ORLANDO, Florida -- How can you improve an aircraft engine that has been in service for more than 40 years? Infuse new technology into the compressor spool rotor to extend its life and lower maintenance costs. 



"Our design tools and technology have experienced significant advances since these engines were created in the 1950s and 1960s," said Gregory Brand, program manager for the CJ610 and CF700 engines at GE-Aviation. "By incorporating the latest "spooled" rotor design into the compressor rotor, we can offer customers significant cost savings through reduced parts, fewer maintenance man-hours and extended life." 



The original rotor consisted of eight individually bolted stages with many parts. If a blade needed to be changed, the rotor had to unstacked and then rebalanced before going back on wing. The re-designed compressor spool rotor has a front spool (stage 1 and 2), a stage 3 disk and a rear spool (stage 4-8). The new spooled rotor has less parts and individual blades can be replaced without disassembling or rebalancing the rotor. The new rotor also increases compressor life from 5000 to 12,000 hours. 



The new compressor spool rotor has been certified for the CJ610-6 (Learjet 20 aircraft) and J85 (U.S. Air Force aircraft) engines. Certification for the CJ610-8A 9 (Learjet 20 aircraft) and CF700 (Falcon 20 aircraft) engines is expected next year. 



GE - Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), is one of the world's leading manufacturers of jet engines for civil and military aircraft. GE is also the world's leading provider of maintenance and support services for jet engines.