Transport Canada certifies Pratt & Whitney’s CSeries fuel efficient engine

Montreal — Transport Canada has certified Pratt & Whitney’s geared turbofan engine that will power Bombardier’s new CSeries aircraft, the companies announced Wednesday.

The U.S.-based engine manufacturer has conducted more than 4,000 hours of testing since September 2010, including 340 hours of flight testing on a Boeing 747 flight test airplane.

Bombardier CSeries general manager Rob Dewar said the engine’s certification is a “significant milestone and critical step” leading to the aircraft’s first flight test, which has been delayed six months until sometime before June.

“We are very pleased with the engine’s performance and the overall, steady progress of the CSeries aircraft program,” he said in a news release.

He said Bombardier has achieved several key milestones over the last few months, accepted two engine propulsion systems and is completing final assembly of the first test aircraft.

Pratt & Whitney vice-president Bob Saia said the company has demonstrated the “the durability and game-changing performance of our Geared Turbofan engine architecture,” including the targeted double-digit improvement in fuel efficiency and noise reduction.

The PW1500G engines type certified through Transport Canada by Pratt & Whitney Canada were assembled at Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Mirabel Aerospace Centre, north of Montreal. Each aircraft will be powered by two engines, which use an advanced gear system to allow its fans to operate at a different speed than the low-pressure compressor and turbine.

The 110- to 149-seat CSeries is partially made from advanced composite materials that promise to deliver a 15 per cent reduction in cash operating costs and a 20 per cent fuel burn reduction.

© 2013 The Canadian Press