Inflatable isolators are integrated into an aircraft jacking system.

The Starr Soft Support isolation system incorporates an automatically reconfigurable aircraft jack into NASA’s existing 1-Hertz isolators. This enables an aircraft to float in mid-air without the need for a critical lift during ground vibration testing (GVT), significantly reducing testing risk, time, and costs. Currently incorporating the most advanced technology available, the 60,000-pound-capacity (27-metric-ton) isolation system is used for weight and measurement tests, control-surface free-play tests, and structural mode interaction tests without the need for any major reconfiguration, often saving days of time and significantly reducing labor costs.