Pratt & Whitney Canada marks 60 years of the purpose driven PT6 engine family

Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, celebrated the 60^th anniversary of the PT6 engine family, amassing more than 500 million hours on a broad variety of aircraft missions in every region around the world.

Since Dec. 12, 1963, more than 64,000 PT6 engines have been delivered to power nearly 21,000 aircraft, fostering a sense of connectivity and community wherever they fly. 

“For six decades, the game-changing innovation and versatility of the PT6 engine has 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 how of 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.”

Operators continue to leverage the PT6 engine family to achieve a variety of missions. Here are just a few examples of its impact:

Firefighting: PT6-powered, single-engine firefighting aircraft are both productive and precise, helping extinguish forest fires around the world at a time when the number and intensity of wildfires is increasing globally. 

Agricultural application (Ag): When the PT6 engine team began designing engines for this market, it boosted productivity by 60 per cent over the piston engines it replaced. Since then, eight PT6A engine models have been designed for ag aviation.

Emergency medical services: Whether powering fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, the PT6 engine has long been the go-to power source for Emergency Medical Services organizations, helping ensure their life-saving missions are met with success. 

Humanitarian missions: Carrying humanitarian aid to remote villages using a dirt runway or shuttling life-saving vaccines to rural communities, PT6-powered aircraft are an important element in a global distribution network.

Pilot training: PT6-powered trainer aircraft have been used for more than four decades to train future pilots who go on to play critical roles in defending freedom. 

Through constant collaboration with its airframe manufacturers, Pratt & Whitney Canada continues to lead with innovation.

The recently launched PT6 E-Series is the first engine in general aviation to feature a dual-channel integrated electronic propeller and engine control system. The technology provides an overall more intuitive way of flying with simplified operations, control systems, and data intelligence. 

This press release was prepared and distributed by Pratt & Whitney Canada.