GE Aviation, a leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems, said it has witnessed a tremendous growth in its Business & General Aviation unit.

“It’s an exciting time for the Business & General Aviation turborpop team,” said Paul Theofan, president and managing executive of GE Aviation's Business & General Aviation Turboprops.

"GE Business & General Aviation Turboprops continues its growth, with efforts focused on certifying the H80 engine and expanding its services and support network," Theofan remarked.

According to him, GE Aviation Business & General Aviation Turboprops has more than 1,600 M601 engines in service that have accumulated more than 17 million flight hours on 30 applications.

“We’ve accumulated 25 hours of flight on the Thrush 510G aircraft powered by the H80 engine, and we expect to certify in mid-2011," Theofan observed.

In addition to these activities, the team has expanded the global turboprop services network, signing an additional three authorized service centers in the first half of this 2011,” he added.

The H80 engine, he said, had completed its first flight on the Thrush 510G aerial applicator in November 2010.

The certification testing continues at the Business & General Aviation Turboprops facility near Prague in the Czech Republic," he added.-TradeArabia News Service