Pratt & Whitney on Tuesday celebrated the 60th anniversary of the PT6 turboprop engine. Since Dec. 12, 1963, the OEM has delivered more than 64,000 PT6 engines to power nearly 21,000 aircraft, and the engine family has since exceeded 500 million flight hours on a broad range of missions in every region of the world.
“For six decades, the game-changing innovation and versatility of the PT6 engine have served as a foundation for industrywide achievement and modernization in general aviation, powering 155 different aircraft,” said Maria Della Posta, president of Pratt & Whitney Canada. “The PT6 is living proof of how one product and our team of people who make it possible, continue to positively impact the industry year after year. Its global reach consistently makes it the engine of choice for the markets and missions it serves.”
Examples of the PT6’s mission profile include firefighting, agricultural uses, emergency medical services, humanitarian missions, and pilot training.
Most recently, the company launched the PT6 E Series, the first engine family in general aviation to feature a dual-channel integrated electronic propeller and engine control system. According to the engine maker, the technology allows for simplified operations, control systems, and data intelligence, resulting in what it calls a more intuitive way of flying.