Before there was an aviation industry, dreamers and inventors like Leonardo DaVinci; Jean François Pilâtre de Rozier and Marquis d’Arlandes; and the Wright Brothers made traveling by air a reality. Each idea built on the other, resulting in more advanced technology. In 1917, GE invented the turbosupercharger, followed by the first American jet engine.
Former GE Aviation President and CEO Brian Rowe recognized the value of these contributions:
“When I took charge of GE Aircraft Engines in October 1979, I was very honored to have the job, but I knew that, if it hadn’t been for people like Sir Frank Whittle, Dr. Hans von Ohain, and Major Frank Halford in the beginning and many others such as Gerhard Neumann and Jack parker, as well as people at Rolls-Royce, Bristol, deHavilland, Westinghouse, Curtiss-Wright, and Pratt and Whitney, we would not even have a business. I felt it would be a good idea to honor the people who helped make GE Aircraft Engines what it was and has since grown to be—not only the engineers, but the finance and business people as well as the airplane designers who learned to use our engines. As a result, my staff and I created our Propulsion Hall of Fame, which is formally housed at the GE Aircraft Engines’ Evendale facility. The inaugural induction was made in the early 1980s, and the ritual continues to this day …” – An excerpt from “Born to Fly”, the AAIA-published autobiography of Brian Rowe
To date, 139 industry pioneers have been recognized for their outstanding contributions to the aviation industry, including the seven remarkable individuals who were inducted to the GE Aviation Propulsion Hall of Fame earlier this week:
Congrats to all of our 2016 inductees!

From left to right: Richard (Rick) Albrecht, Dr. Christopher (Chris) C. Glynn, William (Bill) S.
Clapper, Jan C. Schilling, Thomas (Tom) A. Brisken, Dr. Robert (Bob) E. Schafrik (not pictured: Russell (Russ) F. Sparks)
Congratulations to all the 6 scientists. Salute to all the great minds in human world!
Dear GE Aviation,
Hello, I am reaching out to you in search of web content that use to exist on GE Aviation webpages that disappeared recently. I hope that you can assist me in contacting those at GE Aviation connected to this material. First, please let me know introduce myself. I am a Physics Professor at Wright State University in Dayton, OH. I also assist the Education Division at the nearby National Museum of the United States Air Force with the development of science materials for all ages spanning from children to adults.
In February, I came across a great resource on your website with the following address:
http://www.ge.com/thegeshow/flight#ch2
It contained a great online application that allowed the user to design and test fly various plane configurations. It was affiliated with materials concerning flight on a part of your website called the “GE Show.” I had hoped to use this tool at some classes on the Physics of Flight that I teach at the Air Force Museum. I was dismayed recently to find that the materials have disappeared.
Could you please put me in touch with the creator/owner of these materials? I seek to use them for only educational purposes. These are some of the best resources that I have seen developed for this subject. I appreciate your time and help.
Kind regards,
Jason Deibel
———————————————————————
Jason A. Deibel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Physics
Director of Undergraduate Research and Experiential Learning (DUREL), College of Science & Mathematics
Interim Associate Director, Interdisciplinary Applied Sciences & Mathematics (IASM) Ph.D. Program
Wright State University
Fawcett Hall 257
Office Phone: (937) 775-2148
Office Fax: (937) 775-2222
Lab Phone: (937) 775-3104 (Library Annex 070)
[email protected]
My dad should be in this picture for helping me through the design rubble for the jsf. Love you, dad!
Anonymous