GE Aerospace inducts five new members into Propulsion Hall of Fame

GE Aerospace inducted five new members into the GE Aerospace Propulsion Hall of Fame. The 2024 inductees include former GE Aerospace CEO David L. Joyce, as well as Chaker Chahrour, Eric Ducharme, Mohammad Ehteshami, and Richard (Rick) Russell. Inductees have a combined 186 years of engineering experience in various roles at GE Aerospace, where they made significant impact in reimagining flight and advancing the field of aviation design.

“Building on GE Aerospace’s rich legacy of aviation leadership and innovation over the past century, our new Propulsion Hall of Fame members have made a lasting impact on our company and the industry,” said H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., chairman and CEO of GE Aerospace. “These five remarkable individuals have dedicated their careers to living our purpose: to invent the future of flight, lift people up, and bring them home safely. Their work continues to influence our new technology development, with their many contributions seen in our products and services today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.”

Each inductee is chosen based on the impact they made within the company and the industry at large during their careers. Joining the ranks of the Propulsion Hall of Fame is one of the highest forms of recognition a GE Aerospace employee can receive.

David L. Joyce spent 40 years at GE Aerospace, serving as CEO from 2008 to 2020. During his tenure as CEO, he oversaw the launch of the CFM LEAP engine program with Safran Aircraft Engines, debuted the GE9X high bypass turbofan, and won the contract to re-engine the U.S. Army’s Black Hawk and Apache helicopters with the T901 turboshaft engine as part of the Improved Turbine Engine Program.

Chaker Chahrour’s technical expertise on the GE90-115B and CFM LEAP engine programs, combined with his talent for cultivating strong customer relationships, helped establish GE Aerospace as a leader in commercial aviation. Over his 40-year tenure, he held multiple leadership roles, and as vice president of Global Sales and Marketing and a GE corporate officer, he logged $22 billion in sales of commercial engines and services over five years.

Eric Ducharme served as chief engineer, leader of Commercial Engines Engineering, and head of Advanced Technology Operations at different points over his 33-year career. In addition to working on the development of swept composite fan blades – introduced for the first time on the GE90 engine – and leading the engineering operations for the certification of the CFM LEAP, Passport, and GE9X engines, he led the push to implement the company’s industry-leading Safety Management System.

Mohammad Ehteshami led a team of 8,000 engineers across a wide variety of commercial and military engine programs, including the CFM LEAP, GEnx, GE9X, XA100, and T901 engines, while serving as vice president of Engineering. Over 35 years, his drive for innovation led to the development of many new technological processes, including double annular combustors, ceramic matrix composites, and additive manufacturing. He also became the first CEO of GE Additive, now known as Colibrium Additive.

Richard (Rick) Russell started his career as a program engineer, working on the TF39, CF6, F101, and GE13 engines. As a performance program leader, he was instrumental in the design, certification, and in-service excellence of the CFM56 and GE90 engines. His ability to focus on the customer’s needs in overall engine design led to world-class thrust capability, fuel burn performance, and durability in numerous engine lines, and contributed to the company’s growth in the aircraft engine business.

The induction ceremony took place at the Brian H. Rowe Learning Centre on the GE Aerospace campus in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Propulsion Hall of Fame was inaugurated by former GE Aircraft Engines President Brian H. Rowe in 1982. Since then, 151 aviation pioneers have joined this elite cohort, including the five members recently inducted.