For the past six years, GE has been putting its newest jet engine, the GE9X, through its paces. Engineers have bombarded the engine with dust, ice and debris to simulate 3,000 takeoffs and landings. The overall cost of the testing alone: over $1 billion.
Along the way, the engineers have been collecting data to certify the abilities of a machine that may change the face of airline travel. When the massive engine starts powering Boeing’s next-generation 777X passenger jets in 2020, the engines will produce less noise and fewer emissions than its predecessor, the GE90, thanks, in part, to lightweight 3D-printed parts and new ceramic composite materials that decrease its weight and boost efficiency.
“In The Wild” hosts Adam Savage and Alie Ward recently traveled to GE’s boot camp for jet engines located in Peebles in a wooded corner of Ohio. They got a chance to get up close and personal with the new engine — its diameter is nearly as large as the width of a 737 — in the latest episode of the GE web series.
You can watch the entire video here: