PW works toward 10% fuel efficiency gain for 2020’s GTF

With the Airbus A320neo expected to enter flight testing this fall, equipped with the Pratt & Whitney P1000G Geared Turbo Fan and the Bombardier CSeries, also with the GTF, already in testing, PW is already engaged in research to improve fuel efficiency by up to 10% by the middle of the next decade.

During the PW Media Days last month, we sat down with Robert Saia, vice president of Next Generation Product Family, to discuss how this will be accomplished.

Saia describes what he calls a 10-year technology road map PW follows in its development process.

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Analyzing the Emirates order cancellations

The cancelled order for 70 Airbus A350s before the company’s annual Innovation Days was a surprise and an embarrassment that took the edge off what was intended to be a two day promotion of Airbus programs.

The cancellation by Emirates Airlines was certainly not good news. But it probably should not have been a total surprise. That it was had more to do with people not paying attention. Emirates had been signaling for some time it had issues with the program ever since Airbus rejigged the A350-1000 a few years ago, without consulting Emirates in the process.

Headlines were bad and while most analysts were measured and reporting balanced, there were a few exceptions of hand-wringing disaster for breathless stories.

Airbus tried to downplay the cancellation, without much success. But an objective analysis suggests Airbus and the rationale analysts are correct: while a blow, it’s hardly a program-defining moment, any more than the Bombardier CSeries-Pratt & Whitney engine failure last month was a defining moment in that program.

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Counting options, Letters of Intent

Should manufacturers be counting options and letters of intent toward program certainty? We’ve always thought this was pretty cheeky, but in reality there is a reasonable foundation and history for doing so. Years ago Boeing regularly ridiculed Airbus for announcing “commitments,” denigrating these as not being “real” orders (and, of course, literally they weren’t). But then came the losing battle between the A320neo and the 737 MAX. Lo and Behold, Boeing touted “1,000 orders and commitments” for the MAX in a PR effort to bolster the competitive position of the MAX. Of course, these “commitments” (in the form of options, MOUs and LOIs) converted to orders eventually.

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Low pressure turbine failed in CSeries incident: UBS, citing Bombardier

The low pressure turbine failed in the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbo Fan engine on Bombardier’s CSeries, reports investment bank UBS, citing Bombardier.

Writes UBS:

BBD confirmed that recent GTF engine failure was in the low-pressure turbine and that the airframe (FTV1) was damaged in the incident, but downplayed the impact to the program schedule. While root cause analysis is ongoing, BBD emphasized that the failure was unrelated to the gearbox, and also suggested that a manufacturing defect (rather than a design flaw) may have been the cause. The subject engine was known to have problems, and BBD had considered sending it back to Pratt prior to incident on 5/29. Engine was instead repaired at BBD and the failure occurred during subsequent ground-testing. Root cause expected by end of week, corroborating message from our meetings with UTX on Monday.

The LPT is at the rear of the engine. A BBD official told us previously that FTV 1 was equipped with prototype engines, and that the production engines are first installed on FTV 4, the airplane that is designated to validate engine performance.

Engine failures during test programs are rare but not unknown. Rolls-Royce experienced a test-stand engine failure of the Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 in which components blew apart.

Separately, a GEnx engine spit parts out of the back of the engine while a 787 was taxiing at Boeing’s Charleston 787 plant. Neither incident has serious impact on the program.

Embraer’s enhanced E-Jet passenger experience

We flew in a new American Airlines (operated by Republic Airways) Embraer E-Jet E1 on our way to the Pratt & Whitney media day and noticed the difference immediately with the E-Jet” Classic.”

It’s the “passenger experience.”

The E-Jet Classic had overhead bins that were better than the Bombardier CRJ and Embraer ERJ but non as good as the Airbus A320, Boeing 737 or the forthcoming Bombardier CSeries. The bins could accept larger bags than could the CRJ and ERJ but not as big as the other jets. The port side bin in the E-Jet Classic was a narrow little thing that we joked could accept your water bottle and that was about it.

The new E-Jet E1 Enhanced bins are much better. While the port side first class isn’t as big as the starboard side, it now accepts briefcases, tote bags and small backpacks. The star board bin easily accepts roller backs sized for three nights away, though Airbus, Boeing and CSeries still have an advantage.

PW Media Day 2: GTF gets 35,000 lb thrust rating

Pratt & Whitney today confirmed that it will offer a Pure Power Geared Turbo Fan engine with 35,000 lbs of thrust, an increase of two thousand pounds from the previously announced model that powers the Airbus A321neo.

Officials declined to confirm our previously reported thrust bump for the Bombardier CSeries GTF, continuing to stick with its prepared statement.

Thrust bumps are largely considered for hot-and-high operations, where the extra boost is needed to get off the runway with maximum payload. In most operations, the extra thrust isn’t needed. The trade for the extra thrust is higher maintenance costs.

Airlines, according to one engineer, tell engine OEMs that they don’t want the extra thrust as the engine is being designed because of the associated extra costs, but then invariably later say they do.

