New Video Series Showcases PT6E-67XP Engine's Advanced Features

A new three-part video series will help customers fully benefit from the PT6E-67XP engine experience, including digital connectivity, built-in intelligence and powerful diagnostic/prognostic capabilities. Our expert explains the video series’ intent.

Introducing the PT6E-67XP’s Ecosystem

Pratt & Whitney recently launched a new video series about the PT6E-67XP engine for the Pilatus PC-12 NGX aircraft highlighting the advanced features and numerous benefits of the state-of-the-art engine. The videos, created specifically for aircraft owners, technicians, and directors of maintenance, focus on the pilot experience, troubleshooting and the Data Collection and Transmission Unit (DCTU) app, respectively.

“The videos showcase what makes this engine a step ahead and how it provides a more intuitive way of flying, from engine start to propeller and engine control,” said Rob Winchcomb, Manager, PT6 Turboprop, Owner-Pilot.

The Simplicity of Intuitive Controls

The first video showcases the simplified flying experience offered by the PT6E-67XP, the launch engine in Pratt & Whitney’s PT6 E-Series™ family and first general aviation turboprop with a dual-channel integrated electronic propeller and engine control system.

Thanks to its digitally enabled single lever and precision-controlled auto-throttle, the engine simplifies the flying experience and reduces pilot workload. This further enhances the appeal of the PC-12 NGX for owner-pilots using it for business or personal travel, for whom convenience and availability are priorities.

The Power of Being Connected

Convenience and availability are also provided by the engine’s digital connectivity, which facilitates troubleshooting and preventive maintenance with the aid of the experts on the Proactive Services team. This is the subject of the second video.

The PT6 E-Series™ engine offers a different user experience. We have data coming off the airplane after each flight which we can act on to make the engine more available than ever before. We’re using information proactively to surgically perform maintenance or part replacement at the optimal time.

 - Rob Winchcomb, Manager, PT6 Turboprop, Owner-Pilot

The PT6E-67XP engine is equipped with a Data Collection Transmission Unit (DCTU) which wirelessly transmits full-flight engine data shortly after landing and shutdown. This data is available on multiple platforms, including mobile devices, providing

operators and directors of maintenance with easily accessible, comprehensive insights into their engine’s performance and maintenance needs.

The data is also analyzed by the dedicated team at Pratt & Whitney’s Proactive Services*, who will reach out to the customer’s technical staff to recommend preventive maintenance actions based on what they are seeing.

We’re using the data to get ahead of potential issues. Imagine if your car’s manufacturer called you and told you that you needed to replace a sensor before it started to cause problems. That’s what our Proactive Services team does for your engine.

 - Rob Winchcomb, Manager, PT6 Turboprop, Owner-Pilot

Remote Visibility into Engine Health

Available on the Apple iOS App Store, the DCTU app featured in the third video uses wireless connectivity to communicate with the PT6E-67XP’s DCTU hardware and understand engine health remotely.

Using the app, technicians can check on many different parameters such as water temperature or oil pressure. The data goes beyond numbers, showing trends visually and in color, so users can understand them at a glance.

The beauty of the app is that it puts engine trends at your fingertips. Based on what it shows you, along with the advice from Proactive Services, you can perform maintenance work according to your own schedule and keep your engine available and in top-notch condition when you need it.

 - Rob Winchcomb, Manager, PT6 Turboprop, Owner-Pilot

That’s just the beginning. The DCTU app also lets you view events, exceedances and faults, retrieve diagnostics data, perform live diagnostics, change line replacement units or engine modules using barcode scanning, view a log of engine changes and offload data to ground support equipment, among other functions.

“We’re enhancing the app based on feedback from customers,” adds Rob. “As we learn from technicians and engine data, we’re putting more features on it. It’s a dynamic, evolving tool. The video is just a teaser of what it can do.”

Inspired in part by an earlier series of videos about PT6A engine rigging, longer and more technical videos are planned for later release.

*Proactive Services offered through the Eagle Service™ plan (ESP™) Platinum maintenance program for the PT6E-67XP Engine.

For more about the PT6 E-Series™ engine family and how it has raised the bar for general aviation turboprop engines, check out Proactive, Data-Driven Support Heightens PT6 E-Series™ Availability.