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CFM launches a new era as first LEAP engine begins ground testing

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WEST CHESTER, Ohio — 6 September 2013 — CFM International has initiated testing of the first full LEAP engine, launching an extensive ground and flight test certification program that will encompass 60 engine builds over the next three years. The program will culminate in engine certification in 2015 and first entry into commercial service on the Airbus A320neo in 2016.


The LEAP-1A engine, which is the powerplant for the Airbus A320neo, fired for the first time on September 4th, two days ahead of the schedule. After a series of break-in runs, the engine was operating smoothly and has reached full take-off thrust.


“In the past five years, we have completed thousands of hours of component testing leading up to this day,” said Chaker Chahrour, executive vice president of CFM International. “Everything we have seen tells us the LEAP engine is going to deliver all we promised, and much more. Now, we get to put it through its paces in the most comprehensive test program we have ever undertaken. By the time this engine enters services, we will have simulated more than 15 years of airline service with 60 different engine builds.”


The engine, which shares common turbomachinery with the LEAP-1C, is installed at Site 3B at GE’s Peebles, Ohio, outdoor test facility, where it will be on test for the next several weeks. The overall certification program, which encompasses all three LEAP engine variants, includes 28 ground and CFM flight test engines, along with a total of 32 flight test engines for Airbus, Boeing, and COMAC. Over the next three years, these engines will accumulate approximately 40,000 hours (18,000 engine cycles) leading up to entry into service.



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At the time of the launch, there was no specific aircraft application. However, in 2009 COMAC chose the LEAP-1C engine as the sole powerplant for the C919 in 2009; Airbus followed in 2010 when it selected the LEAP-1A engine as an option on the A320neo family; and in 2011, Boeing selected the LEAP-1B as the sole powerplant for its new 737 MAX.

So, to put it in a more sensible way:

 

LEAP-1A goes to Airbus A320neo

LEAP-1B goes to Boeing B737MAX; and

LEAP-1C goes to COMAC C919

 

:)...

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GE Readies Engine Durability Fix for New Boeing, Airbus Planes

 

General Electric Co. plans to replace a part in hundreds of recently delivered engines after uncovering a durability problem inside the turbines powering the upgraded workhorse jets of Boeing Co. and Airbus SE.
The manufacturer has identified a fix for a previously disclosed issue with the new Leap engine, and the redesigned part will be incorporated into the production line starting in May, said Rick Kennedy, a spokesman for GE Aviation. More than 500 in-service engines, produced under GE’s CFM International joint venture with Safran SA, will be replaced or retrofitted during regular maintenance, he said.

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