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Celebrating 100 Years of GE Aviation

Courtesy of Rick Kennedy

General Electric's aviation program was born in 1919 when the company boosted the power of biplanes taking off in Dayton. GE Aviation, headquartered in Evendale, recently celebrated its centennial. The company’s role in aviation is marked by accomplishments and contributions like creating the engines for American jet fighters in the 1950s and 1960s – enabling pilots and bombers to set speed records.

The company also powers commercial jetliners and regional jets, in addition to historic military aircraft like the F-16, the B-2 bomber, and the Black Hawk helicopter. In all, more than 65,000 GE engines power civil and military aircraft. Rick Kennedy served as GE Aviation's media relations specialist from 1988 to 2018, after 10 years as a journalist with three daily newspapers, including the Cincinnati Post. Since leaving his role with the company, he has penned a book about it, 100 Years of Reimagining Flight, a profile of a century of GE Aviation. Rick Kennedy joins Cincinnati Edition to discuss it.

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Michael Monks brings a broad range of experience to WVXU-FM as the host of Cincinnati Edition, Cincinnati Public Radio's weekday news and information talk show.