
Delta Debuts World's Largest Jet Engine Test Room - Tomte
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/delta-air-lines-worlds-largest-jet-engine-test-cell/index.html
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jcims
If you're into this kind of thing, do a YouTube search for 'hush house' and
enjoy.

[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hush+house](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hush+house)

Edit: For an up close and personal view of afterburner tests, as well as a
comprehensive view into the inner workings of turbojets, turbofans and
industrial turbines, it's hard to top AgentJayZ's channel from the frozen
tundra of Fort St. John -
[https://www.youtube.com/user/AgentJayZ](https://www.youtube.com/user/AgentJayZ)

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phasetransition
Agreed 100% on AgentJayZ

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Shivetya
So a question to the more math savvy of readers, how much air is the engines
in the video moving? I did not find mention of it but I wonder what
temperature and humidity levels they use.

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jcims
You're looking for the 'air mass flow' specification. For the Trent XWB in the
article it's just shy of 1500kg/sec.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-
Royce_Trent_XWB](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Trent_XWB)

Keep in mind that the bulk of that mass does _not_ go through the turbine
engine itself (aka the core), it's moved by the large fan that's visible at
the front of the cowling. The ratio of that vs what goes through the core to
support combustion is called the bypass ratio...which will vary somewhat
widely based on application. Lots of great info in the Wikipedia article.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbofan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbofan)

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jandrese
The only interesting bit to me was the Delta exec specifically mentioning
right near the end of the article that they designed the facility with SSTs in
mind.

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metalliqaz
If commercial flights are carrying passengers at supersonic speeds in the next
two decades, I'll be very surprised.

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dangus
For business/first class routes, I don’t see why not.

The Concorde couldn’t keep up economically, but it’s also a 40 year old
design.

BA 001 is a great example of this concept. It’s a flight designed entirely to
save business travelers from going to Heathrow. London City to JFK with a fuel
stop and pre-clearance in Ireland. Business class only.

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1stcity3rdcoast
Do you have to de-plane during the fuel stop to do the pre-clearance? Or do
they do that right on the tarmac?

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dangus
Judging by the articles I've read on it it seems like they do de-plane
briefly, it's just described as a "stopover."

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metalliqaz
The article seems to be describing a regular engine test stand, though one
that is big and shiny and new. What's the big deal?

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miller_joe
Something I think was left unsaid here is that airlines are starting to take
over more of their own engine maintenance to reduce costs. The engine makers
have secured huge margins with their maintenance contracts for years and the
airlines are looking to bring this in-house.

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phasetransition
This is not the case with Delta. Delta techops is one of the world's largest
airplane repair organizations

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rayiner
I got to watch a jet engine test in a different Delta facility at ATL airport.
It was breathtaking. There is a big turbofan with an inlet taller than a
person in the adjacent room, and you’re separated by just some (I’m sure very
strong) glass. You get this visceral feeling of immense power.

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purplezooey
Blast Basket is a good name for a band.

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jcims
Or my toilet

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sandworm101
Wow. Standing a dozen feet from a running engine. Only thousands of people do
that every hour. Them with only a few mm of aluminum between. Of course they
are mostly sitting.

There are plenty of these facilities. Big isnt always better. They are
generally kept as small as practical.

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thro_away_n
Yes those people are sitting next to (generally) well-maintained engines that
aren't run right up to the point of failure.

