GENEVA, Switzerland – Wingglider Ltd., Europe’s largest skydiving company, selected GE Aviation’s H75 turboprop to retrofit its M601-D2-powered Dornier Do 28 fleet utilized for parachuting and skydiving excursions in the United Kingdom, Spain and Portugal.
“The selection of our GE H75 engines to support the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) conversions of the Do 28 aircraft will bring improved performance and life cycle costs to Wingglider’s parachuting and skydiving operations,” says Norman Baker, President & Managing Executive of GE Aviation Czech. “In addition to Wingglider’s fleet upgrade, we’ve identified about 50 other Do 28 conversion candidates where the H Series would make sense both operationally and economically.”
The Dornier Do 28 is a twin-engine aircraft featuring excellent low-speed handling characteristics, as well as very short takeoff and landing performance. The aircraft is ideal for use on unpaved airfields, which are commonly employed for parachuting operations. The Do 28 aircraft was originally powered by two Lycoming piston engines. Dornier Do 28 D Skyservant, part of the original Wingglider fleet, upgraded its Lycoming engines with two M601-D2 engines in 1997 – those M601 engines will now be upgraded to the GE H75 turboprop.
“The GE-powered Dornier Do 28 is a reliable companion when taking skydivers up in the air,” says James Swallow, CEO at Wingglider, Ltd. “It has enough room to comfortably fit 15 parachutists inside. For obvious reasons, the big door is also very convenient. The aircraft is stable. It has a good center of gravity for 15 skydivers even if they are at just one part of the aircraft. For our operation, we need rugged and economical engines with easy maintenance, which is why we chose the GE H75.”
The elegant, robust design of the M601-D2 engine was combined with GE's 3-D aerodynamic design techniques and advanced materials to create a more powerful, fuel-efficient and durable turboprop called the H Series engine, which entered service in 2012.
The GE H Series engine provides significant improvements in aircraft performance and maintenance simplicity to deliver rugged, reliable power for a range of applications. With 1,040 Thermo HP, the GE H Series turboprop enables aircraft to operate at higher outside temperatures and higher altitudes. It brings the operator more efficiency and higher security, combined with a significant reduction of maintenance costs. To meet the extensive power requirements of skydiving operations, the H Series turboprop engine is an ideal powerplant.
About Wingglider Ltd. Wingglider Limited, based at Hibaldstow Airfield in North Lincolnshire, UK has been operating turbine aircraft throughout the parachuting, skydiving and aerial works industry for over 20 years and offers long or short term leases on a number of aircraft. For more information, visit us at http://www.wingglider.co.uk/home.
About GE Aviation
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at www.geaviation.com. Follow GE Aviation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation.