B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 Day 1 - (Page 118) N B A A 2 0 07 ON THE RECORD— Bill Dwyer, President, GE Honda Aero Engines GE Honda Looks Beyond HondaJet service in 2010. The GE Honda turbofan engine is fast Honda Aero recently becoming reality, and it promises to announced plans to build a spread quickly beyond its main appli$27 million engine production cation, the HondaJet. facility in Burlington, North “We are discussing with a handful of Carolina, that will begin deliverpeople how to make their airplanes beting HF120s in 2010. This will ter,” says Bill Dwyer, president of GE follow initial production from Honda Aero Engines. “But we cannot 2009 at GE’s Lynn, Massachusetts, talk about their four existing concepts.” plant, with capacity of 140 engines There are already more a year early in the program. than 200 of the 2,095 Burlington will become the sole pounds thrust HF120 plant after it wins FAA production engines on order for the Full engine testing has begun on HF120s for HondaJet. certification, with capacity of 1,000 eight-seat, 1,180 nmi to validate significant design en- engines a year. If demand exceeds that, Lynn will HondaJet, and it has been hancem e n t s t o t h e e n g i n e b e f o r e come back on stream as well. selected for the 10-seat, —John Morris f u l l certification testing begins in 2,200 nmi Spectrum 40 2008. Hardware is currently being Freedom midsized busireleased for the seven HF120 engines ness aircraft. The retrofit in the certification program. market is also a possibility, GE Honda’s Bill Dwyer. “This is an exciting, intense period Dwyer said. GE Honda has agreed to pursue engines between 1,000 and in the development program,” said Dwyer. president of GE Honda Aero Engines. “We 3,500 pounds thrust. But the big news at GE Honda is that the first are validating our latest design enhancements full engine began testing early this month at through as much core- and full-engine testing Honda’s Aircraft Engine R&D Center in Japan, as possible before the first certification engines are assembled and tested.” HF120 certificaquickly demonstrating maximum thrust levels. An aggressive test schedule this year is planned tion is targeted for 2009, with entry into A Small Engine with Big Technologies GE Honda Taps Parents’ Expertise “With four children of my own, believe me I know what it’s like to take advantage of a parent,” says GE Honda president Bill Dwyer. And that’s what his company is unashamedly doing with its own parents, GE Aviation and Honda Motor Co., to build a low cost, best-in-class, rugged, lightweight and economic engine designed for high reliability in high utilization service such as air taxi operations. From GE comes the latest technology in aerodynamics and metallurgy plus, says Dwyer, experience from the “humbling things” that happen in a worldwide fleet of engines that’s approaching 800 million hours in service. The HF120 will be so tested when it enters service (4,000 hours in a demonstration program and 10,000 cycles before the first delivery) that it virtually meets the rigorous standards for ETOPS (extended twin engine operations). GE also brings its certification knowledge, and a worldwide product support organization. Honda is providing the experience of manufacturing 20 million engines a year, extensive R&D capabilities on small engines, and its expertise at rapid prototyping that has enabled numerous configuration changes in optimizing the HF120. “You have a partnership here between the world’s leading aero engine company, and the world’s leading engine company,” said Dwyer. “Culturally our two organizations fit together extremely well: we are both innovation-based companies. We are both technology companies. And we are both very focused on quality.” HF120 has forward-swept, wide-chord fan. GE Honda plans 10,000 HF120 test cycles. HF120 technologies include: • Fan: A wide chord, compound-swept front fan and two-stage booster. The front fan and booster are GE. Honda blisk designs with the latest 3D aerodynamic design, the same technology used to design GE’s GEnx engines for the Boeing 787 and Honda’s Formula One motor racing experience for lower weight and efficiency. • Compressor: Features a high temperature, titanium impellor developed by Honda over the past 20 years for maximum engine pressure ratio and stall-free performance. • Turbine: For durability, advanced materials are being used, including single-crystal highpressure (HP) turbine blade materials from the GEnx engine. A counter-rotating HP and LP spool shaft system provides further reduction in weight. • A goal to enter service with a 5,000 hours TBO and no interim hot section inspections. 118 September 25, 2007 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews
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