GE Apprentices Get Up Close And Personal To New Jumbo Engines At Prestwick
APPRENTICES at Prestwick’s GE Caledonian will soon be working on the massive new engines fitted to the next generation of Boeing 747 freighter aircraft. And last week, for the first time, two lucky lads got the chance to get up close to a brand-new GE-powered jumbo jet when "The City of Luxembourg" flew into Prestwick from Seattle.
GE’s Jamie Wragg, from Kilmarnock, and Shaun Harkin, from Catrine, won a competition which enabled them to be the first apprentices to look over the 747 fitted with its four sector-leading power units. GE Caledonian maintains and overhauls the huge GEnx engines which power Boeing’s latest freighter, giving it a range of 8275 kilometres and a loading capacity of 140 tonnes.
Luxembourg-based Cargolux uses Prestwick regularly and the 747-800F will become a frequent visitor on its scheduled cargo services around the world.The 747-800F is more fuel efficient than its predecessor as the hi-tech GEnx engines offer numerous benefits including better noise reduction and increased fuel efficiency.
Prestwick Chief Executive Iain Cochrane said: “Prestwick Airport and GE Caledonian are close neighbours within the vibrant aerospace sector in Ayrshire, and I’m delighted that GE is thriving thanks to the great work it does maintaining the new state-of-the-art engines. "We were delighted to bring their apprentices and the Cargolux 747 freighter together for the first time so they could see the new units up close."
Picture shows Prestwick’s Carol-Anne Elliott and Iain Cochrane with Alan Kelly, GE Caledonian’s Managing Director, Cargolux’s John Barclay and the two apprentices Jamie Wragg and Shaun Harkin.