PW works toward 10% fuel efficiency gain for 2020’s GTF

With the Airbus A320neo expected to enter flight testing this fall, equipped with the Pratt & Whitney P1000G Geared Turbo Fan and the Bombardier CSeries, also with the GTF, already in testing, PW is already engaged in research to improve fuel efficiency by up to 10% by the middle of the next decade.

During the PW Media Days last month, we sat down with Robert Saia, vice president of Next Generation Product Family, to discuss how this will be accomplished.

Saia describes what he calls a 10-year technology road map PW follows in its development process.

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Analyzing the Emirates order cancellations

The cancelled order for 70 Airbus A350s before the company’s annual Innovation Days was a surprise and an embarrassment that took the edge off what was intended to be a two day promotion of Airbus programs.

The cancellation by Emirates Airlines was certainly not good news. But it probably should not have been a total surprise. That it was had more to do with people not paying attention. Emirates had been signaling for some time it had issues with the program ever since Airbus rejigged the A350-1000 a few years ago, without consulting Emirates in the process.

Headlines were bad and while most analysts were measured and reporting balanced, there were a few exceptions of hand-wringing disaster for breathless stories.

Airbus tried to downplay the cancellation, without much success. But an objective analysis suggests Airbus and the rationale analysts are correct: while a blow, it’s hardly a program-defining moment, any more than the Bombardier CSeries-Pratt & Whitney engine failure last month was a defining moment in that program.

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Counting options, Letters of Intent

Should manufacturers be counting options and letters of intent toward program certainty? We’ve always thought this was pretty cheeky, but in reality there is a reasonable foundation and history for doing so. Years ago Boeing regularly ridiculed Airbus for announcing “commitments,” denigrating these as not being “real” orders (and, of course, literally they weren’t). But then came the losing battle between the A320neo and the 737 MAX. Lo and Behold, Boeing touted “1,000 orders and commitments” for the MAX in a PR effort to bolster the competitive position of the MAX. Of course, these “commitments” (in the form of options, MOUs and LOIs) converted to orders eventually.

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Low pressure turbine failed in CSeries incident: UBS, citing Bombardier

The low pressure turbine failed in the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbo Fan engine on Bombardier’s CSeries, reports investment bank UBS, citing Bombardier.

Writes UBS:

BBD confirmed that recent GTF engine failure was in the low-pressure turbine and that the airframe (FTV1) was damaged in the incident, but downplayed the impact to the program schedule. While root cause analysis is ongoing, BBD emphasized that the failure was unrelated to the gearbox, and also suggested that a manufacturing defect (rather than a design flaw) may have been the cause. The subject engine was known to have problems, and BBD had considered sending it back to Pratt prior to incident on 5/29. Engine was instead repaired at BBD and the failure occurred during subsequent ground-testing. Root cause expected by end of week, corroborating message from our meetings with UTX on Monday.

The LPT is at the rear of the engine. A BBD official told us previously that FTV 1 was equipped with prototype engines, and that the production engines are first installed on FTV 4, the airplane that is designated to validate engine performance.

Engine failures during test programs are rare but not unknown. Rolls-Royce experienced a test-stand engine failure of the Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 in which components blew apart.

Separately, a GEnx engine spit parts out of the back of the engine while a 787 was taxiing at Boeing’s Charleston 787 plant. Neither incident has serious impact on the program.

PW Media Day: Real-time monitoring, combining IAE/PW service

This is the next in our series of reports from the Pratt & Whitney Media Days, May 19-20. This interview with Robert Saia, VP Next Generation Product Family, occurred before the Bombardier CSeries-PW GTF engine issue occurred.

Real time tracking information tracking came to the forefront because of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. Much was written about ACARS, which apparently was turned off shortly after 370’s last radio transmission. ACARS provides hourly updates to the airline, or to the engine/airframe makers, about the aircraft’s health monitoring system. ACARS was also important in the Air France 447 investigation in which the Airbus A330 disappeared over the South Atlantic.

We sat down with Saia to discuss, among other things, real-time engine tracking transmissions.

“We have developed in the past, the ability to monitor the engine in service, taking snapshots or continuous monitoring why the airplane was flying and downloading that when the aircraft landed. Either the airline or PW could analyze that data to look at what we call health monitoring to manage the serviceability of that engine.

“In addition to looking to solve problems, PW can also simulate characteristics to predict whether problems might arise based on prior flights,” Saia says. “The intent was to help the airline or PW, if it was providing the maintenance service, to troubleshoot, especially for an AOG (aircraft on ground) situations.

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CSeries setback as PW GTF has reported uncontained failure

  • Exclusive interview with Robert Saia, vice president of the Next Generation Product Family at Pratt & Whitney.
  • PW believes it has a “good understanding” of what happened.
  • Flight testing might resume quickly, reducing risk of program delay.
  • Customers coming to previously scheduled Bombardier meeting, will be permitted to see the airplane.
  • CSeries EIS delay not expected.

Bombardier, already facing an 18-24 month delay for its CSeries, may face another delay, some fear, following Friday’s reported uncontained engine failure of the Pratt & Whitney P1500G Geared Turbo Fan engine.

BBD grounded its four test airplanes while an investigation gets underway. The engine failure also damaged the fuselage of FTV 1. FTV 4, the airplane in airline configuration that is to validate economic promises of the GTF, had only been on three or four test flights in the slow-moving testing program. FTVs 2 and 3 have been flying for some time. FTV 5, 6 and 7 had not yet taken to the air.

