Joint Venture (Cash Distribution from JV) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Woodward and General Electric Joint Venture [Member]
Schedule Of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Cash distributions	$ 14,000	$ 15,000

Amount of distribution received from equity method investee for return on investment, classified as operating activities. Excludes distribution for return of investment, classified as investing activities.

Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 230
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
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Reference 2: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Section S99
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Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
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Reference 4: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration