Intelligence: News

Pratt & Whitney Introduces PurePower

It’s been named PurePower and it represents Pratt & Whitney’s future in engine design. With much fanfare at the 2008 Farnborough Airshow, the manufacturer unveiled two engines — the PW1000G and PW800 — which employ geared turbofan (GTF) technology. P&W President Steve Finger claims GTF will provide double-digit improvement in fuel burn, noise reduction, operating costs and environmental emissions compared to engines not using this ultra high-bypass technology.

The PW1000G has logged 250 hours of ground testing. It entered flight test on a Boeing 747SP in early July and is to be flown on an Airbus A340 by year’s end. The PW1000G is scheduled to enter service in 2013, with a 15,000 to 17,000-lb-thrust version powering the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) and a 24,000-lb-thrust variant on Bombardier’s new CSeries airliners. The initial MRJ customer is All Nippon Airways, and Lufthansa placed the first order for CSeries jets.

The PW800, to be produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada, is aimed at the large bizjet market. A variant designated the PW810C, with 8,800 lbs of thrust, is scheduled to enter service in 2014 on Cessna’s Citation Columbus.

Over the next six months, P&W will invite technicians from airlines and MROs to work on PurePower engines and help determine ways of making them easy to maintain. A P&W official says his company plans to "make the engines easy to remove, use quick disconnects and arrange components for easy access." The goals are to make maintenance as much single level (not having to remove one part to access another) as possible and be able to remove, diagnose and replace line replaceable units (LRUs) within 20 minutes, normal gate time.

P&W mentioned plans to apply GTF technology to a PW4000 replacement, in the 60,000- to 100,000-lb-thrust range. A company official said that engine would be introduced "late in the next decade."

Basically, GTF technology, which P&W has been working on since the late 1980s, employs a gear that allows the fan and turbine to run at separate, optimum speeds. Partners in the PurePower program are MTU and Volvo.

Dassault Names Falcon Facilities

About a month after naming two new authorized service centers (ASCs) in South Africa, Dassault has announced plans to establish a Falcon service center in Brazil. Based at Sorocaba Airport in Sao Paulo, a 23,000-square-foot facility will support Falcon operators in Brazil, where demand is anticipated to double to more than 50 aircraft by 2011. Expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2008, the $6.5-million complex will service up to three Falcons at a time, and offer line maintenance, A-checks, and an AOG mobile response team. The Brazilian center will also have spare parts and tooling for all current Falcons, as well as for out-of-production models such as the Falcon 10, 20 and 50.

In a separate agreement, Dassault has designated a pair of maintenance providers — Bhakari Aviation and Execujet South Africa — as members of its Falcon ASC network. Both companies are located at Lanseria Intl Airport in South Africa and will provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, inspections, troubleshooting, AOG support and transient service. In another deal Dassault has signed a contract with Palmali at Ataturk Airport in Turkey to supply ASC support, including AOG assistance, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and warranty repairs, for Falcon jets.

Executive Airport to Open in Mideast

Abu Dhabi Airports Co. (ADAC) plans to establish the first dedicated executive airport in the Middle East, at Al Bateen military airbase, about six miles (10 km) from Abu Dhabi’s city center. ADAC’s plans include a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility and fixed-base operator (FBO), to establish a "one-stop shop" at the airport. A company official says an MRO and FBO could be "accommodated immediately." The facility will be able to initially take in 20 aircraft and eventually 50 executive jets, up to the size of a Boeing BBJ. ADAC is investing $54.5 million to resurface the 10,500-foot (3,200-m) runway and upgrade the lighting, electrical power and operational equipment.

The new airport will serve one of the fastest growing executive jet markets. More than 380 executive jets now operate in the Middle East, and that figure is forecast to grow to 900 jets by 2014.

Established in 2006 by Abu Dhabi’s government, ADAC is charged with developing the United Arab Emirates’ aviation industry, including the airports at Abu Dhabi (currently undergoing major renovations) and Al Ain.

GE/Walter Unveils Engine Derivative

Following its acquisition of certain assets of Walter Aircraft Engines, GE Aviation has launched a new turboprop derivative engine — the M601H-80. Intended for utility, agriculture and retrofit aircraft, the engine will incorporate GE’s 3D-aero design and advanced materials into the hot-section compressor and turbine, and new nozzle guide vane material in the gas generator and power turbine, new materials in the combustor liner and the company’s blisk design in the axial compressor. According to GE, the technologies will increase fuel efficiency by 7 percent compared to the M601F and allow for a higher temperature margin to improve takeoff in hot conditions and at high altitude cruise speeds. Featuring an extended service life of 3,600 hours and 6,600 cycles between overhauls, the M601H-80 will provide up to 800 shaft horsepower. GE and Walter started working on the derivative last year and have conducted several design evaluations, including component tests at GE and Walter facilities. Certification is anticipated in late 2009.

Bombardier Adds to AOG/LMF Network

Global Aviation has become an aircraft on ground/line maintenance facility (AOG/LMF) in the Pacific Northwest for Bombardier business jets. Under the agreement, the Hillsboro, Ore.-based company can now perform line maintenance on Learjet 40s, 45s and 60s, Challenger 604/605s and the full Global series. Global Aviation also offers charter, maintenance and management services and can process warranty claims and supply AOG support. The company also provides maintenance and repair services on Cessna Citation, Dassault Falcon, Embraer, Gulfstream, Hawker and Pilatus aircraft.

Jet Aviation Opens Beijing FBO

Jet Aviation has started offering services from a new FBO and maintenance facility at Capital Intl Airport in Beijing, China. Opened in advance of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the facility, when fully operational in fall 2008, will feature 3,300 square meters (35,475 square feet) of space for handling service, line maintenance and AOG support. Deer Air and Reach Investment are joint venture partners in the complex. During the games, Jet Aviation staffed the center with 15 line maintenance technicians and 55 ramp personnel to handle an estimated 200 arrivals over the course of the event. Beijing-based Capital Airport Holdings provided customs, immigration and quarantine services during the Olympics.