William J. Dwyer
President, GE Honda Aero Engines, LLC.
A native of Parnell, Wisconsin, Bill received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin and his Masters of Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Bill joined GE Aviation in 1986. His technical assignments were in the areas of Engine Performance & Systems Analysis, Mechanical Design, and Control System Design, where his responsibilities included developing system requirements, detailed design, and system integration for commercial, military, marine & industrial engines.
Bill's business roles included: working on the launch of a new 70 passenger regional jet engine, campaign and development Program Manager for the S-92 helicopter and Korean Advanced Trainer programs, Marketing & Sales for Marine & Industrial Engines-based in Jakarta, Indonesia. He later served as Project Director for the F404 Engine family, where he had product management and fleet support responsibility for a fleet of 4,000 engines operating worldwide, followed by an assignment as the Master Black Belt for the Military Systems Division.
Masahiko Izumi
Executive Vice President of GE Honda Aero Engines
A native of Toyama, Japan, Masahiko received his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tohoku University in Japan.
Masahiko has been involved with Honda's study of aircraft engines since the late 1980s. He began his career studying Honda's early concept aircraft engine, whose specifications went on to become the foundation of Honda's aircraft engine business. He has served as a leader of several Honda R&D studies such as, design and testing of axial flow compressors, ultra compact generator design, and turbine and engine performance. In 1995, he led the company's first flight test of a Honda designed gas turbine engine. Masahiko continued his study and testing of compressors and turbines, and successfully completed the aerodynamic and turbo machinery design and performance validation of the HF118 engine, the predecessor of the HF120.
Masahiko is one of the core members at Honda who endeavored to establish Honda's Aircraft Engine Development Center in 2004. Since the time GE Honda Aero Engines was established, he has been devotedly supporting the joint venture as a member of the management team at Honda's Aircraft Engine Development Center in Japan.
Kazuhiko Kato
Business Program Manager for GE Honda Aero Engines and Vice President of Business Operations for Honda Aero, Inc.
Kazuhiko was named to his current position in 2004 after having spent the previous year as a member of the contract negotiation team representing Honda in the formation of GE Honda Aero Engines. Previously, he led activities that resulted in the establishment of Honda's new aero-engine subsidiary, Honda Aero Inc. These activities included capital investment and personnel planning. Kazuhiko brings experience and expertise in new project development and joint venture negotiations to GE Honda Aero Engines from his prior roles in business planning and development and production control for Honda in both North America and Japan.
Mr. Kato received his Bachelor degree in Economics from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan in 1983.
Jim Dougherty
Manager, Marketing & Sales for GE Honda Aero Engines
Jim joined GE Aviation in 2000 and has held various roles in the Engineering and Marketing divisions. Before being named to his current position, Jim was the marketing manager for GE Aviation's CF6 engine line. His responsibilities included new engine sales for both Boeing and Airbus products, including the B747, B767, A300 and A330 airframes. He was also responsible for the aftermarket strategy of the CF6 engine, leading the "Tech CF6" upgrade initiative for the CF6-80C2 and -80E1 engine models. While in this role, Jim supported over 100 new engine sales and services campaigns in over 30 countries worldwide. Jim started his career at GE Aviation as a hot section design engineer for the CFM56 engine line, where he earned a patent on a new high-pressure turbine disk design.
Jim has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton, a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Business Administration degree from Xavier University.
Menelik (Mel) Solomon
Manager, Marketing for GE Honda Aero Engines
Mel is a veteran in business aircraft market research and analysis. He currently leads key campaigns with airframe OEMs, conducts market analysis, and provides strategic guidance on business development for GE Honda Aero Engines. Prior to joining GE Honda, Mel was with Bombardier Aerospace for over 10 years in various positions. He was involved in hydro-mechanical systems design on the Dash 8 Regional Turboprop product line, in continued airworthiness management of the Challenger and CRJ-200 fleet of aircraft, and more recently as an Associate Product Planning Manager for the Business Aircraft division of Bombardier Aerospace playing key roles in the launch of the Learjet 60XR.
Mel holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Aerospace Engineering from Carleton University, in Ottawa, Canada and an Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Etsuo Noda
GE Honda Aero Engines Chief Engineer for Honda
Etsuo began his career as an automobile engine designer, spending three years at Honda R&D establishing variable turbocharger design methodology. In 1986, Etsuo joined Honda R&D Fundamental Research Center as a Gas Turbine Design Engineer. Over the next 18 years, he made significant contributions in turbofan engine design and development as part of Honda's first jet engine program. During this time, Etsuo attained roles of increasing responsibility including lead engine designer, mechanical design team lead, and turbofan project lead. His involvement was instrumental in the development of the HF120 turbofan engine and achievement of first flight of the HondaJet.
Mr. Noda received his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan in 1983.
Chris Smith
Manager of GE Honda Aero Engines Systems Engineering
Chris joined GE in 1981 at GE Power Systems and held several roles in the Supply Chain Organization. In 1987, he joined GE Aviation at its Lynn, Massachusetts facility and has roles of increasing responsibility in the Engineering organization, working on military and commercial engine products. In his most recent assignment, Chris led the systems engineering team for GE's CF34 engine line. Prior to this role, Chris managed the engineering sections for the Structures Center of Excellence. Previously, Chris was the Master Black Belt for New Product Introduction for the business.
Mr. Smith received his Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering and his Associate degree in Engineering Science and Mechanical Engineering from Merrimack College. He also completed an apprenticeship as an All Around Machinist at GE Aviation.
