FARNBOROUGH - The newest CF6 variant, the CF6-80C2B8F, has completed flight testing on the Boeing 767-400ER, demonstrating a thrust increase of more than two percent compared with its highest-thrust predecessor, the CF6-80C2B7F. The flight testing was completed on three aircraft, with more than one thousand flight hours logged during the course of the eight-month test program.Using revolutionary turbine architecture developed for GE Aircraft Engines' ultra-high-bypass GE90 turbofan engine, the CF6-80C2B8F incorporates a new high pressure turbine (HPT) rotor constructed of Rene 88 (R88), a state-of-the-art material designed to increase parts life by as much as one-third. In addition, the CF6-80C2B8F HPT demonstrates outstanding blade cooling characteristics which, coupled with the R88 structure, significantly increases customer value through enhanced durability and longer time on wing. The CF6-80C2B8F turbine module is interchangeable with the turbine modules of all current CF6-80C2 variants and is targeted for certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the CF6-80E1 by the end of this year.Certified by the FAA in March 1999, the CF6-80C2B8F-powered Boeing 767-400ER is scheduled to enter service in August 2000 with launch customers Delta Air Lines and Continental Airlines.GE is also introducing a new model of the CF6-80E1, the CF6-80E1A3, powering Airbus A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft. This newest CF6-80E1 will have a 2.5 percent thrust increase over the current CF6-80E1A4, made possible by adapting the R88 HPT developed for the CF6-80C2B8F. The two turbines will have common rotor structure with modifications to accommodate the appropriate levels of cooling flow for the different engine models. GE will also incorporate into the CF6-80E1 compressor new, three-dimensional aerodynamic (3-D aero) technology developed for the GE90 high-pressure compressor (HPC). The new HPC will provide up to 5° centigrade additional exhaust gas temperature margin, increasing potential thrust.This 3-D aero technology will be available for all CF6-80C2 models beginning in late 2002. The CF6-80E1A3 rating will be certified in August 2001, with first aircraft deliveries to Air France in December 2001.Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, GE Aircraft Engines is the world leader in production, design, and support of jet engines for commercial and military aircraft, and marine applications, with more than 50,000 engines in service and more than 300 million flight hours of experience. The CF6 family of engines, with more than 175 customers, an industry-leading dispatch reliability rate of 99.94 percent and basic in-flight shutdown rate of only 0.0087, and two hundred million flight hours of experience, clearly demonstrates GE's tradition of excellence and reliability.