Smyrna Air Center has completed its first Power 90 Upgrade conversion for AeroMetric, one of the largest and most experienced full service geospatial solutions companies in the United States. GE Aviation’s M601E-11A engines are now powering AeroMetric’s King Air E-90 aircraft for their site in Anchorage, Alaska. The Power 90 Upgrade Program is a conversion program for owners of King Air 90 aircraft, in which the installed engines are replaced with the 705 shaft-horsepower (shp) GE M601E-11A engines. “We’ve received feedback from AeroMetric’s pilot that GE M601 engine operating temperatures are lower than previous engines and that time to climb is 30 percent less, which is critical for them since the plane must reach altitude before aerial mapping can begin,” says Bob Fields, president of Smyrna Air Center. “In addition to the faster rates of climb, the M601E-11A engine also provides faster cruise speeds than current engines in the segment, according to a July 2010 study by Conklin & de Decker performed for GE,” says Tom Hoferer, commercial program manager, GE Aviation’s Business and General Aviation Turboprops.