Pratt & Whitney $10B gamble stumbles

In the latest blow to the Pratt &Whitney Geared Turbofan, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet was grounded after one of the engines shut down in flight on FTA-2. The aircraft made an emergency landing in Portland, where damage was found inside the engine.

All of the problems that customers have had are turning around and biting them hard on the ass now. In direct competition, GE engines have outsold Pratt engines 10 to 1. In the last month, 46% of GTF powered A320neo aircraft were out of service at least one week. This compares to 9% of GE powered aircraft.

www.chicagotribune.com...

Doesn't sound good.

As a gearhead, I always avoid complexity when possible. Simple and reliable always wins out, especially when it's something that flies.

Maybe Pratt can get the kinks worked out.

I remember when Pratt&Whitney engines were still worth a crap. The F-4Gs I worked had two Pratt&Whitney J-79s. I loved engine starts on the F-4G... when that J-79 hit it's groove, the deep rumbling sound it made would resonate in your chest. You FELT that power.

a reply to: Zaphod58
So not recommended for a single engine platform ??
LOL.

a reply to: CovertAgenda

Not recommended for anything with less than four, or maybe five. Heh.

Yeah. But the crazy part is that the problems have not been about the gear. It's been other, more pedestrian, systems/parts.

They have a tough battle ahead. The crazy part, is that when the engine works, it's beating fuel burn targets. Hope they can get that all worked out.

FTA-02 had the engine replaced and was ferried back to Moses Lake. The bad engine was sent back to Pratt for analysis.

Meanwhile, Pratt is focusing on solving the problems with the PW1100G engines in India by the end of the year.

www.flightglobal.com...

originally posted by: cosmania
They have a tough battle ahead. The crazy part, is that when the engine works, it's beating fuel burn targets. Hope they can get that all worked out.

It's literally Rolls Royce and the RB211 2.0. It's a complex new design that shatters performance expectations, and like the 3-spool Trents, could very well become the foundation of Pratt and Whitney's next few decades if the teething problems don't drag them into insolvency first.

originally posted by: madmac5150
I remember when Pratt&Whitney engines were still worth a crap. The F-4Gs I worked had two Pratt&Whitney J-79s. I loved engine starts on the F-4G... when that J-79 hit it's groove, the deep rumbling sound it made would resonate in your chest. You FELT that power.

J-79's were made by General Electric...