The Boeing Company

Theboeing Company

John W Alaimo, Jr

Theresa J Hirsch

Geun Il Kim

Ian Carey Martindale

Mark Aaron Ulrich

Geun I Kim

An aircraft includes engines, electronic engine controllers (EECs) associated with the engines, and a flight management computer (FMC). The FMC includes a non-volatile memory and processor(s) configured to perform one or more error check operations based on engine data from a non-volatile memory of the FMC to determine whether to select an engine thrust rating for a thrust model of the aircraft based, in part, on an engine rating identifier associated with the engine data. The processor(s) may also, or alternatively, be configured to select, based on the plurality of local thrust rating model (TRM) identifiers, intermix thrust model data for use by the FMC during a flight of the aircraft, where the intermix thrust model data is associated with a thrust model identifier that is common to two or more engines of the aircraft.

Systems and methods for aircraft thrust rating model processing

An example method includes: determining a throttle command for a servomotor configured to control a position of a throttle lever, where the position of the throttle lever indicates a commanded thrust for the first engine of the aircraft; determining a trim command for the first engine to equalize the thrust of the first engine with the respective thrust of the second engine; determining that a magnitude of the throttle command is less than a magnitude of a threshold throttle command indicative of a dead zone of the servomotor, where the servomotor is irresponsive to a given throttle command within the dead zone; modifying the trim command based on the throttle command to generate a modified trim command that compensates for irresponsiveness of the servomotor to the throttle command; and changing the thrust generated by the first engine based on the modified trim command.

Low throttle rate command compensation via full authority engine trim

An example method for in-flight determination of a gross weight of an aircraft includes causing an aircraft to perform a first flight operation defined by a first airspeed that is substantially constant and a descent rate that is substantially constant, determining the first airspeed and a first thrust that caused the aircraft to perform the first flight operation, the first thrust being substantially constant during the first flight operation, causing the aircraft to perform a second flight operation defined by a second airspeed that is substantially constant and a descent rate that is substantially constant, determining the second airspeed and a second thrust that caused the aircraft to perform the second flight operation, the second thrust being substantially constant during the second flight operation, and using the first thrust, the second thrust, the first airspeed, and the second airspeed to determine the gross weight of the aircraft.

Growing community of inventors

Lynnwood, WA, United States of America

John W Alaimo, Jr