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100 Years: GE Aviation’s Year-Long Celebration Starts Now

January 21, 2019 | by Nick Hurm
For 100 years, GE Aviation has reimagined flight.

What began as a small team of engineers and machinists working on an experimental project near the end of World War I has transformed into a global network designed to invent the future of flight, with more than 47,000 employees in 26 countries.

That small team, led by Dr. Sanford Moss, quickly set a precedent of technical innovation “firsts” for GE Aviation – a theme that continues today.

In the summer of 1919, the first GE Aviation product enabled an airplane to climb to nearly 30,000 feet, higher than any aircraft ever before. That product was the GE turbosupercharger—a centrifugal compressor that squeezed thin air with the help of hot exhaust gas from the engine to create a higher air density and oxygen level closer to sea-level pressure. By 1943, more than 100,000 GE turbosuperchargers powered U.S. and Allied aircraft for World War II.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybviLICXFXI

There have been many more “firsts” brought to you by GE Aviation. They include the first U.S. jet engine, the first turboprop engine, the first high bypass engine, the first 120,000+ lbs. thrust engine and—as illustrated by our 100-year celebration logo—the first composite fan blade in airline service.

Over the next year, we will be bringing you stories of the people and technology that built the foundation of GE Aviation over its first century. We'll also keep our eyes trained on the GE Aviation of tomorrow—a company and culture that strives to invent the future of flight every day.

Thank you for being a part of our celebration and please subscribe to the GE Aviation Blog to stay connected.

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GE Aerospace is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, as well as integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft.