Polish air ambulance service Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (LPR) has logged more than 200,000 engine hours on its fleet of 27 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B-powered Airbus H135 helicopters over the last 20 years, it announced this week. LPR has a fleet of 36 aircraft.
“We have worked with Pratt & Whitney Canada since October 2021 on a fleet enhancement program (FEP) that will see us install 48 new PW206B2 and B3 engines on our helicopters, 25 of which have already been installed. The FEP has proven to be an attractive solution and provides an economical, efficient way to refresh our fleet,” said Wojciech Woźniczka, LPR director’s proxy of key project management.
“The H135 has been a reliable workhorse for the medivac community since it entered into service. During that time, we have introduced three versions of the PW206B engine, each one offering more advantages to operators,” said John Lewis, senior director of customer programs at Pratt & Whitney Canada.
More than 5,600 PW206/207 engines have been produced since the family entered service in the 1990s, accumulating some 13.6 million flying hours in emergency medical service, security and defense, utility, business, and other operations. In addition to powering the H135, the engine is also aboard helicopter models including the Bell 427 and 429; Leonardo A109 and AW109; MD 900 and 902; and Ansat -CIV.