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GP7200-Powered A380 Debuts at the Paris Air Show
LE BOURGET, France, June 18, 2007: The GP7200-powered A380 aircraft will make its public debut at the Paris Air show this week, where it will take to the skies on daily flying displays and continue the A380 tradition of awing crowds and stealing the show. “We are thrilled to see the GP7200-powered A380 at the Paris Air Show,” says Bruce Hughes, president of the Engine Alliance. “The engine has been performing very well, demonstrating that the Engine Alliance partnership has produced an outstanding product.” MSN009, the GP7200-powered A380 flight test aircraft, has been successfully checking off test milestones in preparation for joint U.S. (FAR25) and European (EASA) aircraft certification in December of this year. Having started in August 2006, the flight-test program is nearing completion and has made 135 test flights and accumulated more than 1,600 engine flight hours to date. In-flight performance measurements confirm that the GP7200 is not only the most fuel-efficient engine for the A380 aircraft – burning less engine fuel than required by the Airbus specification –it is also the most fuel-efficient certified wide-body engine in the world. Most recently, in-flight noise certification testing was completed in Morón de la Frontera, Spain. Preliminary review of over 200 flight conditions indicates that the GP7200-powered A380 is on target to meet Stage 4 noise requirements with significant margin, as well as comply with the stringent London Airport QC2 departure and QC.5 arrival noise limits. Upcoming flight tests include a 150-hour functional and reliability route-proving demonstration planned for this fall. And starting in July, the GP7200 will begin 3,000-cycles of service-ready ground endurance testing to further mature the engine and ensure a smooth entry-into-service. The Engine Alliance delivered the first set of four GP7200 production engines to Airbus headquarters in Toulouse, France earlier this month, where they will be installed on the first A380 aircraft for Emirates. In addition to Emirates, the GP7200 engine has been selected by Air France, which recently increased its A380 order from 10 to 12 aircraft, 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. For further information, contact: GE: Rick Kennedy, rick.l.kennedy@ae.ge.com P&W: Matthew Perra, matthew.perra@pw.utc.com . |
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