Engines
Pratt & Whitney Heeds Hard Lessons Learned on GTF
Any new engine upgrades will undergo more rigorous testing
Pratt & Whitney PW1100Gs powering Airbus A320neos in India, such as those at IndiGo, have faced a disproportionate level of scrutiny due to such problems as a design flaw in the knife edge seals in the engines' HPC aft hub. (Photo: Airbus)
Pratt & Whitney PW1100Gs powering Airbus A320neos in India, such as those at IndiGo, have faced a disproportionate level of scrutiny due to such problems as a design flaw in the knife edge seals in the engines' HPC aft hub. (Photo: Airbus)

Pratt & Whitney appears to have reached a point at which it can turn more of its attention toward proactive improvements to its geared turbofans after it reverted to a previous knife-edge seal configuration in the PW1100G’s high-pressure compressor aft hub in reaction to a series of rejected takeoffs and in-flight shutdowns in Airbus A320neos. Speaking last month at the company’s Digital Accelerator facility in Brooklyn, New York, Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines president Chris Calio told reporters that engineers continue to explore new designs for the seal, as part of standard practice to pursue continuous improvement in the overall engine design.


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