3 minute read
PT6 Engine Family: Changing the Course of Aviation Around the World
By Nick Kanellias, Vice President of Industrialization, General Aviation, Pratt & Whitney Canada
I have worked at Pratt & Whitney Canada for over 27 years, much of that time in General Aviation, which is home to the company’s iconic PT6 engine. From day one working with our aircraft OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers), suppliers and customers, I was struck by the passionate community that has grown around this engine family over the years.
The engine began as a leap of faith taken by a dozen or so Pratt & Whitney Canada engineers toiling away in a factory in the suburbs south of Montreal in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Now some six decades later, the PT6 engine has spawned generations of aviation enthusiasts and the many aircraft types they fly.
In what was seen as a bold move at the time, that original PT6 engineering team wanted to move beyond the traditional piston engines, which had been the bread and butter of the company for decades since its inception in 1928. The team set its sights on developing a small gas turbine engine, which would operate more smoothly than a piston engine, would be more easily scalable to achieve more powerful variants, and would potentially provide a more durable power plant.
The power to weight ratio offered by the turbine engine was attractive to civil and military operators at the time. Later, the airlines were sold on the turbine because of the engine’s improved reliability and durability – attributes that would translate into savings. With the advent of turboprop aircraft and helicopter manufacturers, the PT6 gas turbine quickly became the engine for its time.
The first commercial PT6 engine was shipped to Beech Aircraft Company on December 22, 1963. This was at a time when courageous aviators were romanticized for their intrepid adventures, bush piloting, crop dusting and thrilling crowds with daring acrobatics. The PT6 engine took that romance, joy and adventure and brought it to successive generations of newly minted aviation enthusiasts.
Today, more than 64,000 PT6 engines have been produced and nearly 31,000 of these engines are still in service. The PT6 fleet has flown an astounding 500,000,000 hours. PT6 engines have powered more than 155 different aircraft types ranging from helicopters to water bombers and crop dusters, from military trainers to luxury VIP transport, and from cargo haulers to short-hop commuter aircraft.
The PT6 engine has endured for so many years because every new model incorporates the latest technological innovations resulting in an ever-green engine in the ever-expanding field of General Aviation. Such innovation and product evolution are compelling recruitment tools that attract top talent to Pratt & Whitney Canada. Most people in aviation know the PT6 and many are excited about the opportunity to add to the engine’s legacy and their own CV’s lustre.
