PC-6 hits new heights with Yeti in Himalayas
Chromalloy CF6 gas turbine blades have reached the 10,000 flight-hour mark for the first time with an unidentified major airline.
Chromalloy CF6 gas turbine blades have reached the 10,000 flight-hour mark for the first time with an unidentified major airline. The blades are produced by BELAC, Chromalloy’s joint venture with various commercial carriers who are attempting to avoid the high cost of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) blades by using alternative parts manufacturer approval (PMA) blades.
These are “a proven alternative to new OEM blades,” said San Antonio, Texas-based Chromalloy. PMA has become a generic label for any non-OEM part and gained widespread attention when Pratt & Whitney announced that it would manufacture high-pressure turbine (HPT) blades for CFM International engines. It is thus a fast-growing sector of the aerospace industry.
