GE Aviation M601 Engine Now Powering AeroMetric King Air E-90

Smyrna Air Center has completed its first Power 90 Upgrade conversion for geospacial services company AeroMetric. GE Aviation’s M601E-11A engines are now powering AeroMetric’s King Air E-90 aircraft for their site in Anchorage, Alaska.

The Power 90 Upgrade Program is a conversion program for owners of King Air 90 aircraft, in which the installed engines are replaced with the powerful 705 shaft-horsepower (shp) GE M601E-11A engines.

“Smyrna Air Center, along with GE Aviation, is dedicated to providing exceptional service to King Air owners and operators, and we were honored that AeroMetric chose the Power 90 conversion with GE M601-11A engines versus overhauling their current engines,” said Bob Fields, president of Smyrna Air Center. “We’ve received feedback from AeroMetric’s pilot that GE M601 engine operating temperatures are lower than previous engines and that time to climb is 30% less, which is critical for them since the plane must reach altitude before aerial mapping can begin.”

“In addition to the faster rates of climb, the M601E-11A engine also provides faster cruise speeds than current engines in the segment, according to a July 2010 study by Conklin & de Decker performed for GE,” said Tom Hoferer, Commercial Program Manager, GE Aviation’s Business and General Aviation Turboprops.

GE Aviation's Business & General Aviation Turboprops has more than 1,600 M601 engines in service that have accumulated a combined 17 million flight hours.

FMI: http://geaviation.com, Aero-TV: King Air Modernization -- The Power 90 Upgrade from Smyrna Air Center