FAA gives ETOPS nod to Trent 1000, 787 readies for Package B

FAA gives ETOPS nod to Trent 1000, 787 readies for Package B: "

The US Federal Aviation Administration granted extended operations (ETOPS) certification to the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 allowing the engine to be operated 330 minutes from a diversion landing field for a Boeing 787. Meanwhile, ZA004, is parked at Boeing Field and being retrofitted with the latest Trent 1000 'Package B' improvements that will bring specific fuel consumption to within 1% of the originally planned specification.

For Rolls-Royce, the Engine ETOPS certification differs from ETOPS airframe-engine certification (AEC) as the powerplant is given regulatory approval separately from the aircraft and all of its systems for long-range operations. Formal 787 AEC ETOPS testing, which includes system functionality & reliability testing, has not yet begun, though build-up tests were run in April on ZA003. The engine completed its 3,000 cycles ETOPS validation through ground testing back in August 2009.

Also, Boeing confirmed late last week that the test fleet had been fully upgraded to operating the latest electrical system software that was developed following the fire aboard ZA002 in November. The test fleet had been flying with an interim patched version, and ZA006, the last to be fitted with the software dubbed v10.4C, completed the installation in late April.

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