Hi guys!

 

A little while ago there where some testing forms in pdf format for the T7 here on the forum. Now that the T7 is getting closer to release, it's time to get ready. I tried to find the forms again without any luck. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. If anyone have a moment of free time to help me, I will be happy.

 

Thanks in advance.

Haven't seem the forms myself you are discussing but I've been a crewmember on functional check flights for Part 23 and 25 aircraft (flight test for a living). I can put together a high level generic profile that exercises systems and maneuvers, if that's what you are looking for. (Usually these check flights can get dozens and dozens of pages deep so I'll have to water it down). Systems proving and compliance testing, on the other hand, can be exponentially more detailed.

Haven't seem the forms myself you are discussing but I've been a crewmember on functional check flights for Part 23 and 25 aircraft (flight test for a living). I can put together a high level generic profile that exercises systems and maneuvers, if that's what you are looking for. (Usually these check flights can get dozens and dozens of pages deep so I'll have to water it down). Systems proving and compliance testing, on the other hand, can be exponentially more detailed.

 Would be nice if you could do that for us !

That would probably be better than I could ever imagine! I like to test the airplanes before I start to use them on routes. If you would be able to provide this I will be very grateful. Systems proving and compliance testing is something I'm also interested in, but that is only if you feel that you want to provide it.

That would probably be better than I could ever imagine! I like to test the airplanes before I start to use them on routes. If you would be able to provide this I will be very grateful. Systems proving and compliance testing is something I'm also interested in, but that is only if you feel that you want to provide it.

You may be better off working at Boeing for systems proving and compliance testing

 

There you can grab a copy of their Project Specific Certification Plan for the 777 that outlines every single regulation that applies to the 777, how it will be tested, and the method of compliance for every single aspect of the plane. If you want to create that in FSX, knock yourself out and we can chat in a year or three

 

I assure you, it would be massive, complicated, and 80% boring.

 

Give me a few hours and I'll see if I can whip up a functional check flight that could be tailorable to FSX. If you have specific system questions, I could probably give you some broad ideas how to test them in reality/FSX, but unfortunately couldn't walk you through every failure mode in an electrical system to test on the forum. Unless, you'd like to pay me more than my company does

 

Kinda neat a few of you are interested in this though, I would have shared some expertise in the aircraft test world earlier.

 

 

You may be better off working at Boeing for systems proving and compliance testing

 

Haha, I need to finish up my ATPL and get some more experience first!

 

 

 

Give me a few hours and I'll see if I can whip up a functional check flight that could be tailorable to FSX.

 

That sounds great, I will be waiting! Thank you!

Thanks for your efforts. I am also very interested in such document.

 

Kind regards,

Markus

Unfortunately, some errands caught up with me and I won't be able to finish this tonight  I'll hope to have something together later this week to post.

Hello Kyle, really nice to hear, I'm very interested too! Thanks for taking the time. In-depth system stuff is great but also functionality tests and RTO's/Taxi and flight testing sounds really good.

Looking forward to it as well!

Here's a high-level outline of what you might find on a functional check flight for a given aircraft.  Of course, in between all these checks would be regular crew briefings and checklists.  Obviously, take a look and study the limitations of the 777 and tailor specific numbers accordingly.  While the 777 is my favorite airplane, I can't quite fill in all the numbers needed for below offhand.

 

Also, in real life, time = fuel burn = money, so while the procedures cover a variety of systems, functional check flights don't necessarily go shoot every possible type of approach or actuate every possible failure mode.  Depending on plane and maintenance, functional check flights (for me) average 2-4 hours.  But here in FS, we can spend all the time we want looking at systems and aircraft performance...so feel free to do any of these steps as many times as you'd like or get creative with it.

