WHAT WE DO Meera Chander is a Flight Test Propulsion Analysis engineer and test conductor supporting the Wet Fuels Lab for the KC-46 tanker program in Seattle. In this Frontiers series that profiles employees discussing their jobs, Chander explains her love of aerospace engineering and the excitement of working on the next Boeing tanker. Seldom does a day go by that I don’t get to see customers in uniform or Boeing employees who used to be in the military. Hearing about their experiences and understanding the important missions the new Boeing tanker will be called on to perform for our military is a constant reminder of how cool this work really is—and how proud I am to be a part of it. That pride and awe about what we are accomplishing keeps me motivated. This incredible Boeing airplane will be able to refuel a number of different aircraft while they’re in flight. But before that can happen, a lot of testing, in and out of our labs, is needed. In the Wet Fuels Lab, we have representative components of a tanker that enable us to conduct tests on several different systems: aerial refueling, fuel offload, hydraulics and control systems, to name a few. We can approximate flying conditions and each day learn more about the airplane’s systems and hardware, which is a great asset. I work with a team of about 10 test conductors and system operators to perform tests for program test directors. We coordinate with them to determine what data they want to validate from a particular test, prepare 10 BOEING FRONTIERS accordingly, perform a readiness review, and then execute the test. After it’s completed, we package the data for the test director to review. There’s so much that goes into executing a successful test plan, and so many different people with whom you need to coordinate. You have to be resourceful, able to make quick decisions and be present at all times. The journey to get here has been fun, rewarding and certainly educational. For me, that road started in my seventhgrade science class. We were learning about the Hubble Space Telescope, and I was enthralled by the images the telescope beamed back to Earth. It showed me how big the universe was and how much there is to explore, and my love of aerospace took off. Since then, I took as many industry opportunities as I could. In the summer of 2012, during a college internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., I saw the Mars Rover Curiosity land on the red planet. It solidified my belief that aerospace was the industry I wanted to work in, where we are part of something so much bigger than ourselves. Back at school that fall, Boeing offered me a great opportunity the next summer to work in Boeing Test & Evaluation for Flight Test Engineering Propulsion Analysis. When I arrived in the summer of 2013, I immediately began test planning and flying on various aircraft. I fell in love with test and evaluation. After I graduated from college, I learned to fly before returning to work full time for Boeing and Flight Test. I was transferred temporarily to the Lab Test side of company, to help out on the tanker in the Wet Fuels Lab. I am so grateful to be interacting with Boeing experts day to day. The more I talk and work with them, the more I realize I have so much to learn. It’s so inspiring to be part of two phases of such an important Boeing program, and I can’t wait to see where my Boeing career takes me. n edward.a.muir@boeing.com Pride and awe Passion for aerospace led this employee to tanker by meera chander, as told to ed muir
Frontiers April 2015 Issue
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