• Honeywell logo
    Honeywell
    Stock Code:
    HON
    Business Type:
    Aerosystems Maker
    Date Founded:
    1906-01-01
    CEO:
    Darius Adamczyk
    Headquarters Location:
    Charlotte, United States

For most aircraft, their 40th birthday is nothing to celebrate, as it usually means it’s time for permanent retirement – if that hasn’t happened already. But, for Honeywell’s Boeing 757-200 flying testbed, turning 40 is simply the beginning of the prime of its life – a bit like this author.

Having rolled off the production line in June 1982, the airframe is celebrating its fourth decade of service this week. In a statement today, Captain Joe Duval, director, Flight Test Operations, Honeywell Aerospace, spoke warmly about the test aircraft, commenting that,

"For the past 17 years, we have made so many technological modifications to our beloved 757 test aircraft that the only thing turning 40 years old is likely the fuselage itself.

“We’re among a select few pilots in the industry who have the responsibility to push an aircraft close to its limits. We've intentionally flown into nasty storms to test our radars, and we've flown toward more mountains than I can count to test our ground proximity warning systems.

“Our 757 has been the dependable workhorse that allows us to test a whole slew of technologies, including the engines we produce for business jets and smaller aircraft."

In its time with Honeywell, this 757 has traveled to more than 30 countries across five continents. It has conducted over 800 flight tests and has clocked up more than 3,000 flight test hours.

Honeywell 757 flying testbed
The 40 year old airplane is testing very 21st century technology. Photo: Joanna Bailey | Simple Flying

The 757’s job

As Captain Joe explained, the Honeywell Boeing 757 is used for all sorts of exciting airborne tests. Notable technology testing has taken place for the IntuVue Weather Radars, next generational flight management systems (NGFMS), the HTF7000 engine series and Aspire satellite communication technologies.

One of the most notable characteristics of the 757 is the strange protruding shape on its right side. This is a pylon that allows Honeywell to attach an engine, in order to test powerplants in real-world conditions and to gather important data to aid with development.

Simple Flying got to ride along on the flying 757 testbed last year, and enjoyed checking out the high-end technology on board. During the flight, we were testing out the efficacy of Honeywell’s JetWave MCX solution.

Honeywell 757 flying testbed
The aircraft is packed with technology for gathering data and testing items. Photo: Joanna Bailey | Simple Flying

But the history of this Boeing 757 goes back to a time when inflight connectivity hadn’t even been conceived. In fact, the plane’s first flight was in 1983, the same year that is considered to be the official birth of the internet! If the plane could talk, it would tell us of the very different world in which it is operating today compared to when it first entered service.

The history of N757HW

Today, the 757 sports the registration N757HW – a rather nice vanity plate for the Honeywell operators. But that’s just one of three registrations it has worn over the years – let’s take a quick look back at its history.

Honeywell’s 757 carries the serial number MSN 005, meaning it was only the fifth Boeing 757 to roll off the production line. It was ordered by the original Eastern Air Lines and was delivered to the company on February 28th, 1983, with registration number N504EA.

eastern air lines boeing 757
The aircraft would have looked quite different when it was new. Photo: Aero Icarus via Flickr

It stayed with Eastern until 1991, when it was briefly stored before being taken up by British company MyTravel Airways in 1995. It flew with the British leisure carrier for eight years as G-JALC, before being put into storage again in 2003. In 2005, Honeywell took on the plane, re-registering it with its instantly recognizable tag, and has flown it ever since.

But will Honeywell be eyeing retirement for this historical bird now that it is entering its fourth decade? Not a chance, as the company explained,

Honeywell has no plans to retire the 757 test aircraft and will continue to push the technological boundaries in the aviation industry, thus enabling a safer and more comfortable flight experience for airline passengers.

Have you ever spotted the flying testbed 757? Let us know in the comments.