Tomasz Idziak
Propulsion Test Engineer · Propulsion Engineering
Warsaw, Poland
Propulsion Test Engineer with broad experience in ground test planning, instrumentation, and data reduction for aircraft engine development and acceptance programs. Manages test cell operations, oversees instrumentation of 200+ channels per test article, and leads post-test data reduction to extract corrected performance data. Increasingly using Python to automate the data processing chain.
Expertise
- engine ground test planning and execution
- test cell instrumentation
- real-time data acquisition and monitoring
- post-test data reduction
- engine performance acceptance testing
Technologies
Work History
2024-11
Altitude simulation testing support at external test facility — coordinated the test plan for windmill relight and altitude restart assessment. Managed test cell communications and real-time data monitoring during 72-hour continuous test campaign.
Challenge: The external test facility used a different DAQ system and file format — raw data had to be converted in near-real-time to our standard format for performance monitoring. Built a streaming file conversion tool that processed incoming data files every 30 seconds.
Learned: Always build data conversion adaptors before arriving at an external test facility. Trying to solve format compatibility issues in the middle of a high-cost test campaign under time pressure is extremely stressful and error-prone.
2024-03
Post-test data reduction pipeline — automated extraction of corrected performance parameters (thrust, SFC, TET) from raw test data files. Replaced a 6-hour manual Excel process with a 15-minute Python pipeline.
Challenge: imc FAMOS test data files use a proprietary binary format. Parsing them in Python required reverse-engineering the file format structure, as the Python SDK was poorly documented and returned inconsistent results for multi-channel exports.
Learned: When automating test data pipelines, invest in robust file parsing with explicit format validation. Data format parsing bugs in test data reduction are insidious — they introduce silent errors in corrected performance numbers that are hard to catch without manual verification.
2023-07
Sea level test cell acceptance run for production engine — executed 8-hour test schedule covering idle, climb, cruise, and T/O power points. Real-time monitoring using LabVIEW dashboard with automated limit checking.
Challenge: During T/O power run, EGT exceeded limit by 12°C — test had to be aborted and the engine de-installed for borescope inspection. Post-test analysis showed a partially blocked cooling air feed that was a manufacturing escapement. Detection in real-time prevented potential hardware damage.
Learned: Real-time limit monitoring during engine testing is safety-critical, not optional. The 50ms scan rate of the LabVIEW monitoring system was fast enough to detect the EGT exceedance before hardware damage occurred — tighter limits and faster scan rates save engines.
2023-02
Instrumentation plan for development engine ground test — specified thermocouple types, locations, and quantities (214 channels) for HPT gas temperature measurement. Coordinated with mechanical team for probe installation into gas path.
Challenge: Thermocouple rake design for the HPT exit plane was constrained by structural integrity requirements — probe stems couldn't exceed 8mm diameter without impacting stage 2 vane loading. Required an iterative design loop between instrumentation and mechanical teams.
Learned: Instrumentation requirements must be defined before mechanical design is frozen. Retrofitting thermocouple probe ports into an already-designed hot section is extremely expensive — agree on instrumentation needs during the PDR phase.