It’s easy to take the marvel of air travel for granted. What the flying public may not appreciate is the rigorous testing jet engines undergo long before you depart on your next flight. At GE Aerospace, there’s a one-of-a-kind team in Victorville, California, whose job is to put each new engine model to the test. They do it with a specialized and very large tool: the GE Aerospace 747 Flying Test Bed.
We sat down with Jon Ohman, chief test pilot for GE Aerospace, and Renji Thomas, former Victorville site leader and newly appointed product validation test measurements leader, to hear more about the plane’s exploits. Here are five things you should know about GE Aerospace’s 747 Flying Test Bed.
1. Same Plane, New Look
Originally a Japan Airlines revenue-service Boeing 747-400, the current Flying Test Bed was acquired by GE Aerospace in 2010 and has been a critical tool in getting the CFM LEAP* engine into service, as well as for the certification of the GE9X engine.
When GE Aerospace became an independent, publicly traded company in 2024 and launched a refresh of the iconic brand, the team decided to update the livery design of the Flying Test Bed. It was an exciting opportunity for Ohman and Thomas, who were involved in the process from the initial brainstorming with the GE Aerospace branding team to the final touches of paint. The new livery features a pristine white fuselage bisected diagonally to cover the tail in a striking shade of “Atmosphere Blue” with the GE Monogram trademark showcased on the rudder.
“Everyone here is really energized by the new look,” Ohman says. “It was a different experience outside our normal operations here, but definitely a unique and exciting one.”
For Thomas, who started in 2008 with GE Aircraft Engines, as it was known then, it’s a visual representation of the ways in which the company has evolved to its current position in the market. “All of us here recognize that it’s not just a new paint job, but really a visual reminder of who we are and the importance of what we do every day,” he says. “The 747 is an iconic aircraft, and we’re privileged to take thousands of people’s work on each engine and move them to the next stage.”
2. A Busy Season Is Approaching
The Flying Test Bed’s fresh look coincides with an expected uptick in testing over the next decade.
A major campaign on the horizon in coming years for the new-look jet is the much-anticipated CFM RISE program, a technology demonstrator advancing a suite of technologies aimed at improving fuel efficiency by more than 20% compared with today’s most efficient engines. Notably, one of the technologies being developed is an Open Fan architecture, in which the engine’s fan blades are not encased in a nacelle.
“The RISE program is going to be an exciting opportunity for the team here in Victorville,” Ohman says. “The Open Fan catches your eye, but what we’re really after is the performance data. This plane is more like a laboratory than anything else, and all that data ensures that the advanced technology in the engine is working as expected to meet the goal of that step change in fuel efficiency and durability.”
3. It’s the Best Office at the Company …
Home base for the Flying Test Bed is a massive hangar at the Victorville Airport, about 85 miles northeast of Los Angeles. When Thomas looks out the window of his office, he says he can’t help but feel a connection to the importance of his work there. “We have a critical role in ensuring that new engine models coming into service perform exactly the way they should so our customers and the flying public can depend on them,” he says.
Thomas also jokes that his office is the “second best” at GE Aerospace. “Jon [Ohman] has the best office.”
“I’d probably have to agree with that,” Ohman replies with a laugh. “We take this aircraft to some pretty spectacular places. In the course of testing we’ll fly over the highest point in the continental U.S. in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and then fly over the lowest point at Death Valley. We’ve gone to Hawaii, Alaska, the Rocky Mountains, and our upcoming testing will take us overseas as well. It’s hard to beat the view from the flight deck of a 747.”
4. … And a Flying Laboratory Above the Clouds
That office that Thomas and Ohman speak of doesn’t just come with an amazing view. It’s also equipped with some of the most advanced testing technology in the aviation industry.
The Flying Test Bed functions as a flying laboratory, providing engineers with the capability to conduct integrated systems testing and refine engine performance and control systems under real-world flight conditions. This includes assessing fuel efficiency, optimizing control schedules, and ensuring that engines can operate effectively across diverse operational scenarios. Rigorous testing in extreme conditions — involving everything from stalls and air starts to zero-gravity maneuvers, large sideslips, and icy environments — plays a critical role in validating engine reliability and adaptability.
Since its acquisition in 2010, the 747-400 has racked up over 1,500 flight hours dedicated to advancing engine technology. This testing not only supports the development of robust and reliable products but also enables the evaluation of emerging technologies, providing valuable data that sparks innovations. Last fall, GE Aerospace conducted a series of test flights for the Contrail Optical Depth Experiment (CODEX) project, in which they studied contrail formation — the ribbons of ice that form when jets fly through cold, humid air. The CODEX tests aimed to deepen the aviation industry’s understanding of emissions — and help establish a baseline for future engine testing in the RISE program.
5. It Takes a Team to Achieve Success
Ohman, a former F-18 Hornet pilot in the U.S. Marine Corps, is accustomed to flying solo. Of course, he had other pilots in his squadron, aerial refuelers, and maintenance teams on the ground, but inside the aircraft it was just him.
When the Flying Test Bed takes off, there’s typically a team of 15 to 20 on board, consisting primarily of flight test engineers at data consoles monitoring performance. “What makes flying this aircraft so special is doing it with a crew versus on your own,” Ohman says. “We do some demanding, precise work every time we fly, and when the team can get everything it needs to move an engine to the next milestone, there’s a real sense of accomplishment.”
On the ground, the Victorville team has plenty of work as well.
“Everything we do on the ground is to support the team up there in the skies,” says Thomas. “Takeoff happens with the team here in Victorville, but really, there’s a team of thousands around the world that get an engine model to us. Flying an aircraft like this isn’t a walk in the park, and our team is constantly on their A game to prioritize safely accomplishing our objectives each time the Flying Test Bed leaves the hangar.”
*CFM International is a 50-50 joint company between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines.
