Nordam First to Use BTS Online

Nordam's Nacelle/Thrust Reverser System Division (Booth 5873), NTRSD for short, will be the first customer to use Boeing Technology Services' Web-based, secure access test data service. Nordam, a BTS customer for three years, commenced structural fatigue and damage tolerance testing on the engine mounts it supplies for the Falcon 2000EX in April 2002 at BTS' Seattle structural testing lab.

In June, BTS started offering secure Internet access to lab test results.

Monitoring such tests using conventional methods is like "watching grass grow" according to NTRSD structures manager Ed Goodrich. Now, Goodrich says, he can monitor test progress several times per day, while at the office, at home or on business trips.

Previously, NTRSD engineers had to travel to Boeing's Seattle lab to monitor tests and to work with Boeing engineers. The file sizes of photos, video recordings and even data files made e-mail impractical. Secure Internet access, in contrast, enables all authorized parties to monitor test results in near real time. This capability not only reduces development time; it also slashes travel costs.

By Fred George