Page 1 - Aerotech News and Review, April 2, 2021

Aerotech News
Aerotech News
Aerotech News

Journal of Aerospace, Defense Industry and Veteran News
and Review
and Review

Installed

Engine Test

Facility thrusts

Edwards legacy

into the future

Air Force photograph by Giancarlo Casem
An Air Force Test Pilot School student prepares to conduct a data collection test run at the Installed Engine Test Facility Horizontal Thrust Stand at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., March 5, 2021. The
thrust stand was installed in 1955 and has hosted dozens of different airframes throughout the years.

by Giancarlo Casem of specialized facilities. One such facility on Initial construction on the thrust stand was energy into raw pounds of data, which is raw
Edwards AFB, Calif. Edwards is the Installed Engine Test Facility completed in 1955, the same year Disneyland pounds of thrust,” he explained.
Horizontal Thrust Stand. opened, noted Peddecord, who has been working Test personnel in the control room are able to
The skies above the Aerospace Valley have “It’s the only known free-world thrust stand of at the facility since 1997. Peddecord and other communicate with personnel on the aircraft via
seen some of the most iconic aircraft in aviation its nature,” said Gary Peddecord, Lead Electron- engineers observe the test operations from an un- VHF/UHF channels. The data from the thrust
history. However, before they etch their place in ics Technician with JT4 for the 812th Aircraft derground control room roughly 100 feet away stand is fed to computers in the control room
the history books, these aircraft undergo weeks Instrumentation Test Squadron. “It is a roll-on, from the aircraft. There, behind concrete walls a where computer software converts values from
of ground tests. roll-off facility. We only deal with thrust num- foot thick and a metal, vault-like door, they are electric figures into pounds of thrust. Through-
These ground tests are conducted in numerous bers — we do not deal with aircraft data pa- able to work relatively quietly and communicate out its history, the thrust stand has hosted aircraft
locations on or near the flight line at Edwards rameters. We can have an aircraft on here in the and away from loud, roaring jet engines. such as the T-38 Talon, F-16 Fighting Falcon,
Air Force Base, Calif. Ground tests provide en- morning, and it can depart station that afternoon “We’re pretty safe down here, we have all the and F-22 Raptor among others, possibly more
gineers with vital information from a number or evening when we’re done testing.” instrumentation needed to translate the load cell See GROUND, Page 3

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