 

Preflight

 

1. Aircraft logbook - review, note open discrepancies and any impact to flight objectives
2. Weight and balance - compute, review for flight objectives
3. Weather - review
4. Cockpit safety preparation and first flight items - perform in accordance with (IAW) AFM
5. Battery(s) - verify correct voltage
6. APU - start, verify generator voltage and amps, and temperature
7. Display, air data, and computer reversionary switches and modes - verify functionality
8. Altimeters - crosscheck field elevation, LH/RH altimeters, and standby altimeter
9. Attitude indicators - crosscheck LH, RH, and standby
10. All external lights - operational

Engine start

1. Engine start procedure - IAW AFM (here, in the nice little FS realm, you may want to do multiple engine starts, simulated cold or hot weather procedures, autostart on/off, crossbleed starts, external air start, start both engines simultaneously)
2. After engine start - IAW AFM
3. Electrical - verify engine generator voltage, amps
4. (Typically here, you can leave the APU running up through takeoff...on a functional check flight if something electrical dies, good to have a spare generator working, I've had this happen to me before...generator failed after rotation)
5. Stationary engine spool up (not necessarily to full power, but to an appropriate run up speed)

Pressurization/ECS check

1. Packs - verify operation
2. Engine bleeds - verify operation
3. APU bleed - verify operation (likely already verified during engine start if used but some aircraft do not require APU bleed for engine start)
4. Oxygen - verify amount, no leaks
5. Cabin altitude/landing altitude/Delta P - verify in automatic modes and manual modes (manual control of outflow valves)
6. Anti-ice systems - verify (if you can self-test them or engage them on the ground, within limitations)
7. Temperature - verify cockpit and cabin automatic/manual controller modes

 

Taxi

1. (Really can be before taxi) Hydraulics - verify quantity, pressure in automatic and manual on modes (verify backup hydraulic pumps as equipped)
2. Control surfaces - checked, manually deploy speedbrakes/spoilers, verify physical position
3. Flaps - verify every detent matches physical position and indication, then set for takeoff
4. Brakes - checked, both sides
5. Taxi checklist - IAW AFM
6. Before takeoff checklist - IAW AFM

Takeoff

1. Lineup - crosscheck headings and altitudes
2. (Depending on what you want to accomplish, there are variety of takeoffs obviously: stationary, rolling, max thrust, derated, short field, etc)...we usually do a brake check at maximum thrust and proceed with a stationary takeoff
3. After takeoff - IAW AFM
4. Shutdown APU - as desired
5. Altitude - on climb, verify LH/RH/standby altimeters with radar altimeters

In-Flight

(Sometimes I find myself planning an IFR flight for the high altitude tests then cancelling and going VFR when things like stalls or maneuvers are needed...obviously it's situation-dependent)

1. FMS - verify departure, en route, arrival, approach operation
2. Airspeed - crosscheck LH/RH/standby airspeed indicators when at an unaccelerating speed
3. Autopilot/fight director - verify correct responses in FLCH, V/S, altitude hold, VOR, VNAV/LNAV modes
4. TCAS - verify functionality
5. Weather radar - verify functionality
6. VOR/DME/ADF/GPS - very functionality (using both FMC and manual tuning, raw data), verify navigation capability and FMC response with disabled/degraded GPS
7. Rate of climb check - for this, we use a pre-computed N1 (or torque or EPR) setting, determine the weight and outside temperature at a starting altitude (both with anti-ice on and off), and fly at a pre-computed speed; climb while maintaining that power setting and airspeed for one minute then compare the actual change in altitude against our computer models.
8. Engine parameters - verify bugs, temperatures, and overall numbers during the climb
9. Pressurization - climb to service ceiling, verify oxygen quantities, monitor Delta P and cabin altitudes on the climb (acceptable compared to hypothetical numbers).  At the service ceiling, we verify cabin altitude one more time then manually control the outflow valve to raise the cabin altitude.  Verify when the cabin pressurization warning goes off, compared to when it is supposed to trigger. Return pressurization to normal.
10. ECS - at the service ceiling, verify temperature can be manually raised and lowered as well as automatically controlled.  Verify cross bleed functions. 
11. Doors - (this would be interesting in a 777) at the service ceiling, execute a steep turn to induce some G's (within limits) on the aircraft, verify doors do not leak
12. Anti-ice - if limitations permit, verify function of all anti-ice systems
13. Slow flight characteristics - starting at 15,000-20,000 AGL, disengage autopilot, assess slow flight handling at every flap detent and verify aircraft can be trimmed for level flight (depending on aircraft, this method varies a bit and gear are also used for the lower flap settings, or for fun you can disable the gear horn and fly flaps 30, gear up and see how she handles)
14. Stick shaker/pusher - in conjunction with the above, and depending on the plane, we assess stick shaker and stick pusher activation speeds (or even bring the plane to full on stalls), these speeds vary for weight, icing, configuration, etc.  and are usually derived from an AFM, AMM, or OEM data.  Crosscheck stick shaker, pusher, and stall occur close to the computed speeds.  For this maneuver (and many other flight tests), the best method is to hand fly the plane and trim for 1 knot/second bleed rate.  However, there are some instances where accelerated stall information is useful (pulling harder on the column, bleeding off speed quicker to see if the shaker/pusher/stall is aggravated and occurs sooner).  Be sure to terminate at least 5000 AGL for safety.
15. Alternate flaps and gear - verify alternate flap and gear extension functionality
16. Fuel dump - verify correct logic (if using an automatic dump-to-weight) and valve operation (I've never done this in a real plane, but heck, it's FS)
17. RAT - deploy, verify electrical, flight control, hydraulic functionality (again, never done it, but might be fun in FS)
18. Fuel transfer - verify fuel can be moved/used through crossfeed valve
19. In-flight engine restart - depending on what level of safety risk you or the customer wants to assume, perform an in-flight engine shutdown (fuel cutoff usually) and restart either using windmilling or crossbleed...would be a fun time to test thrust asymmetric handling (with the computer on and off) in FS

