GE Aviation Begins Second Round Of GE9X Flight Testing Written 12 December 2018

FlightGlobal reports that GE Aviation began the second round of airborne testing for its GE9X turbofan engine on Monday, “during which the engine maker will evaluate the powerplant’s software and performance in hot-and-high conditions.” The latest round of testing will involve “roughly 18 flights on GE’s flying Boeing 747-400 testbed, which will carry the massive GE9X turbofan under its wing.” The GE9X-105B variant of the engine will power the Boeing 777X, but GE “also plans to develop versions of the turbofan with 102,000lb-thrust and 93,000lb-thrust, according to regulatory filings with the FAA.” Flight testing will last through the first quarter of 2019, “bringing GE closer to achieving its goal of receiving” FAA certification in 2019. According to GE, the company will “continue software development testing that began in the first round, perform hot-and-high starts and fill in remaining gaps from the first round of testing.”
More Info (FlightGlobal)