The 50,000th PT6 turboprop engine has rolled off of the Pratt & Whitney production line, according to an announcement from the company during NBAA’s Virtual Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (VBACE) on Wednesday. Pratt & Whitney reports that there are more than 25,000 PT6-family engines in operation at present with over 410 million flight hours accumulated. The engine family currently has more than 130 applications.
“This production milestone is unmatched in the industry,” said Irene Makris, Pratt & Whitney vice president of sales and marketing. “The achievement sits as the collective cornerstone of Pratt & Whitney in General Aviation. With the PT6 E-Series engine now at the forefront, we remain committed to pushing innovation as we’ve been doing since the very beginning.”
The PT6 ran for the first time in 1960, entering service in 1964. Pratt & Whitney currently offers more than 70 PT6A models, ranging from 500 SHP to over 1,900 SHP. The PT6 E-Series, the latest addition to the PT6 line, was launched in October 2019 and powers the Pilatus PC-12NGX.
Designed, developed, and manufactured in Canada – by Pratt & Whitney Canada – although the article makes no mention of it.
I have 6,000 hours on turbo props, but very little on the PT-6.. I would still call 50, 000 engines a success..!!! Another great US manufacturer P&W..