Descent/Approach/Landing

1. Descent/approach - IAW AFM
2. Pressurization - verify cabin altitude and Delta P on your way down
3. Sometimes another APU start is performed here
4. Approach - there's some flexibility in this one, usually the profiles I'm on involve one ILS approach to a go around or touch and go followed by an RNAV approach to a full stop (demonstrates approach with raw navaid data from the ground and GPS)...the ILS approach is at least coupled for part of the approach and verify no autopilot hard-overs (feel free to insert autolands, single engine autolands, all hand-flown, etc.)
5. Cross check GPWS altitude calls outs with radar altimeters and baro altimeters...also can check flap and gear callouts
6. Autobrakes, autospoilers, reversers - verify operation

Taxi In

1. Single-engine taxi - if desired
2. Verify APU generator
3. Verify proper depressurization
4. After landing and shutdown - IAW AFM (one variation here is you can shutdown one engine using a fire handle to verify its function, and that associated fuel/electrics/air shut off with it...don't discharge the extinguisher.....but again it's FS)

Well...that's one possible functional check flight profile in a nutshell that you may be able to fly on the 777.  Hope that's helpful, or at least gives you some ideas on how to get a feel for the 777 and exercise some of the systems.

 

I can dig into some more system-specific certification/compliance testing (at least my best adaptation or guess of it with the 777) if there's interest in a particular system.  Someone mentioned RTOs (forgive me, can't remember above).  Takeoff speed development testing is always fun

Thank you very much! One more question, on  the web i found a "caa check flight certificate", which lays out the check flight in detail with all the numbers (i did this already with the NGX, and the numbers were almost spot on). Unfortunatelly it is for the 777-200 and not the LR. Do you know where to find such a check flight "tutorial" and the numbers (stall shaker speeds, time of one-engine climb, ....) for the 777-200LR?

Thank you very much! One more question, on the web i found a "caa check flight certificate", which lays out the check flight in detail with all the numbers (i did this already with the NGX, and the numbers were almost spot on). Unfortunatelly it is for the 777-200 and not the LR. Do you know where to find such a check flight "tutorial" and the numbers (stall shaker speeds, time of one-engine climb, ....) for the 777-200LR?

Well, keep in mind what I posted above is a maintenance action flight, not a type certificate checkride, important difference. No, I don't know offhand where to get those numbers other than an FCOM or AFM. Some aircraft shaker speeds are even proprietary technical data and would need to seek them directly from the manufacturer.

Actually, it'd be cool to see a pic of  the flight test package.

Thank so much you for your detailed reply, this is great stuff!