Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) announced a couple of enhancements to its support of the PT6A- and PT6E-Series engines Tuesday at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The turboprop engine OEM unveiled the P&WCsmart Subscription Service, which will provide selected scheduled and unscheduled maintenance coverage, parts replacement, and digital engine health services for PT6As between their hot section inspections (HSI) and overhauls at an annual fee that starts at $7,500 per engine, per year.
“Our new P&WCsmart Subscription Service addresses a unique niche and need in our PT6A operator base, with a solution tailored expressly for those who are in the post-HSI stage of the engine lifecycle and not on an engine maintenance program,” said PWC director of general aviation customer programs John Lewis. “By providing a bundle of ongoing engine maintenance, services, and support through an affordable annual subscription, we can help operators cost-effectively maintain their engines to ensure the highest possible asset value and performance.”
The plan also provides options based on annual flying hours and offers the choice of one- or three-year subscription terms available for select PT6A models as well as a credit toward a P&WCsmart overhaul. Enrollment in the first year of the P&WCsmart Subscription Service is free for operators that purchase a P&WCsmart hot section inspection.
“We’re effectively giving customers access to ongoing engine OEM maintenance and services that can be linked to their next overhaul if they wish, making this a flexible, cost-effective mid-lifecycle solution,” added Lewis. “This is also why we added a new category under our P&WCsmart solutions–encompassing both event-based maintenance and ongoing services delivery.”
For operators of the PT6E-67XP—found on the Pilatus PC-12 NGx—PWC also unveiled an enhancement to its Eagle Service Plan (ESP) Platinum pay-per-hour engine maintenance program that will cover full foreign object damage (FOD), including wear and tear and other required repairs found during a FOD repair, thereby eliminating the need for duplicate coverage by an insurance plan and lowering insurance costs for operators.
“The comprehensive nature of our ESP Platinum program means that customers can confidently remove duplicate coverage from their insurance policy,” said Lewis. “We hope that such collaborations will become the standard to maximize the savings benefit to our operators.” PC-12 NGx operators insured by Starr Insurance Companies, the first insurer to partner in the program, can receive coverage with or without the inclusion of engine FOD, according to PWC.
In addition to the engine FOD insurance exclusion, PWC also announced that the PT6E-67XP marked a milestone by reaching 15,000 hours of flight powering the PC-12 NGx.