P&WC Introduces New Engine Condition Monitoring Tools

Pratt and Whitney Canada (P&WC) has introduced several new data accumulation and analyzing tools here at EBACE, including an on-condition engine maintenance program for Cessna Citation Latitude operators. Rolled out for the PW306D1, customers can now pay special Eagle Service Plan (ESP) pay-per-hour program rates if they are on the on-condition engine program and have the flight, acquisition, storage and transmission (Fast) diagnostics and prognostics solution installed on their aircraft.

Using the Fast system, the powerplant maker can assess much of the condition of the engine without intrusive inspections or engine removals. “On condition maintenance provides for greater aircraft availability, reduced costs for business jet customers, and better dispatch reliability,” noted Tim Swail, the company’s vice president of customer programs. “It’s another example of how we are using the latest technologies to tailor our solutions and programs to anticipate and meet the needs of our customers for whom time is a precious commodity.”

P&WC’s turnkey Fast solution wirelessly captures and transmits hundreds of engine performance parameters every time the pilot shuts down the engines.

The company has delivered more than 1,100 Fast installations to customers, and has now received FAA and EASA approval for the prognostics solution on the PT6A-powered King Air B200 and B300 series turboprop twins. Through the deep engine insight provided, P&WC will help those King Air customers optimize maintenance planning and reduce costs and pilot workload. 

The OEM (Booth O105A) also announced that after a slate of successful customer trials, it is introducing its oil analysis technology solution for the PW306A engine series. According to the Canadian manufacturer, that will allow it to identify potential maintenance events at an early stage so they can be addressed proactively or avoided entirely. Based on oil sample findings, customers will receive personalized reports and maintenance recommendations.

Lastly, PW300 engine operators are now the first to benefit from the company’s new “proactive help desk,” the latest addition to its preventative, data-driven customer support. "P&WC’s proactive help desk will be supported by a dedicated team of aviation technicians and data analysts addressing customers’ needs through the use of data-driven decision making and preventative maintenance tools and practices,” said Swail, adding that data provided by the new oil analysis technology will also play a role in the proactive help desk service by allowing for a highly accurate assessment of key oil-wetted components. “The team, which will continue to expand as the service is rolled out to other engine families," he said, "conducts daily reviews of customer data from sources such as our Fast solution to identify and flag maintenance requirements so they can be addressed during scheduled field interventions.“