GE Aviation Taps Into Passion of AirVenture

GE Aviation Taps Into Passion of AirVenture: "

Big companies are recognizing there’s a value in passion that affects much more than just the bottom line. And where better than AirVenture to tap into the passion for aviation, recharge it, or contribute to it?

Take Brad Mottier, president of GE Aviation’s business and general aviation engines. The man will tell you (tongue in cheek) that he designed and built the Slick 4200 magnetos that 25 years ago carried Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager non-stop around the world in Voyager. He’d been to half a dozen Oshkoshes by then, flying there with his dad in the family’s 1949 Ryan Navion A and sleeping under the wing in the vintage aircraft campsite.

Next month he’ll take delivery of a new Aviat Husky with all the bells and whistles, including synthetic vision and touchscreen displays. And while at AirVenture he’ll be checking out skis and floats at Wipare. He had hoped to take delivery of the airplane at the show, but he will have to wait.

But Mottier’s not there just to talk Huskies. He’s heading up GE Aviation’s engine presence at the show with a new exhibit of a scope one would expect at EBACE or NBAA. GE is showing the H80 turboprop, which GE has positioned to challenge the Pratt & Whitney PT6,is talking up the GE Honda HF120 that powers the HondaJet, and the 10,000-pounds-thrust class Passport 20 turbofan that was recently selected to power the new Bombardier Global 7000 and 8000 long range business jets. Also featured are GE’s customized service plans.

GE Aviation's Brad Mottier at AirVenture with the H80.

(GE Aviation said this week it has completed all engine certification testing for the H80 turboprop engine, with more than 800 ground test hours and more than 10,000 cycles on the development engines. Flight testing continues on a Thrush 510G agricultural aircraft, and entry into service is expected in the coming months).

GE has another major presence at AirVenture: it is sponsoring the Innovation Center, where it is showcasing future developments in secondary power distribution and solid-state switching that can save up to 100 lb of wire cables in a business jet. And there, showgoers can play an electronic air traffic management game that shows how the NextGen air traffic system and RNP precision approaches can reduce delays and bring greener skies, too.

All this a far cry from GE’s first appearance at Oshkosh in 2005 with a small GE Honda tent.

On Wednesday, Mottier flew in a group of GE executives, several of whom had never been to an air show, to tour the exhibits and attend the Young Eagles gala in the evening. “Most people who go to shows are from sales or marketing, but AirVenture is close enough that we can involve others, especially engineers, and immerse them in the passion for aviation,” said Mottier. “No other show gets us as close to the owner-operator as Oshkosh. It’s not just business-to-business, but business-to-customer.”

"