert, Boeing's Regional Director of Product Marketing for the Commercial Airplanes group.
Boeing test pilot Mike Carriker says these systems will make pilots safer and more efficient.
"We all want to go forward with the safety and these efficiency initiatives, and this is a great tool to evaluate them with," Carriker said during Tuesday's demonstration flight from Boeing Field to Moses Lake.
Boeing's newly outfitted plane is a flying sales platform for airplane buyers and the government agencies working to approve these emerging technologies for widespread use.
"We want the world to see this and embrace it, " said Hiebert. "We don't want to hold close to our vest because the more people that integrate these technologies and have them the better the system is. The light bulbs are slowly going on even inside of Boeing that this is a cool way to do business."
Many of the technologies demonstrated on the Boeing 737-900 are several years away from being adopted by the FAA and the airline industry. But Boeing hopes its Technology Demonstrator Airplane will help speed up that process.
Boeing's next guests booked for test flights are representatives of the major airlines.