The multi-tasker that loves to be tested

Ensuring our engines are proven to be efficient and reliable before they enter customer service is a key requirement – and one of the ways we have done this is on our Flying Test Bed (FTB), a Rolls-Royce-owned Boeing 747-200.

Based in Tucson, Arizona, USA, it can have a variety of engines fitted to it to give them a real-life test run in the air, providing valuable performance data – up to 20GB of data per day, more than the average UK household uses in a month - that adds to the extensive ground tests that have gone before. But the FTB isn’t just for brand new engines, it can also test in-service engines with new technology upgrades.