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Engine Alliance’s Flight Test Program On Track BANGALORE, INDIA – 6 February 2007 - The Engine Alliance’s GP7200 engine, the best-selling engine on the Airbus A380, continues certification flight-testing on the Airbus A380. Since the first flight of the test aircraft, MSN009, on 25 August 2006 the GP7200-powered A380 has achieved several testing milestones. Take-off, climb and cruise performance flight-testing has been completed, as well as high-altitude testing in October in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where the airport is 2,325 meters (7,627 feet) above sea level. Hot weather testing immediately followed in Al Ain in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates with temperatures reaching 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees F). Cold weather testing in temperatures of -31 degrees Celsius (-24 degrees F) was done in January in Iqaliut, Canada. The aircraft will conduct noise testing in Morón de la Frontera, Spain and natural icing flight-testing over the Alps this spring. This summer and autumn will see MSN 009 complete final development and certification testing, to include a 150-hour Function & Reliability demonstration. Airbus and the Engine Alliance will reach a major milestone in December with joint EASA and FAA certification of the GP7200-powered A380. The GP7200 has made 73 flights and garnered 246 flight hours on the A380 to date, while the overall engine test program has run nearly 5,000 hours and more than 13,000 cycles. The EA will conduct Long-range Operations (LROPS) engine testing starting in the summer, continuing its focus on engine reliability, maturity, and maintainability to ensure absolute readiness starting with the first revenue flight. In addition to running its rigorous test program, the Engine Alliance is preparing for GP7200 entry into service next year. The EA’s customer support team will host a split-ship demonstration this summer, highlighting the ease of GP7200 transportability. GE Engine Services’ facility in Wales, the initial site for GP7200 shop maintenance, is finalizing tooling installation, test cell correlation and shop training for certification well before the engine enters service. GP7200 customer training will be performed at Pratt & Whitney’s Customer Training Center in East Hartford, Conn., U.S.A., which will welcome its first GP7200 students in October. The Engine Alliance will deliver the first GP7200 production engines – destined for Emirates 001 -- to Airbus later this year. The GP7200 engine has been selected for 72 of the 138 A380 aircraft ordered with the engines specified. Emirates, Air France, UPS, Korean Airlines and International Lease Finance Corporation have selected the GP7200 engine for their A380 fleets, resulting in firm orders for more than 300 engines valued at approximately $US4 billion. MTU of Germany, Snecma Moteurs of France (part of Safran Group) and Techspace Aero of Belgium are revenue-sharing participants in the GP7000 engine program. The Engine Alliance, a 50/50 joint venture between GE Transportation - Aircraft Engines 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. Visit the Engine Alliance online at www.enginealliance.com.For further information, contact: GE: Rick Kennedy, U.S.: +1-513-243-3372 P&W: Matthew Perra, US: +1-860-565-8938 . |
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