Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

GE Aviation unit Avio Aero has continued to&nbsp;progress toward certifying its new Catalyst turboprop engine, completing almost 50 percent of certification testing, involving&nbsp;more than 800 hours. The engine has achieved more than 3,000 hours of combined operations in all, Avio Aero reported. The company (Booth S93) has&nbsp;assembled 19 engines and delivered three flightworthy engines to Textron Aviation for its new Beechcraft Denali single-engine turboprop. On March 25, Airbus announced that it had selected the engine for its new Eurodrone unmanned aerial vehicle.&nbsp;

 


The engine made its first flight on Sept. 30, 2021 aboard a King Air testbed at the Berlin Airport and was flown for the first time on the Denali on Nov. 23, 2021.&nbsp;

 


The Catalyst is a clean-sheet design in the 850-1,600 shp range made from technologies produced in&nbsp;Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Poland. It is&nbsp;the first all-new business turboprop engine design in more than 50 years, the first designed developed and manufactured in Europe, and the first turboprop made with 3D printed components.

 


The engine is equipped with fadec and single-lever engine and propeller control. It has achieved 41,000 feet in an altitude chamber. Features include a 16:1 overall pressure ratio, enabling the engine to deliver up to 20 percent lower fuel consumption and CO2&nbsp;emissions, and 10 percent&nbsp;higher cruise power compared with&nbsp;competitor offerings in the same size class.&nbsp;&nbsp;

 


The Catalyst is No-License Required (NLR) from the U.S. and is not subject to ITAR (international traffic in arms regulations) export control regulation by the U.S. Commerce Department. The engine is suitable for applications including hybrid-electric or electric&nbsp;&nbsp;transport applications and can generate more than one megawatt&nbsp;of power.

 


It is undergoing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) demonstration at the advanced test cells located in Prague, as part of the collaboration agreement between GE Aviation and the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT) with the stated goal of running&nbsp;on 100 percent SAF within the next months. Catalyst technologies are incorporated into Europe’s Clean Sky2 initiative—a public/private partnership between the European Commission and the European aeronautics industry to develop innovations&nbsp;that significantly increase aircraft environmental performance and reduce emissions.

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

GE Catalyst Nears Halfway Mark on Cert Testing

Certification testing on GE Catalyst engine is almost 50 percent complete. 

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Matt Thurber

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

One engine would be able to run at low-idle in a twin-engine helicopter application

FAA Proposes Special Conditions for PW220A Idle Cruise

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Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Improved engine production and test facilities are mainly focused on military programs

Rolls-Royce Completes $1 Billion Engine Site Upgrade

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

The first hybrid-electric flights above 30,000 feet, as well as the first across the North Atlantic, GE says.

GE Aerospace and Beta Technologies Cross Atlantic in Hybrid-electric Saab 340B Commuter Aircraft

Australian start-up planned to convert Beechcraft Bonanza and 1900D aircraft

Lack of Funding Shuts Hydrogen Propulsion Pioneer Stralis

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Turboshaft has flown more than 600 hours after first flight in March 2023

EASA Issues Type Certificate for AW09 Arriel 2K Engine

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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