Monday, November 28, 2011

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Boosts Latest Mars Rover to the Red Planet




WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 26, 2011 – Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne demonstrated the consistent reliability of its power and propulsion systems by successfully boosting the Mars Science Laboratory rover, which will travel to the red planet to assess its habitability. The mission launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The Atlas V is powered by the RD AMROSS RD-180 booster engine, and the Centaur upper stage is powered by the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RL10 engine.

The Atlas V Centaur upper stage is powered by a single RL10A4-2 engine that delivers 22,300 pounds of thrust. The Atlas V Common Core booster is powered by the RD-180 engine and delivers nearly 1 million pounds of thrust. The RD-180 is the only liquid oxygen/kerosene fueled engine with an oxygen-rich staged-combustion cycle flying in the United States today.

Read Pratt & Whitney's press release here.

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Friday, November 25, 2011

P&W-Powered ‘Spirit of Freedom’ Greets Manchester Road Race Runners




Entrants in the Manchester, Conn., Road Race on Thanksgiving Day had plenty of reasons to keep their eyes on the road. But before the field of 15,000 could hit the streets, a Pratt & Whitney-powered aircraft gave runners a reason to look to the sky.

A Douglas C-54E Skymaster - "Spirit of Freedom" - did a flyover before the start of the 4.748-mile race, providing a patriotic sendoff for the 75th running of the event. The cargo plane was one of 330 Skymasters used in the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and 1949, as Allied aircraft airlifted more than 2.3 million tons of food and supplies into West Berlin.

The "Spirit of Freedom" was retired from military service in the 1970s, according to the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation, which owns and operates the C-54E. The foundation acquired the aircraft in 1992, restoring it and creating a museum and memorial inside the aircraft. The "Spirit of Freedom" now makes regular appearances at air shows and events throughout the United States.

The C-54E Skymaster is powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-2000 Twin Wasp engines. The R-2000 was a derivative of the R-1830 Twin Wasp, designed for the Douglas DC-4. Pilot Tim Chopp said the R-2000s are still providing dependable power, more than 60 years after the aircraft first entered service.

Pratt & Whitney is a longtime sponsor of the Manchester Road Race.

View photos of the C-54 Skymaster via the Pratt & Whitney Facebook page.

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

American Airlines Selects IAE’s V2533-A5 to Power New A321 Fleet

International Aero Engines has entered into an agreement that will enable IAE to play a key role in American Airlines’ fleet transformation. As a part of this pact, IAE will provide American’s future fleet of new Airbus A321 aircraft with its V2533-A5 engines. The financial terms and conditions of the transaction have not been disclosed.

This engine selection supports American’s July 2011 fleet order for 130 current-generation A320 family aircraft. American expects to take delivery of the A321 aircraft that are part of that order between 2013 and 2017.

Read the International Aero Engines presss release here.

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PurePower® PW1000G Geared Turbofan™ Engine Named to TIME Magazine’s ‘50 Best Inventions of 2011’

TIME Magazine has named Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower® PW1000G engine as one of “The 50 Best Inventions of 2011,” describing it as "the most important development in aviation in 2011.”

“We are very pleased to accept this recognition from TIME Magazine,” said Paul Adams, senior vice president, Operations & Engineering, Pratt & Whitney. “The PurePower Geared Turbofan engine is setting a new standard in the industry for efficiency and environmental friendliness."

Read the full Pratt & Whitney press release here.

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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Qatar Airways Selects Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1100G-JM Engines for Airbus A320neo Aircraft Family

DUBAI AIR SHOW, Nov 15, 2011 – Qatar Airways has selected Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1100G-JM engines for its order of 50 firm A320neo family aircraft. The deal includes 100 PW1100G-JM engines with a PureSolutionSM maintenance service agreement. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2015.

Each Qatar Airways Airbus A320neo family aircraft will be powered by two PurePower® PW1100G-JM engines with benefits including double-digit reductions in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs when compared with today’s engines.

Read Pratt & Whitney's press release here.

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ALAFCO Opts for Pratt & Whitney PurePower® PW1100G-JM Engines for Airbus A320neo Aircraft Family

Alafco Aviation Lease and Finance Co. KSCC (ALAFCO) selected Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G-JM engines to power its order of 50 firm A320neo family aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2017.

“Pratt & Whitney welcomes ALAFCO as a new customer," said Todd Kallman, Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines & Global Services President. “We are confident the PurePower engine’s performance and benefits will meet the expectations of ALAFCO and its customers.”

Read Pratt & Whitney's press release here.

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Monday, November 14, 2011

PurePower® Engines Surpass 1,000 Hours of Full Engine Testing

Pratt & Whitney has successfully completed more than 1,000 hours of full engine testing on its PurePower engines for its first two applications – the PW1500G engine series for the Bombardier* CSeries* aircraft and the PW1200G engine series for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet. Four PW1500G engines and two PW1200G engines have undergone testing to date. Each engine model will run a total of eight test engines leading to engine certification.

“We are on track for engine certification next year. Initial engine testing confirms we will meet our customer commitments on our initial models,” said Bob Saia, vice president, Next Generation Product Family. “This first block of engine testing, including the PW1524G flight testing, validated the overall engine design and positions us well going forward.”

Read Pratt & Whitney's press release here.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and NASA Complete Hot-Fire Test on J-2X Engine



Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and NASA successfully completed a 500-second duration hot-fire test on NASA’s J-2X engine, a key step in demonstrating the propulsion system’s ability to power humans further into space than ever before. NASA selected the J-2X as an upper-stage engine for the Space Launch System (SLS) – an advanced heavy-lift launch vehicle.

The hot-fire test ran full-duration for 500 seconds in the A2 test stand at John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The engine ran at a 100 percent power level to gain a better understanding of how the engine behaves during a full mission.

Read the Pratt & Whitney press release here.

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Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Pratt & Whitney F135 Propulsion System Powers Successful Sea Trials for F-35 Program



Sea trials have concluded for the F-35B Lightning II’s Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft. Flying under the power of Pratt & Whitney’s F135 propulsion system, two STOVL variants conducted 72 short takeoffs and vertical landings, for a total of 260 vertical landings in the program. The three-week sea trial period was conducted aboard the USS Wasp sailing from Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia.

“This is a significant and historic achievement for the F-35 program and the F135 propulsion system,” said Chris Flynn, vice president F135/F119 engine programs. “Beginning with the ‘first ever’ F-35B vertical landing to take place on a ship Oct. 3, the F135 provided dependable performance throughout the series of rigorous tests. We are meeting our goals on performance and affordability at this critical time for the F-35B program.”

Read Pratt & Whitney's press release here.

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Pratt & Whitney EcoFlight Solutions Signs Exclusive Software Licensing Agreement With Aviaso

Pratt & Whitney and Flight Sciences International have signed an exclusive software licensing agreement with Aviaso, an international software company developing products exclusively for the aviation industry, to provide innovative data analysis software for EcoFlight™ Solutions, a comprehensive fuel conservation program designed to help airlines save fuel and reduce emissions.

Under the agreement, Aviaso will provide exclusive data analysis software for EcoFlight Solutions, offering customers a comprehensive suite of customizable reports, alerts and dashboards including an easy-to-read application summarizing a customer's current fuel savings and opportunities for further reductions.

Read Pratt & Whitney's press release here.

For more information: www.ecoflightsolutions.com