GE Aerospace’s Catalyst turboprop engine has been certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAR (Federal Aviation Regulation) Part 33 certification involved over 23 test engines and more than 190 component tests.
Catalyst is a clean-sheet turboprop design certified to the latest standards, which include more than 20 significant new requirements compared to turboprop engines of prior generations. During the certification process, the test engines completed more than 8,000 hours of operation demonstrating and meeting its key performance targets.
The Catalyst engine’s first application is the Beechcraft Denali single engine turboprop, an all-new competitor to the popular Pilatus PC-12 turboprop.
The engine features a 16:1 overall pressure ratio that GE Aerospace claims will enable up to 18 percent better fuel consumption and up to 10 percent higher cruise power compared to its competitors. The Catalyst also features two stages of variable stator vanes, cooled high-pressure turbine blades, and features components made by using additive manufacturing.
The Catalyst engine was designed, developed, and manufactured at GE Aerospace sites in Europe, including Avio Aero in Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Germany.
