GE Aviation's H80 engine completes certification testing

GE Aviation has completed all engine certification testing, including design assurance, development, operability and environmental tests, for its new H80 turboprop engines.

"The H80 engine has performed extremely well in ground certification testing at GE's Prague facility in the Czech Republic. GE Aviation has accumulated more than 800 ground test hours and more than 10,000 cycles on the development engines," said Paul Theofan, president and managing executive of GE Aviation's Business & General Aviation Turboprops. "Flight testing continues on the Thrush 510G aircraft, and we look forward to entry into service in the coming months."

The development program consisted of more than 25 full or partial engine builds, with testing that included low-cycle fatigue, hot section endurance, operability, component and endurance testing. The H80 engine will be GE's first engine to be developed and manufactured outside the US and its first engine to receive European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification before the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) certification.

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 engine compared with the M601 engine, with no fuel nozzle inspections and no hot section inspection. The H80 engine will also feature an extended service life of 3,600 flight-hours or 6,600 cycles between overhauls, significantly enhanced hot-day takeoff performance and high-altitude cruise speeds. The H80 will provide the option of a single- or dual-acting governor, allowing customers the flexibility in propeller selection.

Beyond the Thrush 510G application, the H80 engine will also power Aircraft Industries' L410-UVP-E20, a twin-engine commuter aircraft, and Technoavia's newly designed Rysachok aircraft, a twin-engine, 10-seat general aviation aircraft.