Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

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Thierry Dubois

GE Aviation (Stand 1143) is here promoting its <a href="http://www.geaviation.com/bga/engines/h80.html">800-hp H80 turboprop engine</a>, which was certificated by the U.S. Federal Aviation Adminstration in March and already has several applications. Meanwhile, the HF120 turbofan program–for the HondaJet–has progressed slowly.


Brad Mottier, GE’s v-p and general manager for business and general aviation, said an STC is in progress for the H80 to power the King Air C90 business aircraft. Meanwhile, the first H80-equipped Ayres Thrust 510G cropduster is to be delivered in June, and a 19-seat Let 410 has flown “over 300 hours” powered by H80s. Finally, Technoavia is said to have received 30 orders for its Rysachok light utility twin powered by the engine.


The H80 is a redesigned Walter M601. According to Mottier, 3-D aerodynamics and improved materials enabled the maximum power to leap from around 500 hp in the original engine to 1,070 hp in the H80. “All this while keeping the same number of stages and diameter,” Mottier pointed out. In addition, the H80 is claimed to have lower maintenance costs. The engine has no Fadec (full-authority digital engine control) system.


For current applications, the H80 is rated at 800 hp but GE engineers are studying higher ratings in the 850- to 900-hp range. The H80 program has been a successful and fast one. The Walter design was taken over in 2008 and EASA certified the H80 late last year. GE is working on additional certifications in Argentina, Brazil, Canada and China.


Meanwhile, the HF120 turbofan, jointly developed with Honda for the HondaJet light business jet, is “progressing toward certification.” Testing will be completed in August, Mottier said, after 4,000 hours. The program has been plagued by delays, especially when the fan had to be redesigned. It had failed during an on-ground ice-ingestion test. The GE Honda Aero Engines venture seems confident it is back on track, as it is now preparing for production.


In customer service, GE is gearing up for the Olympics in London this summer. It will have a team of field reps supporting Bombardier Challengers at a London’s Luton Airport FBO, Ocean Sky. Separately, GE is mulling the addition a Chinese location to its service network.

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