Signal Technician, Author at Engine Alliance

FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW — The first GP7200-powered Airbus A380 will enter service with Emirates on August 1 operating from Dubai (DXB) to New York (JFK). The aircraft, which will be delivered to the Middle East carrier on July 28, is the first of 58 on order from Emirates making them the world’s largest operator of the A380 super jumbo jet. The milestone will mark the first Engine Alliance-powered aircraft to enter revenue service since the partnership was formed in 1996 to design and manufacture the GP7200 engine for the A380.

“We are delighted that the world’s largest A380 fleet will be powered by the GP7200 engine,” Engine Alliance President Jim Moravecek said. “The GP7200 is the most fuel efficient, quietest engine for the A380. We are excited to deliver this value to our customers beginning with this first GP7200-powered aircraft for Emirates.”

The GP7200-powered A380 received type certifications from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in December 2007. In addition to Emirates, the Engine Alliance GP7200 has been selected to power A380 aircraft for Air France, Korean Airlines, and the International Lease Finance Company. The Engine Alliance is currently in active sales campaigns around the world with potential customers. The Engine Alliance has been working closely with Emirates and Airbus to ensure a smooth entry into service for the first GP7200-power aircraft.

“This delivery marks an important milestone for Emirates, Airbus, and the Engine Alliance,” said Ed Bendernagel, director, Product Support for the Engine Alliance. “This represents the culmination of years of planning and preparation by all three companies and we are ready. We’re excited to begin the operational phase of the GP7200 program and we’re ready to provide world class support to Emirates and our other customers.”

The GP7200 is derived from two successful wide-body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. The engine benefits from the two programs’ latest proven technologies and incorporates lessons learned from more than 18.8 million flight hours of safe operation on both engines. The GP7200 will ensure the A380 meets stringent Stage 4 noise regulations and London’s QC2 departure noise rules. The engine’s environmental emissions are well below current and anticipated regulations.

The GP7200 is manufactured at GE and Pratt & Whitney, with GE assembling the core in Durham, NC, and P&W manufacturing the fan module, low pressure compressor and low pressure turbine. Final engine assembly is conducted at P&W’s Engine Center in Middletown, CT.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric Aviation (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

TOULOUSE, France — The Engine Alliance GP7200-powered Airbus A380 received type certifications from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today. The joint certification follows 16 months of flight testing and paves the way for entry into service with Emirates next year.

During the Airbus flight test program, the GP7200 engine achieved or exceeded all test objectives. The GP7200 is the most extensively tested engine designed specifically for large commercial aircraft, having accumulated 240 flights and 2,855 engine flight hours. In addition to flight testing, the GP7200 engine has amassed more than 5,250 hours and 17,770 cycles of endurance ground testing. Continued ground testing will ensure mature engine reliability from its first revenue flight.

“The GP7200-powered A380 has been performing extremely well throughout the development and certification program,” said Mario Heinen, Airbus Executive Vice President. “The aircraft is consistently meeting and often exceeding its design targets.”

“This certification is a major milestone for our engine and is a great achievement for our team,” said Bruce Hughes, president of the Engine Alliance. “The engine has proven itself to be a fantastic power plant for the A380, and we look forward to a successful entry into service with Emirates.”

The GP7200 had captured firm orders for 50% of all A380s on order including Emirates, which will be the world’s largest fleet of A380s.

The GP7200 is manufactured at GE and Pratt & Whitney, with GE assembling the core in Durham, N.C., and P&W manufacturing the fan module, low pressure compressor and low pressure turbine. Final engine assembly is conducted at Pratt & Whitney’s Engine Center in Middletown, Conn.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric Aviation (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

DUBAI — Emirates has signed a Fleet Management Agreement with the Engine Alliance for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of its GP7200 engines that will power its Airbus A380 fleet. The Fleet Management Agreement is valued at $3 billion (USD) over the life of the contract.

“As the largest customer of the GP7200 engines, Emirates is an important customer for the Engine Alliance and we look forward to working together with them to fulfill their service needs,” said Bruce Hughes, president of the Engine Alliance.

Emirates has ordered more than 240 GP7200 engines to power its 55 A380 aircraft and will operate the largest A380 fleet of any airline. Deliveries for the A380 aircraft to Emirates will begin in the third quarter 2008.

