A gas turbine engine includes a fan, compressor, combustor, and turbine coupled to the compressor through a shaft. The compressor includes first, second, and third stages with respective rotor blades and stator vanes. The rotor blades and stator vanes are arranged such that a sum of mid-span axial gaps between the trailing edge of the first rotor blades and the leading edge of the first stator vanes, the trailing edge of the first stator vanes and the leading edge of the second rotor blades, the trailing edge of the second rotor blades and the leading edge of the second stator vanes, and the trailing edge of the second stator vanes and the leading edge of the third rotor blades is equal to a × inlet ⁢ ⁢ flow ⁢ ⁢ function 10 . ⁢ a ≥ 75 ⁢ ⁢ mm ⁢ ⁢ and ⁢ ⁢ the ⁢ ⁢ inlet ⁢ ⁢ flow ⁢ ⁢ function = m ⁢ T P .