Aviation Eye-Candy: The Sights Behind the Signings

There is so much aviation eye-candy at the Paris Air Show it’s hard to take it all in, from technology and flying displays to exhibits and static showcases.

Every other year, the Paris Air Show becomes the largest air show and aerospace-industry exhibition in the world measured by exhibitors and exhibit space size. And with GE Aviation and CFM wrapping the show with a record $55 billion in new deals,  it was a show for the record books.

But if you don’t stop and admire the scenery every once in a while, you might miss some of the most spectacular sights in aviation. Here are a few our favorites sights from the 2019 Paris Air Show.

This Apache AH-64 chopper is using a pair of GE T700 engines. In February, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded GE a $517 million contract to manufacture next-generation T901 engines for thousands of Apaches as well as Black Hawk helicopters.

 

The Bell 525 Relentless is a clean-sheet-design helicopter that can accommodate up to 20 passengers and be used for various missions from VIP access to Search & Rescue operations. It is surprisingly fast, cruising at 186 mph (162 knots) for rapid response.

 

The Bell 525 Relentless cockpit features state-of-the-art technologies, including an advanced touchscreen for pilots and a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) that drastically reduces pilot workload. The Bell 525 Relentless is powered by two of GE’s newly-certified CT7-2F1 engines.

 

Japan’s Kawasaki C-2 transport plane uses GE’s CF6 engines. Launched in 1971, it’s one of the most common jet engines in the world today, powering all makes of planes, from Boeing 747 jumbo jets — including Air Force One — to Airbus long-haul jets and Beluga cargo lifters.

 

Amazon made headlines at the show when it announced an agreement to lease 15 Boeing 737 converted into freighters from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).

 

Starting with their eye-catching shapes, propellers are one of the most fascinating aviation products. Dowty Propellers is a world-leading business for aircraft propeller systems, for both civil and military applications. 

 

Bora Bora, anymore? This Air Tahiti 787-9 Dreamliner is powered by two GEnx engines. With more than 2,500 GEnx engines sold since its launch 15 years ago, the GEnx is the fastest selling high-thrust GE engine in history.

 

With the most advanced technologies and materials, the GEnx has the highest reliability and utilization, lowest fuel burn and longest range capable of any engine available on the 787 aircraft.

 

The HondaJet entered production in 2015 and within three years it became the fastest selling light jet on the market. Powered by two GE Honda HF120 turbofan engines that each produce 2,050 pounds of thrust, the HondaJet features a simplified cockpit with push-button start and seating for six including the pilot. It’s most unique feature is how the engines are mounted on over-wing pylons – a design incorporated to reduce cabin noise.

 

France-based La Compagnie flies regular direct routes between Orly and Newark and Nice and Newark. This A321neo is a single-aisle jet powered by a pair of CFM LEAP-1A engines.

 

A close-up look at a CFM LEAP engine. The LEAP engine is the highest-selling commercial jet engine ever, now exceeding 18,750 orders to date after the show, powering Airbus, Boeing and COMAC narrowbody aircraft. But this photo contains two GE engines. Can you name the engine in the background?

 

Bombardier’s Global 7500 luxury business jet uses two GE Passport jet engines. In March, a Global 7500 jet scored a set of records for the longest mission ever flown by a purpose-built business jet and for speed over the longest range (that milestone is still awaiting validation by the National Aeronautic Association).

 

Amazon has announced an agreement to lease 15 Boeing 737 converted into freighters from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). “These new aircraft create additional capacity for Amazon Air, building on the investment in our Prime Free One-Day program,” said Dave Clark, senior vice president of worldwide operations at Amazon.

 

The cockpit inside the Prime Air Boeing 737. Amazon Air said by 2021 it will have a portfolio of 70 aircraft flying in its dedicated air network.

 

Like the Bell helicopter, the SAAB 340 also features CT7 engines, only in turboprop configuration. GE's T700/CT7 family of turboprop and turboshaft engines powers 25 types of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft with more than 130 customers in more than 50 countries.

 

GE unveiled the GE9X at its “chalet” at the beginning of the show. “The technologies I’ve worked on are out of this world,” says Ted Ingling, GE Aviation’s general manager for the GE9X engine program. Image credit: Tomas Kellner for GE Reports

 

Next week, the Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) AirVenture event in Oshkosh, WI, will grab the spotlight. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for real-time updates from Oshkosh, WI.

All images by Alex Schroff, GE Aviation, unless otherwise credited.