PW1100G

he first Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofan (GTF) to be
flight tested for the Airbus A320NEO is being prepared for installation
on the engine maker’s Boeing 747SP testbed in Mirabel, Canada.Some
112 hours of ground tests already have been conducted at Pratt’s West
Palm Beach, Fla., site and the engine “performed well,” says VP-Next
Generation Products Family Bob Saia. Speaking at the ISTAT Americas 2013
conference in Orlando, Fla., Saia says Pratt also decided to take
advantage of lessons learned on the first engine by making minor design
adjustments on the second engine before it began ground tests.
The
PW1100G is due to be certified early in the third quarter of 2014, and
should power the A320NEO for its initial test flight shortly afterward.
Pratt currently has about 1,150 PW1100G engines on firm order for the
A320NEO, or slightly under half the overall market that has so far
selected an engine. The PW1100G competes with CFM International’s
Leap-1A, which is due to run for the first time in the third quarter.
The first Pratt-powered NEO is planned to enter service in October 2015.
The
PW1100G is expected to fly on the Boeing 747SP flying testbed in the
second quarter of 2013, and is one of eight test engines in the program.
The first flight-compliant production engines are set to begin assembly
in late 2013 to support the Airbus flight test and certification
effort. This is scheduled to include four aircraft—two A320s, one A319
and an A321.

Pratt & Whitney will provide exclusive power for 25 Airbus
A321neo aircraft for an order announced today by Hawaiian Airlines. The
16 firm and nine option aircraft order between Hawaiian Airlines and
Airbus represents up to 50 fuel efficient PurePower® PW1133G-JM engines.
Hawaiian Airlines also selected a long-term PureSolutionSM Fleet
Management Program to maintain the engines. Pratt & Whitney is a
division of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).
“Hawaiian
Airlines has unique operations over the Pacific that requires us to seek
the latest technology that will benefit our customers while helping us
meet our business goals. We selected Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower
engine because its fuel efficiency and extended twin operations allow us
to fly efficiently over the long distances our operations need,” said
Mark B. Dunkerley, president and chief executive officer, Hawaiian
Airlines.
“We are delighted that Hawaiian Airlines is extending
its long relationship with Pratt & Whitney by selecting PurePower
engines to power its A321neo fleet,” said Todd Kallman, president, Pratt
& Whitney Commercial Engines. “The double digit improvements in
fuel burn from our PurePower engines will provide savings for the
trans-Pacific routes Hawaiian Airlines flies to the west coast, which
range more than 2,500 miles. Pratt & Whitney’s PureSolution Fleet
Management Program provides Hawaiian Airlines with our commitment that
these engines will provide reliable and efficient operation for many
years to come.”
The agreement between Hawaiian Airlines and
Pratt & Whitney maintains the engine manufacturer’s leading position
on the A320neo aircraft family. The PurePower Geared Turbofan™ engine
family has more than 3,500 orders that include announced and unannounced
firm orders, plus options.

Our first PW1100G-JM demonstrated performance better than our pre-test forecast.

Pratt & Whitney (P&W) is preparing to ship the initial
PW1100G engine for Airbus’s A320NEO for flight tests in Canada on a
company Boeing 747SP testbed.
The engine, rated at 33,000 lb.
thrust, has accumulated 120 hours since beginning tests at P&W’s
West Palm Beach, Fla., test site in early December. The unit concluded
acoustic tests on April 10, and following installation work at P&W’s
Mirabel, Canada, site, is expected to begin flight tests in June.
A
second engine is undergoing structural tests and is poised for
crosswind evaluations that could determine whether the variable area fan
nozzle (VAN) is retained on the P&W-powered A320NEO. Bob Saia, VP
of P&W next generation products family, says the decision could be
made in about two months.
The feature, which dynamically alters
the exit nozzle area for different phases of flight to maintain blade
stability, was deleted from the smaller PW1500G engine for Bombardier’s
CSeries late last year. P&W decided to drop the VAN when tests of an
upgraded fan blade revealed the stiffer unit delivered the same
performance while maintaining adequate flutter margin without the need
for a variable nozzle.
Although the VAN also offers potential fuel
burn savings, Saia says the baseline engine in both the CSeries and
A320NEO will provide guaranteed fuel burn performance without the
feature. The VAN adds weight and mechanical complexity, and although
P&W designed it for minimum impact on maintenance, the company’s
clear preference is that the system also be deleted from the Airbus
engine. At the same time, P&W says the extensive development work on
the two different VAN designs that were created for the CSeries and the
A320NEO will be useful in future as a possible hedge against rising
fuel costs and noise regulations.
The third NEO engine will begin
high-pressure spool tests next month, while a fourth PW1100G has begun
endurance testing at P&W’s Manitoba icing facility in Canada. The
first four engines are expected to amass 1,000 test hours collectively
in the run-up to certification testing, which is due start in “two to
three months,” says Saia.
P&W’s update on NEO engine testing
comes as the engine maker receives a contract from Hawaiian Airlines for
its fleet of up to 25 A321NEOs. The airline, which firmed plans for 16
aircraft plus nine options in late March, is due to take the first NEO
in 2017. P&W says selection of the geared turbofan for the Hawaiian
fleet is evidence of a growing preference by operators for the PW1133G
engine on the long-haul, higher-capacity A321 over the competing CFM
Leap-1A powerplant. Total A320NEO family orders now stand at almost
2,070, of which some 416 are for the A321NEO version.