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CF34-8 Engine Programs Expand GE's Role As Major Supplier to the Airline Industry

September 07, 1998

FARNBOROUGH - GE Aircraft Engines' CF34-8 engine family realized its most recent milestone when Fairchild Aerospace and GE jointly announced that the CF34-8D engine will power Fairchild Aerospace's new family of 728JET airliners.

The CF34-8D incorporates the service-proven reliability, environmental and operational characteristics of current CF34 models and has 100 percent common turbomachinery, a common FADEC (full authority digital electronic control), and significant overall parts commonality with GE's CF34-8C1 engine, which is already in an advanced state of development. The CF34-8D propulsion system will incorporate a new nacelle/installation design specifically tailored to the 728JET.

The 728JET family aircraft will enter airline service in the following sequence: the 728JET, which will accommodate 70-78 passengers; the 528JET, which will accommodate 55-63 passengers; and the 928JET, which will accommodate 90+ passengers. GE also will provide the powerplants for the 528JET and 928JET, to ensure the highest measure of commonality within the family and the thrust capability to meet future growth requirements.

The CF34-8D development plan is well synchronized with the Fairchild Aerospace program schedule and builds on GE's established -8C1 accomplishments and timing. The first -8D engine testing is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 1999, followed by the 728JET's first flight in the first quarter of 2000. Certification of the CF34-8D by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is targeted for the first quarter 2001.

The CF34-8C1, the powerplant for Bombardier Aerospace's new Canadair Regional Jet Series 700 aircraft, is well on its way to achieving certification by the FAA in the fourth quarter of 1999.

Full-engine testing began in February at the GE Aircraft Engines facility in Lynn, Massachusetts, and after only 10 hours of performance calibration and facility checkout runs, engine power was advanced to 14,500 pounds of thrust--5 percent greater than its certification rating--and all major engine systems operated as anticipated, with some components bettering design point performance.

Testing conducted during the first quarter of 1998 successfully demonstrated engine starting, operating temperatures and aerodynamic performance. High pressure turbine stress levels were as predicted and met FAA certification requirements.

Following a test setup conformity inspection by the JCAB (Japan Civil Aviation Bureau), full engine testing of an -8C1 engine was conducted this past spring at the Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) facility in Tanashi, Japan.

IHI, a 30-percent revenue-sharing participant in the development of the -8C1, is responsible for the design and development of the fan rotor, low pressure turbine, gearbox, and two stages of the high pressure compressor.

Most recently, the CF34-8C1 engine successfully completed bird-strike testing prescribed by the FAA and is currently undergoing crosswind testing at the GE test complex near Peebles, Ohio.

Over the course of the CF34-8C1 program, a total of over 4,500 test hours will have been accumulated on a core engine and 15 complete engines.

Frank Klaus, general manager of GE's Small Commercial Turbofan Department said, "We are very fortunate to hold a unique position within our industry. Our CT7 turboprop engine powered the entry into the modern regional airline era, and our CF34-1 and -3 series turbofan engines have helped make 50-passenger jet travel a success. Now, with the addition of these new engine models, we look forward to serving the industry well into the next century with a greater range of powerplants."