Boeing has conducted an engine air start with the T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainer as part of the type’s testing programme.
The aircraft’s single General Electric F404 engine was shut off at an altitude of 20,000 feet during a sortie from the company’s St. Louis production site. After 44 seconds it was successfully re-started and the aircraft landed.
“Engine air start testing requires a large amount of preparation, planning and teamwork,” says T-7A chief pilot Steve Schmidt.
“It’s a test of all the subsystems built for backup in the event a pilot would have to shut the engine down in an emergency and power it back up again.”
Schmidt was accompanied on the flight by another Boeing pilot, William Berryman.
The T-7A is set to replace the venerable Northrop T-38 in US Air Force service following Boeing’s winning of a $9.2 contract in September 2018.
The T-7A, which was developed in partnership with Saab, has accumulated over 175 hours of flight time during over 160 test flights.
Boeing sees a large potential market for the type internationally, and has promoted the type at major air shows over the last year.
