Contributor Kelly Williams is lead test engineer for the GE Aviation Test Facility in Peebles,
Ohio.
Sometimes you literally have to move mountains to do your job right, and in this case I’m glad we did.
Welcome to Site 7 at GE’s engine test facility in Peebles, Ohio, about one hour from Cincinnati.
This is the future test home of the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team’s F136 engine that will help revolutionize the world’s next generation of fighter aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II — also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
I’ve been the test focal point for the F136 for four years and can’t tell you how excited I am to work on one of the most unique propulsion concepts we have ever developed: a “one-size fits all” engine for the diverse missions of Air Force, Marine and Naval aircraft for the United States and eight JSF partner countries.
Before the engine can truly “take off,” it must pass a series of tests at Peebles that will exceed conditions far more demanding than those encountered in actual service. And we’re ready to test!
Site 7 is backed by enough concrete for a foot-thick, two-lane, four-mile road, providing a sturdy environment that can withstand up to 40,000 pounds of engine thrust and generate the most highly-calibrated performance data imaginable. So we are ready to test for all conditions to make the best engine for the job.
Last year the team at Peebles completed its first FI36 testing at the new site and now the engine has reached a new milestone with the testing of its first production-configuration of the engine at our Evandale, Ohio, facility – which is a month ahead of contract schedule.
