John was editor of Aviation Week's ShowNews for nearly two decades. He retired in 2020. His background in business journalism before joining Aviation Week includes stints at Reuters, the American Banker daily banking newspaper and as business news editor at the Milwaukee Journal and the Cincinnati Enquirer.
A lifelong aviation enthusiast, John has been a private pilot for 34 years and won an award at EAA Oshkosh for his restoration of a vintage British Auster army spotter aircraft. He is currently building a 1920s Staaken Flitzer biplane from plans. John attended his first Farnborough Air Show in 1952, when just eight months old.
FARNBOROUGH — Investment by GE Aviation in next-generation military engines will increase by 50% next year even as military budgets decline in the U.S. and around the world. The goal: to develop a sixth-generation fighter engine for the U.S. Air Force and Navy, and an advanced engine for helicopters. They will all incorporate ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) in the hot section, and 3-D printing (additive manufacturing) for difficult-to-make parts.
Recent wins for avionics on the Alenia Aermacchi C-27J Spartan and the Airbus Helicopters EC645 T2 underscore an increasing focus on rotorcraft and military aircraft at Esterline CMC Electronics.
