Why Mechanics Can’t Get Enough of the PT6A Turboprop Engine
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine used to power an aircraft propeller. A very well-known and respected turboprop engine type is the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6. Developed by Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC), it was designed in the late 1950’s before entering service in 1964. Many variants of the engine have been made since its inception, but the PT6A has remained the most widely-used. Not only are these engines popular among pilots, they are loved just as much by mechanics. Here are three reasons why:
Accessibility
The PT6A is the ideal piece of machinery for mechanics. The engine’s free-turbine modular design allows access to its hot section, power turbine, and accessory gearbox area without having to disassemble the engine. It grants mechanics the ability to perform significant operation on the engine very conveniently
Design
Because the PT6A has been in production and use for so long, Pratt & Whitney Canada have used that time to hone in on the perfect engine. The decades of service experience and hundreds of millions of flight hours mean PWC has seen it all. Over time, they’ve run into and fixed every problem imaginable and thus a good engine has become a great engine.
Reliability
The PT6A engine is the byproduct of over fifty years of engine development. PWC’s refinement over five decades, along with advances in aviation technology, have brought the PT6 engine to its summit. The PT6A is in use in nearly 200 countries and has logged almost 400 million hours of flight - more than any other engine in production.
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