There was a reported fire associated with the failure, but this is unconfirmed. Smoke was filmed during the event, but based on information Saturday, it’s unclear if a fire actually occurred, according to a person close to the investigation. The airplane was on the ground in Montreal at the time, and the four crew members were uninjured.

BBD, PW and Transport Canada are all investigating.

Engine failures during testing are rare but not unknown.

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Engineers group supports anti-Russia DOD amendment involving Boeing

The International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, has written members of Congress supporting an amendment to the FY15 National Defense Authorization bill (HR 4435) that would block Defense spending with Russian companies, including on with which Boeing has a major agreement.

This relates to the situation in Ukraine. The trade group summarizes the amendment below:

 

DeLarua/Granger/Ellison/Connolly (VA) Huizenga amendment #201 – to prohibit the DoD from entering into a contract or subcontract with Russia’s state-arms dealer Rosoboronexport until Russia pulls out of Crimea and has withdrawn from the eastern border of Ukraine. The fact that American taxpayer monies are being spent to prop up a Russian state run company is disturbing enough. However, what is sometimes lost in the discussion and reporting is that major American aerospace manufactures and Pentagon defense contractors continue to do business in Russia, including with Rosoboronexport. For example, The Boeing Company, which receives billions of dollars in Pentagon defense contracts, and was just granted billions more in tax incentives from Washington State taxpayers, has entered into a multi-billion dollar joint venture with Rosoboronexport, that could include up to $18 billion in contracts for Russian titanium products, and $5 billion on Russian engineering services by 2030. Meanwhile, the company is laying off thousands of US engineers. Not only does IFPTE support this amendment and urge a yes vote on it, we believe that its impact should also be extended to American manufactures doing business in Russia, particularly major American defense contractors such as Boeing.

The West’s sanctions against Russia are having an impact on aerospace. Bombardier was on the cusp of firming up an MOU for up to 100 Q400s and an assembly site in Russia into a contract when Russia entered Ukraine’s Crimea region. Canada is supporting sanctions (there is a large Ukrainian population in Canada). Boeing’s president and COO, Dennis Muilenburg, canceled an appearance at a key Russian conference (though lower level Boeing people reportedly would attend), supposedly at the request of the US government.

European participation in sanctions appears spotty.

Embraer’s enhanced E-Jet passenger experience

We flew in a new American Airlines (operated by Republic Airways) Embraer E-Jet E1 on our way to the Pratt & Whitney media day and noticed the difference immediately with the E-Jet” Classic.”

It’s the “passenger experience.”

The E-Jet Classic had overhead bins that were better than the Bombardier CRJ and Embraer ERJ but non as good as the Airbus A320, Boeing 737 or the forthcoming Bombardier CSeries. The bins could accept larger bags than could the CRJ and ERJ but not as big as the other jets. The port side bin in the E-Jet Classic was a narrow little thing that we joked could accept your water bottle and that was about it.

The new E-Jet E1 Enhanced bins are much better. While the port side first class isn’t as big as the starboard side, it now accepts briefcases, tote bags and small backpacks. The star board bin easily accepts roller backs sized for three nights away, though Airbus, Boeing and CSeries still have an advantage.

PW Media Day 2: GTF gets 35,000 lb thrust rating

Pratt & Whitney today confirmed that it will offer a Pure Power Geared Turbo Fan engine with 35,000 lbs of thrust, an increase of two thousand pounds from the previously announced model that powers the Airbus A321neo.

Officials declined to confirm our previously reported thrust bump for the Bombardier CSeries GTF, continuing to stick with its prepared statement.

Thrust bumps are largely considered for hot-and-high operations, where the extra boost is needed to get off the runway with maximum payload. In most operations, the extra thrust isn’t needed. The trade for the extra thrust is higher maintenance costs.

Airlines, according to one engineer, tell engine OEMs that they don’t want the extra thrust as the engine is being designed because of the associated extra costs, but then invariably later say they do.

Market Intelligence tells us CFM is going to provide a 35,000 lb model of the LEAP that powers the A321neo and the Boeing 737-9 MAX.

Separately, PW announced:

  • Six prototype V2500 engines built by affiliate International Aero Engines were shipped to Embraer for its KC-390 MRTT tanker. Flight testing will begin this year and certification is expected in the third quarter.
  • PW is “significantly” increasing capacity in advance of increased engine production demands for the civil and military markets.
  • PW signed $10bn in long-term supplier agreements with 90 companies globally for civil and military engines.

PW Media Day 2: President’s overview

Paul Adams, president of Pratt & Whitney, called 2013 a “transformational” year during his overview at PW’s Media Day today.

The CSeries GTF was certified and Embraer selected the GTF to power its E-Jet E2. Bombardier’s first CSeries also flew for the first time, representing the first time the GTF became airborne on an airliner (as opposed to PW’s Boeing 747SP test bed).

Adams said that PW, like other airframe and engine OEMs, plans to grow its after-market business as a profit center. By continuing to integrate the V2500 producer International  Aero Engines and P&W AeroPower (APUs), Adams said that this is key to the transformational strategy going forward. Growing commercial and military engines is also key.

Integrating IAE presents “one face to the customer,” Adams said, particularly as the V2500 program on the Airbus A320ceo ramps down as the GTF-powered A320neo program ramps up. The aftermarket for the 6,000 V2500s now in service and about 2,000 more to be delivered before the program ramps down will be an important profit center going forward.

Adams said that PW now has greater than a 50% market share on the A320neo family vs the CFM LEAP. The first two flight engines have been delivered to Airbus.

Adams announced that PW will offer a 35,000 lb thrust version of the GTF on the A321neo.