Steven J. Shaknaitis Appointed As New President

GE Honda Aero Engines continues to build momentum towards entry into service in early 2015 for its HF120 turbofan engine on Honda Aircraft Company’s HondaJet. In May, GE Honda announced its Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) will be at the Honda Aero, Inc. (HAI) facility in Burlington, NC and has since developed a strong network of Authorized Service Providers (ASPs) to prepare its support for customers in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

“We have aligned ourselves with the best service centers in the industry to deliver exceptional support for customers flying our product.” said Masahiko Izumi, executive vice-president of GE Honda Aero Engines. “Expanding the HAI production facility to also include MRO will give us the flexibility to better respond to customer demands.”

The ASP network is supported by a 24/7 GE Honda Operations Center, and a growing team of dedicated Field Technical Managers (FTMs) and Customer Team Managers (CTMs). Other customer support operations that are in the final phase of system validation include:

• parts logistics with an online inventory viewing and ordering system
• warehousing of new and repaired/exchange parts
• pool of rental engines supporting the fleet
• technical manuals with easy navigation and 3D viewing of parts
• world-class diagnostics & trend monitoring
• technical training with an engine-to-aircraft interface mockup

GE Honda offers long-term Engine Maintenance Care programs that extend beyond the basic engine warranty, with coverage of both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance events. The two levels of service coverage offered under this program are EMC2, a hands-off solution for customers requiring comprehensive service, and EMC, which is predominantly a parts-only program. Both programs are offered through the GE Honda ASP network.

GE Honda also announced the appointment of Mr. Steven J. Shaknaitis as president of GE Honda Aero Engines, replacing Mr. Terry Sharp who recently retired from the company. Mr. Shaknaitis brings a wealth of experience with more than 31 years of aviation/gas turbine experience, including 25 yrs at GE on various engine platforms including the T700/CT7 military and civil engines, the F404/F414 military engines, and most recently the GE90 engine program; with leadership roles in Program Management, Customer Support, MRO, and Engine Services. Previously, Steve was with Textron Lycoming.

“We want to thank Mr. Sharp for guiding the HF120 program through the critical milestone of engine certification, which occurred in December 2013, positioning the program for future success”, said Mr. Shaknaitis.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.geaviation.com