Features Engines
Pratt produces 100th PT6 E-Series engine

Pratt & Whitney Canada back in March 2021 reached a milestone with the production of its 100th PT6 E-Series engine. The PT6 E-Series only entered full-scale production in late 2020, but the company points to the engine’s successful, rapid ramp-up because of the teams at its PT6 Centre of Excellence in Lethbridge, Alberta.

“Everything about the PT6 E-Series engine is special: Its capabilities, its technology, its performance monitoring systems and its ESP platinum pay-per-hour maintenance program, so it’s only appropriate that the engine’s production line is also a standout,” says Nick Kanellias, Vice-President, General Aviation. “The fact that we hit the 100-engine milestone in the month of March – National Engineering Month in Canada – was especially gratifying and a testament to the expertise and dedication of the entire PT6 E-Series team.”

The new PT6 E-Series engine, building on the legacy of the five-decade-plus history of the PT6 engine family, currently powers the Pilatus PC-12 NGX aircraft. Pratt & Whitney describes the PT6 E-Series as the first turboprop engine serving the General Aviation market that features a dual-channel integrated propeller and engine control system. The engine also provides a power increase of up to 10 per cent due to the latest generation of turbine materials and design.

The Experience Engine, Inside the Pratt & Whitney PT6 E-Series

“The immediate success of the PT6 E-Series engine is the direct result of our belief in research and development,” said Kanellias. “In January, we were named the top investor in Canada’s Aerospace Research and Development sector and the fourth largest R&D investor overall in the country. We continued our 2020 R&D investment program during the pandemic with the same determination that guided our employees as they safely produced the 100 PT6 E-Series engines while observing strict health guidelines in our plants.”