MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO - GE's CT7-8 engine has successfully completed the medium-bird (1.5-pound bird) ingestion testing required by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for engine certification. Following the bird ingestion testing, the engine was operated for more than an hour.
Certification testing previously completed includes ingestion of ice slabs, hailstones, and water. Final FAA certification is targeted for 2001.
As authorized by the FAA, the testing was conducted at the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa, Ontario, at times under the auspices of the Canadian Transport Authority.
The CT7-8, which features a full authority digital electronic control (FADEC) system and advanced-technology turbomachinery, is the sole powerplant being certified for the twin-engine Sikorsky S-92 Helibus.
Last year, another T700 derivative, the T700/T6A1, was selected to power the Cormorant, Canada's new Search and Rescue Helicopter. The T700/T6A1 engine program is being managed by GE Canada in Mississauga, Ontario, and the engine is being assembled and tested by ACRO Aerospace of Vancouver, British Columbia.
T700/CT7 military/civil turboshaft and turboprop engines are the most widely used engines in their class, with more than 11,200 produced to power 24 models of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for 130 customers in 55 countries throughout the world. The engines have demonstrated exceptional reliability in a variety of environments, including three million flight hours in maritime service with the United States Navy.
Engines produced by GE and by CFM International, the 50/50 joint company of Snecma of France and General Electric Company, power more than 60 percent of the Department of National Defense (DND) aircraft fleet and a majority of the commercial airline fleets in Canada.
GE Canada employs more than 9,500 at 12 major manufacturing plants and 150 service locations. The GE facility at Bromont, Quebec, has been producing gas turbine airfoils for commercial operators worldwide for nearly 15 years and is a world leader in the production of aircraft engine components.