Ground testing begins on the GE9X

  • Magazine Feature Article
  • 16MEIP06_08
Published June 01, 2016 by SAE International in United States
Language:
  • English

In mid April, ground testing began on the first full GE9X development engine at GE Aviation's Peebles Testing Operation in Ohio. The GE9X engine will power Boeing's new 777X aircraft. According to Bill Millhaem, General Manager of the GE90/GE9X engine programs at GE Aviation, “The ground testing will generate data on the full engine system and aerodynamic performance, mechanical verification, and aero thermal system validation.”

Maturation testing of the GE9X turbofan engine began about five years ago and has progressed from component-level all the way to the recent first full engine to test (FETT). FETT brings all the GE9X technologies together to demonstrate their operability as a complete propulsion system.