June 24, 2015 – GE Aviation will sponsor demonstration flights of H80-powered Thrush 510G aircraft using S10 diesel fuel at SINDAG 2015 congress in Brazil. The demonstration flights are part of a larger effort to secure regulatory approval of S10 diesel fuel usage for 510G aircraft operated in Brazil.
Eight demonstration flights, each lasting around 15 minutes, will be conducted during SINDAG, an annual meeting of the leading aviation industry players with a focus on agriculture. SINDAG is held between June 24th and 26th in Luís Eduardo Magalhães, Brazil, a city located in the heart of a rapidly growing agribusiness region. The demonstration flights will be performed with Thrush 510G aircraft under the special authorization of the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), which is responsible for civil aviation regulation and safety oversight in Brazil.
“For too long, this segment of the market has not experienced much technical innovation and GE is committed to changing that narrative,” said Brad Mottier, VP and General Manager of GE Aviation’s Business & General Aviation and Integrated Systems organization. “We are focused on bringing to market, innovative turboprop engines which are powerful, dependable and fuel-efficient.”
Last summer, GE Aviation submitted an application to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to utilize S10 diesel fuel for its H Series turboprops. Less than one year later, the company is ready to begin a flight test program involving four Brazilian agricultural aircraft operators under the guidance and approval of ANAC. The flight test program is one of the last steps in gaining EASA certification of S10 diesel usage for the H Series engine. The flight testing will be carried out in this year’s agricultural season in Brazil. The demonstration flights at SINDAG are intended to build awareness for the larger certification and test effort.
The average H Series engine consumes 648,000 liters of fuel before its first scheduled overhaul at 3,600 flight hours. By substituting S10 diesel for Jet A, operators in Brazil could save more than $225,000 (USD) on fuel costs over the engine overhaul period. With S10 diesel widely accessible at major petrol stations in Brazil, the positive financial impact to Ag operators in Brazil could be substantial. As expected, there is wide support for S10 diesel regulatory approval from Brazilian Thrush 510G operators.
In addition to the Thrush 510G, the H Series turboprop engine has been selected to power a variety of aircraft including the Nextant Aerospace G90XT, Aircraft Industries L410, CAIGA AG300 aircraft. The H Series engine is an ideal power plant for both new and STC aircraft applications serving a variety of aircraft segments, including agriculture, utility, commuter and business aircraft.
About GE Aviation GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet, turboprop and turboshaft 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.ge.com/aviation. Follow GE Aviation on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GEAviation and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/GEAviation. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/gebga.