Engine Specifically Designed For E190-E2, E195-E2

The team behind the PurePower Geared Turbofan PW1900G engine has been busy hitting some high notes over the last few weeks.

At the Paris Air Show, Pratt & Whitney announced that it had completed assembly of the first PW1900G test engine at the company's engine center in Middletown, Connecticut. P&W has now started testing the engine at its facility in East Hartford, also in Connecticut.

Last month, the Embraer Program Team was in East Hartford for a program update and took some time to see and touch the engine on the test stand. From the team's report, there wasn't much to hear when it was running.

"During the second part of the test, you could hear a little whistle through the wall. The engine is quiet," said Fernando Oliveira, Embraer manager of the EJets-E2 Program. "It is really nice when you are starting to see things become reality. All our efforts are paying off."

The PW1900G engine has been specifically designed for installation on the new E190-E2 and E195-E2.

"It will be the successor to the well-established current-generation E-Jet aircraft family program," said Oliveira. "The E2 program is very important for Embraer. It will be the program that will keep our commercial division running."

The development of the PurePower Geared Turbofan engine drove the shop to reimagine the plane, Oliveira said. The engine "shook the market."

Muriel Bras-Jorge, director, Pratt & Whitney Next Generation Product Family Program, said the visit was the ultimate reality check for a Pratt & Whitney customer and very rewarding for the team.

"We got to share the experience of the customer being present for the first big milestone," Bras-Jorge said. "The Pratt & Whitney team was able to share in the joy of the Embraer team seeing the engine run, walking by it, touching it – and that is a big reward."

Bras-Jorge also noted that an additional milestone was taking place in Brazil with the delivery of the first software release. The software interfaces with the avionics and is being tested on Embraer's "Iron Bird."

There are more milestones to come.

"We will share more nice moments in the coming months when this aircraft starts flying," said Oliveira. "And we count on Pratt & Whitney for that to happen."

The first PW1900G engine will initially be tested for ground performance and operability before being installed on Pratt & Whitney's B747-SP flying test bed, located at Mirabel, Quebec, Canada, where the engine will undergo further testing.

The PW1900G is the first of two engine programs for Embraer. The second is the PW1700G engine which will power the E175-E2. To date, the PurePower engine family has completed more than 19,000 hours and 34,000 cycles of full testing, including 5,000 hours of flight time.

(Images provided by Pratt & Whitney)

FMI: www.pw.utc.com