LE BOURGET - GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) is offering a new derivative of its highly successful CF6 family of engines, designed to provide airline customers with significant payload advantages.
The derivative, which incorporates a new, improved Rene 88 turbine into existing CF6-80C2 and CF6-80E1 engines, is applicable on Boeing 767 and 747, Airbus Industrie A330 and A300, and McDonnell Douglas MD11 aircraft.
By eliminating the bolt features from the stage one and stage two disk rims, the improved turbine, available initially in the B7F models of -80C2 and -80E1 engines, offers airline customers many operating advantages, including improved high pressure turbine durability, better maintenance costs, higher temperature capability, and as much as two percent more thrust capability.
"We are continually looking at new initiatives and new technology to reduce airline operating costs," said Roger Seager, CF6 Project general manager. "In fact, we are already working with airlines and manufacturers to find ways of making the best use of the new turbine's increased capabilities, especially thrust. This newer technology could be for use on derivative aircraft under study or even derivatives currently under development."
The new CF6 configurations, which require no other modifications to incorporate the new Rene 88 turbine, will be available to airline customers in May 2000. GEAE is able to offer the new turbine so quickly because it is a product of GEAE's technology-stocking program, in which GEAE engineers develop new jet engine technology and appropriate applications.
Installed on the CF6, the Rene 88 turbine enhances one of the most successful aircraft engines in history. In 26 years of service, the CF6 family of engines has achieved remarkable levels of reliability, accumulating more than 150 million flight hours serving more than 150 airline customers worldwide. Fleetwide, CF6 engines enjoy a dispatch reliability rate of 99.94 percent, or fewer than one engine-caused delay per 2,000 departures.
Entering service in 1984, the top selling CF6-80C2 fleet has accumulated almost 40 million flight hours while maintaining a dispatch reliability rate of 99.94 percent. Due to its outstanding reliability and cost of ownership, the CF6-80C2 has been the engine of choice for several recent wide-body aircraft purchases. In April, Delta Air Lines placed an order for -80C2 engines to power 10 Boeing 767-300ER and 21 new 767-400 aircraft, a stretched version of the 767-300ER. In the last month, LAN Chile, Chile's national airline, selected the -80C2 engine to power three firm and two option Boeing 767-300ER aircraft scheduled for delivery in 1998, while Air New Zealand selected the engine to power future Boeing 747-400 and 767-300 aircraft.