LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS - Flight testing leading to certification of GE's advanced-technology CT7-8 turboshaft engine on Sikorsky's new S-92 helicopter continues on schedule at the Sikorsky Flight Test Center at West Palm Beach, Florida.
To date, more than 40 hours of shakedown testing has been completed, and engine operation has exceeded all expectations. In addition, checkout of the full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) system has been accomplished within one-fourth the allotted time.
Beginning with the maiden flight of the CT7-8-powered S-92 last October, there have been no engine removals, engine-caused delays, or in-flight shutdowns. Engine responsiveness to the FADEC has been crisp, with low rotor droop and low torque overshoot during recoveries from auto-rotation. In addition, the load sharing between the two installed engines has been so precise that the torque traces of the two engines appear as a single line.
"GE's extensive experience with Sikorsky on several models of the Black Hawk, plus the derivative approach in the design of the engine, have been decisive factors in the seamless introduction of the CT7-8 on the S-92," said Ed Birtwell, general manager of the Turboshaft/Turboprop Department of GE Aircraft Engines.
Developed jointly by GE and FiatAvio of Italy and rated at more than 2,500 shaft horsepower, the CT7-8 is the newest and most powerful member of GE's CT7/T700 family of turboshaft and turboprop engines, which power 24 models of military and civil helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for 130 customers throughout the world. Advanced features that distinguish the CT7-8 include: an increased-airflow compressor designed with 3-D aerodynamics and technology developed through the U.S. Army's Joint Turbine Advanced Gas Generator (JTAGG) program; a dual-channel FADEC system; and a high-pressure turbine and low-pressure turbine adapted from GE's proven CT7-9 turboprop engine.