June first flight anticipated for P&W geared turbofan
With two airframe applications already secured and early test results looking “very, very good,” Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan (GTF) development engine

With two airframe applications already secured and early test results looking “very, very good,” Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan (GTF) development engine appears headed for first flight in June.

Bob Saia, P&W’s vice president for next-generation product family, told AIN just before the Singapore Airshow that the GTF had “met or exceeded” pre-test performance predictions during sea-level and performance tests, which began in November. “We really are extremely pleased,” he said. “The first 130 hours of testing validated all of the operational parameters we were looking at, including performance, gearbox efficiency and the oil temperature management system.”