The Engine Alliance will manage aftermarket services for the GP7200 engine and utilize the MRO capabilities of its parent companies, General Electric Company and Pratt & Whitney, as well as other MRO facilities in its support network.

The GP7200-powered A380 flight test program is nearing completion in preparation for joint U.S. (FAR25) and European (EASA) aircraft certification in December. The engines have performed flawlessly and have met or bettered all critical targets for performance, durability, noise and emissions. In-flight performance measurements confirm the GP7200 engine is the most fuel-efficient engine for the A380 aircraft – burning less engine fuel than required by the Airbus specification-and is also the most fuel-efficient certified wide-body engine in the world.

The GP7200 is derived from two successful wide-body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. It benefits from the two programs’ latest, proven technologies and the lessons learned from more than 18 million flight hours of safe operation. Certified at 76,500 pounds (340 kN) of thrust, the engine has the capability to produce more than 81,500 pounds (363 kN) of thrust. The GP7200 will ensure the A380 meets stringent Stage 4 noise regulations and QC2 departure noise rules, and its emissions are well below current and anticipated regulations.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

DUBAI — Emirates has selected the GP7200 engine to power its 12 additional Airbus A380 aircraft. The engine order is valued at $800 million (USD) list price.

“Emirates is the launch customer for the GP7200 and we are pleased that they have selected the Engine Alliance to supply the powerplant for its additional A380 aircraft,” said Bruce Hughes, president of the Engine Alliance. “Our product support team has been working with Emirates to ensure a smooth entry into service when it takes delivery of its first GP7200-powered A380 aircraft next year.”

Emirates has ordered a total of 55 GP7200-powered A380 aircraft and will have the largest A380 fleet for any airline. Deliveries for the A380 aircraft to Emirates will begin in the third quarter 2008.

The GP7200 engine is one of the most thoroughly tested engines ever developed specifically for a four-engine commercial aircraft. The Engine Alliance subjected the GP7200 engine to 7,000 endurance cycles as part of the certification test program. Post-certification engine testing has continued in an effort to uncover and remedy any hardware durability or reliability issues well before the A380 enters service in 2008. Development engine serial number 550-007 recently completed 3,005 endurance cycles as part of a propulsion system maturity demonstration. This engine is identical to the current production engine configuration. Another 1,000 Service Ready Endurance cycles are planned on test engine followed by a complete engine teardown and detailed hardware inspection. To date, the GP7200 test program has amassed more than 16,500 engine endurance cycles and more than 5,000 hours of ground testing, surpassing the goal of 15,000 endurance cycles prior to entry into service.

The GP7200 is derived from two successful wide-body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. It benefits from the two programs’ latest, proven technologies and the lessons learned from more than 18.8 million flight hours of safe operation. Certified at 76,500 pounds (340 kN) of thrust, the engine has the capability to produce more than 81,500 pounds (363 kN) of thrust. The GP7200 will ensure the A380 meets stringent Stage 4 noise regulations and QC2 departure noise rules, and its emissions are well below current and anticipated regulations.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

LE BOURGET, France — Earlier this month, the Engine Alliance delivered the first set of four GP7200 production engines to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France, where they will be installed on the first A380 aircraft for Emirates.

The GP7200, the most fuel-efficient engine, for the A380, has completed the majority of the A380 flight test requirements and recently concluded noise certification testing in Moron de la Frontera, Spain.

The GP7200-powered A380 is on track to receive Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) airworthiness certifications in December.

In addition to Emirates, the GP7200 engine has been selected by Air France, Korean Airlines and International Lease Finance Corporation to power their A380’s.

The Engine Alliance, a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney, was formed in May 1996 to develop, manufacture, sell, and support a family of modern-technology engines for new high-capacity, long-range aircraft.

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. — The Engine Alliance has successfully achieved European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS-E (Certification Standard-Engine) certification for the GP7200, the Engine Alliance powerplant for the Airbus A380. The GP7200 is the first large commercial engine to certify according to the full EASA validation requirements. This follows U.S.Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness certification granted to the GP7200 in December 2005.

“The GP7200 has been performing extremely well throughout the development and certification program, meeting both new FAA and EASA requirements as well as Airbus’ demanding requirements for maturity at entry into service,” said Bruce Hughes, President of the Engine Alliance.

