Propelled to the top GE Aviation Czech

PRoPELLED To ThE ToP

GE Aviation Czech designs, develops, manufactures and services the GE H-Series engines. It is the turboprop division of GE Aviation, a world-leading provider of aircraft engines and related components and systems. Two years ago, a decision was taken to build GE’s new advanced turboprop (ATP) engine family at a new facility in Prague, with a view to introducing the engine in two years. The mission has now been accomplished, as Romana Moares reports.

The end of 2017 was a busy time for GE Aviation Czech, finishing preparations for the launch of the first prototype of the Advanced TurboProp (ATP) engine. The development of the engine began in November 2015 with GE Aviation’s commitment to the client, Textron Aviation, to launch the prototype within a tough deadline – by the end of 2017. And the task was accomplished on schedule. GE Aviation’s Advanced Turboprop engine, the first clean-sheet turboprop engine to hit the Business and General Aviation (BGA) market in more than 30 years, successfully completed its first engine test run at GE Aviation’s facility in Prague shortly before Christmas last year.

“Running the Advanced Turboprop engine in 2017 was our biggest and most important goal,” said Brad Mottier, vice-president and general manager of GE Aviation’s BGA and Integrated Systems organisation. “This milestone comes as a result of two years of tremendous effort by a worldwide team. We’re developing a real catalyst for the BGA market and we’re executing on plan. The integration of proven technologies has expedited the design, development and certification cycle of the engine.”

Best in its class

The Advanced Turboprop engine will begin certification testing in 2018. With 79 new technologies introduced, the engine offers a portfolio of advanced technology, as well as unparalleled performance and efficiency. It features an industry-best 16:1 overall pressure ratio, enabling it to achieve as much as 20 per cent lower fuel burn and 10 per cent higher cruise power compared to competitor offerings in the same size class. At 4000 hours, it offers 33 per cent more time between overhaul than its leading competitor.

“The continued testing will generate valuable data from the engine and validate the aerodynamics, mechanics, and aerothermal systems,” said Paul Corkery, general manager for GE Aviation Turboprops. “With the engine run and most of the individual component testing completed, early indications show that we will meet or exceed all the performance numbers we have quoted for the engine.”

The Advanced Turboprop engine includes more printed components than any production engine in aviation history, with 35 per cent of the turboprop’s parts built via additive manufacturing. A total of 855 conventionally manufactured parts has been reduced to 12 additive parts, including sumps, bearing housings, frames, exhaust case, combustor liner, heat exchangers and stationary flow path components. Additive components reduce the ATP’s weight by 5 per cent while contributing a 1 per cent improvement in specific fuel consumption.

At the cutting edge

GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet, turboprop and turbo shaft engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings.

It is exactly 10 years ago that GE Aviation entered the Czech market. In 2008, the company acquired certain assets of Walter, the well-established Czech aviation company. Soon after, the GE H80 was launched, a new turboprop derivative engine – based on the former Walter M601 engine – designed for the transportation, utilities, agriculture and retrofit aircraft segments.

The GE H80 was the first in the H Series. It was followed by the H75 and H85. GE turboprop engines enable aircraft to handle anything from unpaved landing strips in Africa and Latin America to permafrost in Siberia. Today, more than 1600 L410 aircraft are flying throughout the world. The GE H Series engines have received nine certifications and are in operation on six continents, with nine announced applications.

GE turboprop engines power over 30 different types of aircraft, carrying passengers and cargo across six continents. Built for durability and efficiency to withstand a wide range of climate conditions, GE turboprops result in thousands of flight hours with minimal maintenance.

New heights driven by new talent

Cutting edge development remains the focus of GE Aviation Czech. In February 2018, the company announced a new, collaborative agreement between GE Aviation and the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT). The agreement between GE and ČVUT will support the Czech aviation industry and further US-Czech business and educational ties. In addition to new research activities, ČVUT students will benefit from significant internship and training opportunities.

Since GE’s 2016 announcement of its plans to assemble the ATP engine in Prague, the number of undergraduate students enrolled to study aircraft engine construction at CVUT jumped from one to 15. The interest was so intense that last year the school gave two GE engineers offices at the university. They set up shop at the school with the sole purpose of tutoring students and helping with research.

To provide access to a steady supply of fresh data, GE will also help CVUT set up four test chambers to study turboprop engines on the ground, plus a ‘flying test bed’, a King Air aircraft modified to test engines and gather data in flight. The partnership will also focus on engine design and advanced manufacturing techniques like 3D printing, which GE has been using to produce parts for jet engines, gas turbines, medical scanners and other machines. “This level of partnership and sharing of know-how is absolutely unprecedented,” said Šlapák, who serves as the ATP manager for GE Aviation in Prague.

GE benefits, too, Šlapák affirmed. GE has hired 285 new employees since the launch of the ATP programme in early 2016 and plans to hire 80 more this year. “We need to develop the talent and ecosystem, and this partnership is a great way to do it.” n