Boeing Demonstrates New Technology for Moving Airplanes on the Ground
August 01 2005 - 11:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
Boeing Demonstrates New Technology for Moving Airplanes on the
Ground SEATTLE, Aug. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Boeing Company
(NYSE:BA) and Chorus Motors have demonstrated an exploratory
technology that could lead to a more efficient way of moving
airplanes when they are on the ground at airports. Successful tests
in June of an onboard electric motor attached to the nose wheel of
a Boeing 767 have shown that it may be a viable way of powering
airplanes to move in and around gates, largely eliminating the use
of airport tow tugs and jet engines now serving this purpose, as
well as reducing emissions. "We are striving to help our aerospace
customers operate more efficiently, cleanly and quietly at
airports," said Jim Renton, a director of Technology Integration in
Boeing Phantom Works, the company's advanced research and
development unit. "Our testing has shown that onboard electric
motors can be very useful in achieving that goal if packaging,
weight and flight-related technical issues identified during these
tests can be resolved." "We believe onboard electric motors have a
great many advantages," added Bob Carman, Chorus Motors'
WheelTug(TM) program manager. "They could reduce the need for
ground tugs and their associated costs, allow faster flight
turnarounds and increased fuel efficiency per trip, and reduce
airplane noise and emissions at airports, to name just a few
advantages." Phantom Works researchers, together with those from
Chorus Motors, a developer of innovative electric motor
technologies, have worked together this year to design, build and
operate a prototype onboard electric drive system that may enable
pilots of large airplanes to be in complete control of their
airplanes from gate to gate. In June, the Phantom Works/Chorus
Motors team, in cooperation with Air Canada, installed an electric
motor drive on an Air Canada 767 and conducted a series of
successful tests. Air Canada pilots performed ground maneuvers on
slopes and terrains typical of those at airports around the world,
including driving in reverse from a gate and taxiing forward to a
runway. Tests also were performed at ramp temperatures exceeding
120 degrees Fahrenheit and at loads of up to 94 percent of the
maximum takeoff weight for the airplane. "Powered nose wheels have
very positive benefits and I am quite impressed with the potential
of the electric motor technology," said Capt. Hugh Campbell,
director of Pilot Qualifications at Air Canada, who participated in
the testing with Air Canada's chief 767 pilot, Capt. Richard Burke.
Next steps involve working to successfully resolve the technical
issues that surfaced during the tests in order to define a path for
commercial system installation. Boeing Phantom Works is the
advanced R&D unit of The Boeing Company. As an element of
Boeing Technology, it provides advanced system solutions and
innovative, breakthrough technologies that reduce cycle time and
cost while improving the quality and performance of aerospace
products and services. In addition to its own development work,
Phantom Works collaborates with universities, companies, and
organizations around the globe to ensure it is finding the best
technology solutions the world has to offer. Chorus Motors plc
(OTC:CHOMF), a developer of proprietary electric motor
technologies, is a subsidiary of Borealis Exploration Limited
(OTC:BOREF). The Chorus systems produce high torque at start-up
speeds and can be used in applications in aircraft, automobiles,
trucks, locomotives, and ships. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Chorus
Motors plc, WheelTug plc, has been assigned rights for aerospace
applications of the Chorus family of motor technologies. For more
information, see http://www.chorusmotors.gi/ . DATASOURCE: The
Boeing Company CONTACT: Tom Koehler, of Boeing Phantom Works
Communications, +1-206-766-2923, , or Bob Carman, of Chorus Motors
Program Manager for Aerospace Applications, +1-805-908-1762, Web
site: http://www.boeing.com/ http://www.chorusmotors.gi/
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