GE Aviation's Czech operation is now GE Aviation's Business & General Aviation Turboprops

GE Aviation has renamed its Czech operation to GE Aviation's Business & General Aviation Turboprops.

"The new name will better represent the organization's strategy, which is to develop, manufacture and support turboprop engines for the Business and General Aviation segment," explained Brad Mottier, Vice President and General Manager of GE Aviation's Business and General Aviation operation.

GE Aviation has decades of experience in the turboprop and turboshaft segments. GE Aviation's Business & General Aviation Turboprops has more than 1,600 M601 engines in service that have accumulated a combined 17 million flight hours.

The newest turboprop engine in development is the H80 engine, which will produce up to 800 shaft horsepower (shp) for business and general aviation, utility and agriculture aircraft. The H80 engine combines the elegant, robust design of the M601 engine with GE's 3-D aerodynamic design techniques and advanced materials to create a more powerful, fuel-efficient, durable turboprop engine with no calendar limit and no hot section inspection. The H80 engine will also feature an extended service life of 3,600 flight-hours and 6,600 cycles between overhauls, significantly enhanced hot-day takeoff performance and high-altitude cruise speeds. The engine will provide the option of a single or dual acting governor, allowing customers to select their propeller.

Certification testing on the H80 began in March, and five development engines are scheduled to take part in such testing. The turboprop engine will enter service on the Thrush 510 later this summer. The engine will be the first of the new H80 engine series family.