Scott takes the high road with record output

By Geoff Thomas

As an electrical and computer engineer by training, it’s scarcely surprising that GE Aviation’s president and CEO Scott Donnelly is hugely enthusiastic about his company’s current and future activities.

In July this year, Donnelly will have been in his present position for two years and it has been an eventful baptism of fire for the graduate of the university of Colorado in Boulder.

Donnelly has spent the previous few months concentrating on GE’s $4.8-billion acquisition of Smiths Aerospace, the UK-based supplier of integrated systems for aircraft manufacturers and components for engine builders, which was completed last month.

Expansion

He said: “Smiths Aerospace is a natural expansion of our aviation business. Both have a strong commitment to technology and innovative products and services, and we have a similar customer base. The acquisition brings additional technology growth platforms to GE Aviation and allow us further to help our customers meet their needs."
The acquisition completion coincides with record engine production levels at GE Aviation and it’s this that Donnelly is now concentrating on. Over the next three years, GE Aviation's engine production rates will increase by more than 65 percent due largely to the expanding orders for the GEnx, GE90 and CFM56 engines.

With more than 860 orders, the GEnx is the fastest-selling large commercial engine in GE history. GE90 production levels are doubling, based on its success powering Boeing 777-300ER and -200LR aircraft while the CFM56, produced by CFM International (a 50/50 joint company between General Electric Company and Snecma) is the best-selling engine in commercial aviation powering today’s narrowbody aircraft

The GEnx engine for the Boeing 787 is now well into its flight test programme, mounted on GE’s Boeing 747 flying testbed aircraft. So far, it has accumulated more than 30 flights totalling 200 hours and everything appears to be in-line with targets and ‘on trace’ for certification late this year.

Asked about the engine’s possible appearance on the Airbus A350 programme, Donnelly said that a GEnx derivative – higher in thrust than the current engine powering Boeing’s 787 and 747-8 aircraft – was being considered.

“GE is talking to Airbus about powering the A350-800 and A350-900 aircraft – but not A350-1000.  We have a design team living at Airbus, so I sure hope we can reach the necessary financial terms to make this happen!  Airbus definitely wants GE on the aircraft.”

As to whether GE is going to get involved in the crowded 10,000lbs-thrust arena – joining Snecma, Honeywell, P&WC and Rolls-Royce – to produce a new range of engines for super-mid-size business jets and 40/60-seat regional jets, Donnelly was unequivocal. 

“There are likely to be two or three cores in the family but the timeline is up to the airframers with most envisioning the five to 10 year period for initial entry into service.”
GE has made a huge investment in composite technology, combustion, 3D aero, and advanced materials and all these developments – and more – would likely appear in any new engine family.

Donnelly says that GE won’t be working with Honda on this potential new family of engines, although he did say that the JV partners on the 2,000lb-thrust HF120 engine are looking at the engine as a possible candidate for future turboshaft and turboprop developments. 

Identical

The engine is scheduled to have its first runs next month and GE Honda intend to make seven identical production specification engines next year, post-design freeze which will happen after the first runs in the test cell.

GE’s involvement in the single-aisle airliner market is, of course, with the hugely successful CFM-56 produced through a JV with Snecma.  But what happens when the airframers – presumably Boeing and Airbus – decide to replace the B737 and A320 families with something entirely new?

Donnelly says he believes that Airbus and Boeing will need a 15% improvement in direct operating costs (DOC) to pursue a new narrow-body. Most of that would come from the engines and he says that the engine makers all have a lot of work to do to get there.  “Reaching those improvements is what will drive the timing.” 

CFM is looking at a conventional architecture engine, but with a huge amount of new technology (new materials, composite fan case and blades, new combustor, etc.,) and also the exotic un-ducted fan (UDF) architecture.

But Donnelly says that it's important to note that the new technology in the engine with conventional architecture would have to be mastered before looking at the more exotic designs and he doesn’t expect a ‘new engine’ to be in service before 2016/2018.

He says: “The conventional architecture engine will be vastly different from the current CFM56 and although it will be a CFM, it certainly won’t be called
A –8! It will be a new machine.  Imagine an engine that size with composite blades and fan case.”

Source: Flight Daily News