Pratt & Whitney Canada continues to invest in PT6A

Vice President of Marketing and General Aviation Nicholas Kanellias said the company plans to deliver more than 15,000 engines in the next 15 years.

"We continue to innovate, we continue to invest,” Kanellias said.

About 48,000 PT6A engines power almost 130 aircraft models, and its turboprop model will top more than 395 million flight hours this year, the company reported July 23 at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The engine is installed on aircraft with a diverse range of operations that demand reliability, such as crop dusting, hauling skydivers, delivering cargo, and personal transport. The company said its global network strives to have engines back in the air within 24 hours.

“We never plan to stop investing in the PT6,” said Ryan Densham, senior marketing account manager for general aviation.

Densham said the company recently received supplemental type certificate approval for its FAST Solution on the entire Air Tractor line. FAST wirelessly transmits engine and aircraft data to Pratt & Whitney Canada to analyze, allowing the company to provide customers with actionable advice so that they can schedule maintenance at a time most convenient for their schedules.

The company expects to roll out detailed oil analysis technology for its entire fleet in the next six months. Pratt & Whitney Canada is still currently collecting data but said its oil analysis will look at the size, shape, and interaction of the particles in the oil to be able to pinpoint specific components that are deteriorating.

Pratt & Whitney is also starting a certified pre-owned program for the PT6 that offers a one-year/500-hour warranty on the engines.

In order to help mechanics rig the PT6A, the company is releasing free tutorial videos with advice from its master mechanics. The first videos are for the King Air 200 and 300 series and additional engine/aircraft combinations will be released in the future.