Tue, Apr 22, 2008
Tests To Begin Later This Year
Life often comes around, full-circle... just ask Airbus and
Pratt & Whitney. The two aerospace companies announced this
week they will partner on flight testing the Geared Turbofan
engine, using an Airbus-owned A340 flying test bed. The flight
testing will provide first-hand experience with the performance of
the Geared Turbofan engine, which targets double-digit improvements
in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating
costs.
The Airbus testing will begin in the fourth quarter of this
year, and will follow Pratt & Whitney's own ground and flight
test program utilizing a Boeing 747 testbed. While the engine isn't
intended for larger, widebody planes like the A340, or Boeing's 777
-- but rather smaller offerings, including Bombardier's upcoming
CSeries airliner -- the selection of an A340 represents a turnabout
of sorts, as the four-engine widebody was once intended to be
powered by a variant of the stillborn PW8000 geared engine.
"We are delighted at the opportunity to partner with Airbus on
flight testing the Geared Turbofan engine," said Todd Kallman,
president of Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines. "Testing the
Geared Turbofan engine throughout its entire operating envelope
using the Airbus A340 flight test aircraft, combined with the
tremendous experience of the Airbus flight test team, will provide
us with valuable installation and operating data to further
evaluate the performance of this new engine architecture."
Pratt & Whitney's Geared
Turbofan demonstrator engine recently began Phase II ground testing
at the company's advanced test facility in West Palm Beach, FL.
Phase II of the ground test program will focus on engine
performance and acoustic characteristics with a flight-capable
nacelle system prior to mid-year flight testing. The Geared
Turbofan demonstrator engine has logged approximately 150 hours
since ground testing began in November 2007.
The Geared Turbofan is expected to set new standards in
environmental performance and operating value for the next
generation of commercial aircraft. In a Geared Turbofan engine, a
gear system allows the engine's fan to operate at a different speed
than the low-pressure compressor and turbine, resulting in greater
fuel efficiency and a slower fan speed for reduced noise.
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