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Ed Woll

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Ed Woll
Born(1914-05-29)May 29, 1914
New York City, New York
DiedDecember 17, 2010(2010-12-17) (aged 96)
Westwood, Massachusetts
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
EmployerGeneral Electric
Known forJet propulsion engineering

Ed Woll (1914-2010) was an American engineer who developed the first modern gas turbine engines for General Electric.[1]

Woll led development of the T58, T64, and T700 turboshaft engines. Woll also led the F404, F101, F110 turbofan military engines, and GE27, and CFM56 civilian engines.[2]

Early life

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In 1946 Woll worked at the Power Plant Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Field in Dayton, Ohio and Edwards Air Force Base in California.[3]

Woll developed the afterburner for the J35 engine, later developing the J47 variable afterburner.

GE career

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Woll led the General Electric T58 and T64 helicopter and turboprop engine programs starting in 1953 with innovations such as corrosion-resistant high-temperature coatings.

Woll was a lead in developing the J85, CJ610, and CF700 engines which enabled lightweight jet fighters, such as the Northrop F-5, Northrop T-38 trainers, and early business jets like the LearJet and Fanjet Falcon. Woll resisted the urge to consolidate GE engineering, saving the GE's Lynn (MA) River Works from shutdown.[4]

In 1964, Woll led development of the 14,300 lbf (64 kN) thrust GE15 (later YJ101) which evolved into the F404 used in the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet and other aircraft.[5]

Woll later led the F101X, evolving (via the "Great Engine War")[6] into the F110 used to re-engine the F-14, F-15, and F-16.

Championing customer service and support, Woll retired in 1979 after developing the CF6, and CFM56 with Snecma.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Aviation Week and Space Technology. 3 January 2011. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[clarification needed]
  2. ^ Richard A. Leyes, William A. Fleming. The history of North American small gas turbine aircraft engines.
  3. ^ General Electric. Seven decades of progress: a heritage of aircraft turbine technology.
  4. ^ Brian H. Rowe, Martin Ducheny. The power to fly: an engineer's life.
  5. ^ Robert V. Garvin. Starting something big: the commercial emergence of GE aircraft engines.
  6. ^ Colin Clark. "The Great Engine War Is Over". Archived from the original on 2013-05-22.
  7. ^ Richard A. Leyes, William A. Fleming. The history of North American small gas turbine aircraft engines.