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GE Aerospace traces its roots to General Electric, founded in 1892 with the involvement of Thomas Edison. The company initially worked in electrical equipment, power systems, and heavy engineering. Still, its expertise in turbines and compressors later led it into aviation. In 1918, GE engineer Sanford Moss tested a turbocharger on Pikes Peak in Colorado, helping a Liberty engine keep power at high altitude. In 1921, a turbocharged LePere biplane set a world altitude record above 40,000 feet.
In 1937, GE received a major Army Air Corps order for turbochargers used on Boeing B-17 bombers. In 1941, General Henry Arnold chose GE to build an American version of Frank Whittle’s jet engine after seeing British jet technology. On March 18, 1942, the first U.S.-run jet engine was tested at GE’s Lynn, Massachusetts, plant. On October 1, 1942, the Bell XP-59A Airacomet flew with two GE I-A engines.
After World War II, GE expanded production around the J47 engine for aircraft such as the F-86 Sabre. Demand led the company to open a second plant near Cincinnati on February 28, 1949, which was later known as Evendale and served as GE Aerospace’s global headquarters. By the late 1950s, more than 35,000 J47 engines had been delivered.
In civil aviation, GE introduced the CF6, which entered service in 1971 on the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and later powered Boeing and Airbus aircraft. In 1974, GE and Safran, then Snecma, formed CFM International, maker of the CFM56 and later LEAP engines for the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX. GE also developed the GE90-115B and GE9X for Boeing’s 777X. On April 2, 2024, GE Aerospace became an independent public company after separating from General Electric.
Meaning and History