The GP7200-powered A380 flight-test program has achieved more than half of its test objectives and accumulated 111 flights and 1,348 engine flight hours to date. The aircraft successfully completed natural icing tests earlier this month and will next conduct noise testing in Spain. Joint EASA and FAA aircraft certification is expected by yearend.

In addition to flight-testing, GP7200 factory engine endurance ground testing has amassed 4,349 hours and more than 13,000 cycles. The EA will launch a service readiness endurance test program this summer designed to accumulate an additional 3,000 cycles of maturity prior to entry into service.

The GP7200 engine has been selected to power the A380s ordered by Emirates, Air France, Korean Airlines and International Lease Finance Corporation. The first GP7200-powered A380 will enter service with Emirates in 2008.

The Engine Alliance, a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aviation and Pratt & Whitney, was formed in 1996 to develop, manufacture, sell, and support a family of modern-technology engines for new high-capacity, long-range aircraft.

TOULOUSE, France –The GP7200-powered Airbus A380 flight test aircraft recently returned to Toulouse after completing high altitude and hot weather testing in Africa and the Middle East.

MSN009 landed October 16 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the airport is 7,627 feet (2,325 meters) above sea level. The aircraft performed five test flights to evaluate engine performance at high altitude conditions, including engine takeoff performance characteristics, ground starting and transient operations.

Following the successful test series in Ethiopia, MSN009 traveled to Al Ain in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In temperatures reaching 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees F), the GP7200 engines ran at up to 82,000 pounds of thrust in powering eight test flights to gather data under elevated ambient temperature conditions.

“We continue to be very pleased with the GP7200’s in-flight performance,” said Bruce Hughes, president of the Engine Alliance. “The engine’s fuel burn performance continues to track at or better than our specification to Airbus, and all other parameters are performing just as we expected, even in the punishing high and hot conditions of Addis Ababa and Al Ain.”

The GP7200 flight test program has now completed 31 flights and over 110 hours of total testing on the A380. Since the first GP7200 engine went to test in early 2004 the program has accumulated nearly 13,000 cycles and more than 4,400 test hours, with additional maturation testing to continue through 2008. The next set of flight certification tests will include cold weather testing in January 2007.

The GP7200 is derived from two successful wide-body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. It benefits from the two programs’ latest, proven technologies and the lessons learned from more than 13 million flight hours of safe operation. Certified at 76,500 pounds (340 kN) of thrust, the engine has the capability to produce more than 81,500 pounds (363 kN) of thrust for the A380. The GP7200 will ensure the A380 meets stringent Stage 4 noise regulations and QC2 departure noise rules, and its emissions are well below current and anticipated regulations.

The GP7200 engine has been selected for 82 of the 140 A380 aircraft ordered where engines have been specified, for a 59% share of A380 engine orders. Air France, Emirates, FedEx, International Lease Finance Corporation, Korean Air and UPS have selected the GP7200 engine for their A380 fleets, resulting in firm orders for 360 engines valued at more than $5 billion.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

TOULOUSE, France–The GP7200-powered Airbus A380 completed its first flight today, beginning the ten-month flight-testing program that will lead to certification of the aircraft-engine combination by the European and U.S. airworthiness authorities in 2007.

The flight took place at Blagnac International Airport, adjacent to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse.

“We are thrilled to see the GP7200 take to the skies on the A380,” said Bruce Hughes, president of the Engine Alliance. “Today’s flight is a culmination of more than three years of intense efforts by the Engine Alliance team. We look forward to a successful flight-test program and our first aircraft delivery to Emirates next year.”

Claude Lelaie Senior Vice President of Airbus’ Flight Division and Vice President confirmed, “The aircraft once again handled as expected and the GP7200 engines performed very well. There’s still many tests and optimization ahead, but I expect the new Engine Alliance engines to be a success”, Lelaie said.

Today’s flight follows an extensive ground-testing program, in which the test engines accumulated 7,000 cycles prior to receiving airworthiness certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in December 2005.

“The performance of the GP7200 engines in testing has been outstanding,” said Hughes. “The engines are outperforming Airbus’ specifications for fuel consumption and are demonstrating excellent durability.”

To help ensure high engine reliability at entry into service, the Engine Alliance continues maturation testing on the GP7200. To date, test engines have accumulated nearly 13,000 cycles and more than 4,000 test hours, with additional maturation testing to continue through 2008. The first GP7200-powered A380 aircraft will be delivered to Emirates next year, and delivery of the first production engines will begin later this year. The Engine Alliance is already working with Emirates to ensure a smooth entry into service.

