The GE Brief: November 17, 2020

ROOM TO GROW
 
The Boeing 777 is considered a workhorse of long-haul passenger aviation, ferrying travelers nonstop between continents powered by two giant GE90 jet engines under its wings. But today, these stalwarts of the skies are finding another purpose — as cargo jets. With cargo traffic expected to grow in coming years, GE Capital Aviation Services is seeking to meet that projected need by converting passenger planes to freighters. The company teamed up with Israel Aerospace Industries on a 777 conversion program in 2019 and now the first customer has signed on: Michigan-based Kalitta Air agreed last month to lease three converted Boeing 777-300ERSF (with the “SF” standing for “special freighter”) widebody jets from GECAS. Delivery is scheduled for 2023.
 
Just plane good sense: Converting a passenger plane to a cargo jet is no mean feat, involving some 200 people and roughly 39 months from first blueprint to first payload. The team needs to cut major sections of the fuselage for a new cargo door, for instance, and install a rigid barrier inside the plane that can withstand forces up to 9 Gs. “What we’re witnessing is really a re-engineering of the aircraft,” said Richard Greener, senior vice president and manager of GECAS Cargo. But all that hard work should pay off: Boeing projects that market segment will double over the next 20 years, and that the world’s freighter fleet will expand from about 1,870 to 3,260 freighters. More than 60% of the new volume will be passenger-to-freighter conversions.
 
Learn more here about how to give a plane a makeover.

GLOBAL CARE
 
In 2003, Dan Collins was working as an analyst for an Australian brokerage when his father was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Though he had no background in healthcare, seeing his father’s journey through the medical system inspired Collins to seek a way to make a difference in it by making care more personal. In 2005 he and a small group of cardiologists opened a clinic in Brisbane. The group soon expanded into cancer care, and then kept expanding — and now GenesisCare, as the company is called, has more than 440 cancer and cardiovascular disease treatment centers in Australia, the U.S., the U.K. and Spain. Over the last decade, GenesisCare has also enjoyed a fruitful relationship with GE Healthcare, and GE just announced plans to equip GenesisCare centers around the world with the latest imaging systems, including computer tomography, MRI, ultrasound and more.
 
Cutting-edge tech: Valued at more than $130 million, the deal will allow GenesisCare to provide patients with the latest technologies. In the U.S. alone, where the company operates 290 locations, GenesisCare recently acquired the major U.S. integrated cancer care provider 21st Century Oncology and has plans to invest $300 million in the country. “Cancer and heart disease haven’t stopped during this pandemic, and high-quality imaging and diagnosis will be in greater demand than ever as many people begin to feel more comfortable accessing screening services,” Collins said. “Our new global partnership with GE Healthcare will allow for better patient access to state- of-the-art technology and exciting research collaborations that will raise the bar in delivering care for patients of the future.”
 
Learn more about the deal here.
 
COOLEST THINGS ON EARTH ?
 
1. Some Nerve
Researchers at the University of Cambridge used gene therapy to regenerate damaged nerve fibers in the eye, possibly pointing the way toward new glaucoma treatments.
 
2. Talkin’ ’Bout Regeneration
Researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine developed a way to 3D-print a “hybrid tissue” that might someday restore knee function for people with arthritis or injury. 
 
3. Land, Water Thyself
At the University of Texas at Austin, engineers created a soil that draws moisture from the air to water itself — which could be a boon for farmers in corners of the globe where water is scarce.
 
Read more here about this week’s Coolest Things on Earth.

— QUOTE OF THE DAY —

“Everyone thinks converting an aircraft from passenger to freighter is a simple process. Instead, it involves similar principles and regulatory requirements that you would face when producing a factory new-build aircraft.”
 
— Richard Greener, senior vice president and manager of GECAS Cargo

Quote: GE Reports. Images: Kalitta Air.