General Electric (GE) recently hit a big milestone by delivering its 3,000th GE90 engine, the powerhouse behind the Boeing 777. This engine has been a game-changer in many ways, and it’s worth taking a moment to look at how it’s shaped air travel.
GE broke down the 3,000 engines into two categories. They’ve got 408 base engines, known as GE90-94B, and the rest are what they call growth engines. These engines didn’t just become popular overnight. When Boeing first rolled out the 777 program, airlines had three engine options to choose from. But the GE90 became the go-to engine, especially for the Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 777-200LR models.
A Few Firsts for the GE90
The GE90 engine isn’t just another engine; it’s a pioneer. It was the first to feature carbon fiber composite fan blades. It was also the first engine to get certified for Extended-range Twin-engine Operation Performance Standards (ETOPS). What does ETOPS do? Well, it lets planes powered by GE90 engines, like the Boeing 777, fly routes where there’s no airport to divert to within an hour at normal one-engine cruise speed.
Milestones and More
GE didn’t stop at being first; they kept on delivering. The 1,000th GE90 engine was delivered to Emirates in November 2009. Fast forward to December 2014, and GE had already delivered the 2,000th engine. Tony Aiello, who was the general manager of the GE90 Product line back in 2009, pointed out how quickly they ramped up production. “It took 11 years to build 500 GE90 engines, and in a little more than three years, we doubled deliveries to 1000,” he said.
What’s Next? The GE9X Engine
The GE90 has a more powerful sibling on the way, the GE9X, which will be the exclusive engine option for the Boeing 777X. Brian West, the CFO and executive vice president of Finance at Boeing, mentioned that the 777X is set to enter service in 2025.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
