What is the PT6A engine used for?
PT6A: Power for the turboprop It is used among others on business aircraft. Special versions of the engine also power transportation and military aircraft. The PT6 has been used in numerous aircraft, including the Beechcraft King Air, Pilatus PC-12, and Cessna Caravan. Its combination of reliability, low operating costs, and adaptability has made it a preferred engine for passenger transport, cargo operations, and special mission aircraft.PT6A engines have emerged as champions in contributing to a greener aviation industry by substantially reducing carbon emissions. These engines are renowned for their superior fuel efficiency, burning less fuel while delivering outstanding performance.The PT6 consists of two basic sections: a gas generator with accessory gearbox, and a free-power turbine with reduction gearbox.
How reliable is the PT6A engine?
Over the years, some 47,000 PT6As have been delivered, total flight times are in the neighborhood of 400 million hours, and the engine’s in-flight shutdown rate stands at fewer than three per 1 million hours of operation. Small wonder that most pilots swear the engine is a bulletproof model of reliability. Q: How often does a PT6A engine need to be overhauled? A: The PT6 TBO (Time Between Overhaul) is generally 3,000–5,000 hours, but intervals can vary based on operating conditions and specific PT6A variants.Ahrens said a Honeywell TPE331-10 overhaul typically costs $210,000 to $230,000 and carries “a lot of uncertainty. It’s not a fixed price; it depends on what they find when they open up the engine.The PT6A-42 overhaul cost can be a significant investment, often ranging from approximately $255,000 to $425,000 USD, depending on the facility, the specific condition of your engine upon induction, and the scope of work required.
How often does a PT6 fail?
The General Electric GE90 has an in-flight shutdown rate (IFSD) of one per million engine flight-hours. The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is known for its reliability with an in-flight shutdown rate of one per 333,333 hours from 1963 to 2016, lowering to one per 651,126 hours over 12 months in 2016. The family logged 400 million flight hours from 1963 to 2016. The PT6 family is known for its reliability with an in-flight shutdown rate of 1 per 333,333 hours up to October 2003, 1 per 127,560 hours in 2005 in Canada, 1 per 333,000 hours from 1963 to 2016, 1 per 651,126 hours over 12 months in 2016.Over the years, some 47,000 PT6As have been delivered, total flight times are in the neighborhood of 400 million hours, and the engine’s in-flight shutdown rate stands at fewer than three per 1 million hours of operation. Small wonder that most pilots swear the engine is a bulletproof model of reliability.
What does PT6 stand for?
PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine that stands for Pratt and Whitney Canada. Pratt and Whitney Canada originally produced the PT6 in 1956 when the president of PWC ordered his engineers to create a turboprop engine designed to replace piston engines. LONGUEUIL, Quebec – (JULY 16, 2025) Pratt & Whitney Canada is celebrating 40 years of powering Textron Aviation’s Cessna Caravan with its PT6A turboprop engine. Since its first delivery in 1985, every Caravan aircraft delivered – over 3,100 globally – has been powered by the PT6A engine.