Market Intelligence tells us CFM is going to provide a 35,000 lb model of the LEAP that powers the A321neo and the Boeing 737-9 MAX.

Separately, PW announced:

  • Six prototype V2500 engines built by affiliate International Aero Engines were shipped to Embraer for its KC-390 MRTT tanker. Flight testing will begin this year and certification is expected in the third quarter.
  • PW is “significantly” increasing capacity in advance of increased engine production demands for the civil and military markets.
  • PW signed $10bn in long-term supplier agreements with 90 companies globally for civil and military engines.

PW Media Day 2: President’s overview

Paul Adams, president of Pratt & Whitney, called 2013 a “transformational” year during his overview at PW’s Media Day today.

The CSeries GTF was certified and Embraer selected the GTF to power its E-Jet E2. Bombardier’s first CSeries also flew for the first time, representing the first time the GTF became airborne on an airliner (as opposed to PW’s Boeing 747SP test bed).

Adams said that PW, like other airframe and engine OEMs, plans to grow its after-market business as a profit center. By continuing to integrate the V2500 producer International  Aero Engines and P&W AeroPower (APUs), Adams said that this is key to the transformational strategy going forward. Growing commercial and military engines is also key.

Integrating IAE presents “one face to the customer,” Adams said, particularly as the V2500 program on the Airbus A320ceo ramps down as the GTF-powered A320neo program ramps up. The aftermarket for the 6,000 V2500s now in service and about 2,000 more to be delivered before the program ramps down will be an important profit center going forward.

Adams said that PW now has greater than a 50% market share on the A320neo family vs the CFM LEAP. The first two flight engines have been delivered to Airbus.

Adams announced that PW will offer a 35,000 lb thrust version of the GTF on the A321neo.

 

 

 

 

Odds and Ends: Quote of the Day; A380 vs 777X; 757NG; CSeries

Quote of the Day: We have our favorite in this story. We presume our Readers won’t have any trouble figuring this out. And the prospect of announcing the Airbus A330neo at the ILA Berlin Air Show is clearly off the table.

A380 vs 777X: Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier said the A380 will have to be updated in order to be able to compete with the Boeing 777X, confirming our analysis in February that the 777X will give the giant aircraft a run for its economic money.

Boeing 757NG: Delta Air Lines’ CEO Richard Anderson thinks Boeing should make a 757NG. Failure to do so could open the door for Bombardier and Embraer to move up into this space, he says. Interesting idea from Seeking Alpha, with an annoying requirement for free registration to complete reading the article.

CSeries: From the sidelines at Pratt & Whitney: FTV 4 said to be airborne; BBD won’t send a CSeries to the Farnborough Air Show.

Airbus, Boeing face pricing pressure

Airbus and Boeing face pricing squeezes that are the result of their continuing price wars and two products that need price cuts to maintain sales.

The fierce single-aisle battle between Airbus and Boeing, and to a much lesser extent, between Airbus and Bombardier, puts pricing pressure on the A320ceo and to some degree the A320neo.

Airbus and Boeing each blame the other for a price war that has put pressure on margins for the in-production airplanes, but market share battles are only part of the issue. There is the need to keep the production lines humming for these airplanes in advance of the transition to the re-engined A320neo and 737 MAX, particularly as the Big Two up production rates over the next few years.

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Odds and Ends: 367-80 roll-out 60 years ago; Air Canada deals blow to BBD

367-80 rollout: Boeing rolled out the 707 prototype, the 367-80, 60 years ago yesterday. The Seattle Post Intelligencer has this story. The name 367-80 was an effort to infer the project was merely a derivative of the C-97 cargo airplane (the military Stratocruiser; the commercial designation was B-377), with the “80” indicating the 80th iteration of designs.

The 707 prototype is in the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy wing at Washington Dulles Airport.

Air Canada keeps E-Jets: Bloomberg reports that Air Canada will keep its 25 remaining E-190 E1s, dealing a blow to Bombardier, which had hoped to sell its CSeries to Air Canada in a deal that would take out the E1s.

It’s got to be a major disappointment for Bombardier, which had hoped to sell 25 CSeries to AC in a deal that would have taken the E-190 in on trade. Boeing previously won a 737 MAX deal that will take 20 E-190s in on trade.

While a blow to BBD, looking under the hood, so-to-speak, indicates that this is an Air Canada issue and not a CSeries issue. Air Canada reported a loss of C$341m for the first quarter. Although officials attempted to dress up the loss, this is a big number, and Air Canada said it will keep the remaining E-195s to avoid incurring more debt:

With respect to the remaining 25 Embraer 190 aircraft in the airline’s fleet, after careful consideration, Air Canada has decided to continue to operate the aircraft given their young age, productivity and high customer acceptance on existing
routes and to avoid additional capital expenditures and debt.

The E-190s are also on AC’s books above current market value, according to our information, making disposal a challenging issue if the airline is to avoid an impairment charge.