Pratt & Whitney reports intial ground testing of the PW1524G now complete

Pratt & Whitney said it "successfully completed initial ground testing" on its first PW1000G series engine. The powerplant, which went through nearly 200 hr. of tests beginning last September at the company's West Palm Beach facility, is the PW1524G for the Bombardier CSeries.

"The engine continues to exceed our expectations," said VP-Next Generation Product Family Bob Saia. "We have already completed an unprecedented amount of testing on this first engine, including a full structural evaluation, performance, noise and emissions testing." This has validated "overall engine operational characteristics, including component design, rotor dynamics and engine fuel and lubrication systems," the company stated, noting that the first engine ran "nearly three times longer than Pratt's legacy experience" for a first engine test program. Assembly of the second and third development engines are nearing completion with the second to be mounted on Pratt's 747 flying testbed later this year following ground testing.

Engine certification and aircraft first flight are scheduled for 2012, with service entry in 2013. In addition to the CSeries, the PW1000 geared turbofan has been selected for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, the Airbus A320neo and the Irkut MC-21.

(Perry Flint - Air Transport World)