P&WC Continues To Innovate Without Messing With Success

By Kathryn B. Creedy

If there are two things that are important to keeping Pratt & Whitney Canada on top of the market with its venerable PT6 engine, they are product reliability and innovation, according to General Manager General Aviation Program Nicholas Kanellias (pictured), who heads the program.

He noted the breadth of applications for Pratt Canada engines powering business jets and turboprops alike. Kanellias calls today’s market tough despite Pratt’s dominance and with GE’s new Advanced Turboprop threatening to disrupt that dominance, it just got a lot tougher.

Kanellias is keenly aware of the threat frankly saying the company cannot afford to rest on its laurels.

“There has always been competition,” he told Aero-News Network. “It’s not as if Honeywell and the rest have not always been around. We already have an engine that achieves 12:1 overall pressure ratio (OPR) and the Augusta tiltrotor delivers over 2,000 horsepower and has a 13:1 overall pressure ratio because of our constant innovation and introduction of new technologies. We are not worried about the competition because this is a vast space. We invented the reverse flow engine. We welcome the competition because it is not as if we’ve been standing still. Our next step is the electronic control system that will revolutionize how you fly a turboprop. We’ve found ways to make that much better.”

He pointed to the PT6A-140 and -140AG for the utility and agricultural markets as just one of its efforts to advance the technology. It delivers 15% more power and 5% better specific fuel consumption. It has the latest technologies and materials that are direct drop ins for all small PT6s and, he said, is the most powerful and best power-to-weight ratio in its class.

“We are focused on always making the customer experience better, not just in performance but in reliability,” he told ANN. “We apply new technologies gained from the experience at Pratt & Whitney’s large engines. We evaluate those new technologies and apply it to our engines always ensuring we maintain our focus on affordability, durability and reliability. You want to continually innovate but you always have to ensure that you do it properly. Our engine has evolved over time so it comes with decades of continuous improvement. We have more than 140 applications and every one is different and optimized by technology introduction.”

P&WC has recently signed contracts with multiple airframe OEMs and conversion companies that have selected the PT6A-140A engine for their engine programs, which, for the moment, remain confidential.

“We’ve never stopped innovating and we continue to invest in our products,” said Kanellias. “On the next PT6A-67 series we’ve got a gearbox rated a 1,200 horsepower which delivers 1,900 thermal horsepower with time between overhauls (TBO) ranging from 3,000 to 8,000-10,000 hours. We designed our TBO based on customer mission profiles, which range from regional airline operations to the owner/operator who doesn’t fly more than 200-300 hours per year. It’s a balance because if we put it too high they wouldn’t touch the engine for 20 years. It is all based on how the aircraft is flown and the mission.”

PW&C is now offering trend monitoring system called FAST (Flight Acquisition Storage and Transmission) Solution now deployed on more than 600 aircraft. FAST provides engine diagnostics, prognostics and health management capturing, analyzing and wirelessly transmitting full flight data intelligence to customers within minutes of landing optimizing aircraft availability and maintenance planning while reducing costs. P&WC is able to analyze more than 80 distinct engine and aircraft parameters related to speed, pressure and temperature and share it with operators and maintenance crews for better maintenance planning. Eventually FAST will be applied to the entire product line.

“Our intention is to make maintenance monitoring and planning that much easier and take the burden off the customer,” he said, noting this is a technology normally applied to larger jet power plants but is now being offered at the GA level. “Our next step has been made clear is electronic controls for the system operation and propeller which is revolutionary for this market. We have the latest generation compressor materials, highest OPR. It’s all about introducing innovation at the right time for the right customer, always balancing durability, reliability and performance because of where our engines operate.”

Finally, the company has launched an Oil Analysis Technology Program and now has more than 1,300 engines enrolled as part of its next gen on-wing monitoring solution for preventive maintenance. Kanellias called the program an on-wing, game-changer for preventive maintenance and said it was all part of its culture to make its already good customer support even better. The program has the potential to significantly improve the cost of operation by both time and cost savings.

Participants in the trial collect oil samples at regular intervals and send them for analysis in pre-paid shipping envelopes provided by P&WC. They have the option to receive informational reports with oil analysis results and technology updates at no cost during the trial.

“We continue to invest in in new engine technologies and customer service programs for the PT6A engine,” he said. “From reducing pilot workload and streamlining engine installation, through the development of an integrated electronic engine and propeller control and a 2000+ SHP thermal engine for the next generation, the needs of the general aviation community are always top of mind. As a result, new innovations are always on our drawing boards.”

(Image from file)

FMI: www.pw.utc.com