A deeper dive

Simulation and testing continue to evolve, giving engineers more capabilities to find and fix errors before aircraft go into production.

Faster hardware and more sophisticated software let engineers run equipment through more what-if scenarios as they strive to devise the best solutions to the myriad issues of modern flight. The intertwined fields of simulation and testing have progressed so much that some companies are beginning to use these technologies for tasks beyond the traditional use of reducing problems.

“There's a whole new field emerging in test and measurement: diagnostics and prognostics,” said BAE Systems Engineering Fellow Wade Lowdermilk.