TECHNOLOGY | 41 New levels of performance The PT6 engine family is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This is one remarkable piece of propulsion technology. It has been used on more than 130 different types of aircraft. Over 50,000 PT6 engines have been manufactured, each new generation incorporating the latest technological advances in combustion efficiency, metals and alloys, environmental performance and controls. But what makes the PT6 exceptional, is its body of work. PT6 engines have accumulated nearly 400 million hours of flight, a record unparalleled in the industry. That flying experience has allowed P&WC engineers to build new levels of performance and reliability into the engine.
47 million hours flying time In the 1990s, Pratt & Whitney Canada introduced a new family of turboshaft engines, the PW200 light twin series. This engine family has also proven very popular and has helped triple the number of helicopter engines delivered annually in the course of the past decade. This year, the newest family of helicopter engines, the PW210, will enter into service. Over the past 40 years, the manufacturer delivered well more than 14,000 helicopter engines that have combined flying time of 47 million hours. A good portion of P&WC’s success in expanding the turboshaft engine portfolio is attributable to the global expansion of HEMS. In fact, more than 50% of its turboshaft engine applications are on helicopters that are routinely used for HEMS applications. While the business models for HEMS vary from country to country, the technical requirements of operators remain much the same. P&WC has worked diligently to understand those needs and to adapt the products accordingly and developed strong business relationships with some of the largest HEMS operators in the world. Four of the manufacturer’s top HEMS operators – three located in the United States and one in Germany – account for more than 550,000 accumulated engine flight hours on P&WC products.
HEMS challenges P&WC’s commitment is to provide the HEMS industry with safe, easy to operate and effective engines. Surely, HEMS missions cannot really be planned and almost always mean flying in difficult conditions where everyone on board is expected to multitask. The modern engines are designed to minimize pilot workload. They have advanced features such as auto start, limit protections that eliminate the need for constant gauge monitoring, and automatic OEI (one engine inoperative) exceedances monitoring. The engines have greater reliability, providing for outstanding dispatch availability. Furthermore, they have rapid takeoff capability, allowing the operator to maximize time in a setting where every second counts. The Canadian manufacturer also provides computer-based diagnostics and prognostics data management. Engine performance data can be gathered and downloaded after every flight giving the ability to forecast maintenance events and plan accordingly. Cost is always a concern and certainly fuel costs are at the top of every HEMS operator’s agenda. P&WC en-
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gines provide excellent fuel burn metrics, also offering automatic cycle counting, which recognizes fractional cycles, thus extending the life of cycle-limited parts.
P&WC Customer Service In an industry where dispatch availability is a critical factor, engine maintenance for a HEMS operator is a constant priority. P&WC offers a far-reaching customer service organization: Operations are organized around customers’ needs and their locations to create a unique service capability that responds 24/7/365 – virtually anywhere in the world. There are 30 owned and designated repair and overhaul facilities located around the globe. When it comes to consulting with its customers, P&WC has approximately 100 Field Support Representatives (FSRs), engine experts, who are always available to assist customers with their individual needs. And there are 100 strategically located mobile repair team technicians, which can be onsite anywhere in the world in eight hours, an industry benchmark. P&WC believes that by providing its customers with effective customer service solutions – based on reliability, maintainability and capability – it is also possible for the operators to create incremental value in their HEMS ops. Since many HEMS operators have a single aircraft, “aircraft on ground” (AOG) situations mean the job is not getting done. P&WC’s customer service network is highly responsive: Its CFirst customer response centre operates around the clock from the company’s headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec. CFirst is staffed with AOG experts whose focus is to get the aircraft back in service. In
Fig. 2: Four of the manufacturer’s top HEMS operators – three located in the US and one in Germany – account for more than 550,000 accumulated engine flight hours on P&WC products (Photograph: DRF Air Rescue)