The GP7200 is derived from two successful wide-body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. It benefits from the two programs’ latest, proven technologies and the lessons learned from more than 13 million flight hours of safe operation. Certified at 76,500 pounds (340 kN) of thrust, the engine has the capability to produce more than 81,500 pounds (363 kN) of thrust. The GP7200 will ensure the A380 meets stringent Stage 4 noise regulations and QC2 departure noise rules, and its emissions are well below current and anticipated regulations.

The GP7200 engine has been selected for 82 of the 140 A380 aircraft ordered where engines have been specified for a 59% share of the A380 engine market. Air France, Emirates, FedEx, International Lease Finance Corporation, Korean Air and UPS have selected the GP7200 engine for their A380 fleets, resulting in firm orders for 360 engines valued at more than $5 billion.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

The UPS engine selection follows its 10 firm Airbus A380 aircraft orders. UPS also has options on 10 additional A380 aircraft. The value of the order was not disclosed. Aircraft deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2009.

“UPS demands the best,” said Bruce Hughes, president of the Engine Alliance. “We’re delighted the GP7200 is powering the UPS fleet and look forward to working with UPS to ensure a smooth entry into service.”

“The GP7200-powered A380s will play a critical role in our air network for years to come,” said Bob Lekites, Vice President of Airline Operations at UPS. “We’re counting on our GP7200-powered A380s to help UPS provide world class service to our global customers.”

The GP7200 is derived from two of the most successful wide-body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. It incorporates the latest proven technologies and its customers benefit from more than 13 million hours of safe operation. Certified at 76,500 pounds of thrust, the engine has the capability to produce more than 81,500 pounds of thrust.

The GP7200 engine has been selected for 59 percent of the A380 aircraft ordered with the engines specified and is the engine of choice among all A380 freighter operators. In addition to UPS, Air France, Emirates, FedEx, International Lease Finance Corporation and Korean Air have selected the GP7200 engine for their A380 fleets, resulting in firm orders for more than 360 engines valued at nearly $5 billion.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

FARNBOROUGH — Four GP7200 engines are installed on an A380 flight-test aircraft at Airbus in Toulouse, France, for the engines’ first flight scheduled for later this summer.

“The GP7200 engines performed remarkably well during the certification program,” said Bruce Hughes, president of the Engine Alliance. “We look forward to demonstrating the engines’ capabilities in the upcoming A380 flight-test program.”

The GP7200 engine received airworthiness certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in December 2005. During the testing program, the engine accumulated 7,000 test cycles.

Further maturation testing on the GP7200 is under way. A total of four engines will be used to accumulate an additional 18,000 cycles by 2008 and will operate in conditions more severe than anticipated in service. The fleet leader engine will accumulate at least 10,000 endurance cycles, or the equivalent of 25 years of airline operation, also by the end of 2008.

“Mature engine reliability at entry into service is important to the Engine Alliance and our customers,” said Hughes. “The GP7200 test engines are undergoing rigorous post-certification endurance testing as part of a comprehensive service readiness program to identify and immediately address any issues before they affect the operator.”

The first maturation-test engine recently completed 3,000 endurance cycles with successful results. Testing began last month on a second test engine, which will run for an additional 3,000 cycles. Later this fall, the Engine Alliance will begin testing a third engine as part of the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) Long-Range Operation (LROPS) testing.

The GP7200 is derived from two successful wide-body engine programs, the GE90 and the PW4000. It benefits from the two programs’ latest, proven technologies and the lessons learned from more than 13 million flight hours of safe operation. Certified at 76,500 pounds (340 kN) of thrust, the engine has the capability to produce more than 81,500 pounds (363 kN) of thrust. The GP7200 will ensure the A380 meets stringent Stage 4 noise regulations and QC2 departure noise rules, and its emissions are well below current and anticipated regulations.

The GP7200 engine has been selected for 72 of the 130 A380 aircraft ordered with the engines specified for a 55% share of the A380 engine market. Air France, Emirates, FedEx, International Lease Finance Corporation and Korean Air have selected the GP7200 engine for their A380 fleets, resulting in firm orders for 320 engines valued at more than $4 billion.

The Engine Alliance is a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).