T6 Turboprop Reaches Four Decades of Service

Pratt & Whitney Canada has marked the 40th anniversary of the PT6 engine's maiden flight.

The PT6, Canada's first small turbine engine, first took to the sky on May 30, 1961, mounted in the noise of a modified Beech 18, at de Havilland's Downsview facility. De Havilland test pilot Robert H Fowler and P&WC's John MacNeil made the initial familiarization flight.

"We are delighted to recognize this special milestone," says Gilles Ouimet, president and CEO of P&WC. "The PT6 turboprop family is one of our great success stories and it has established an enviable record for reliability and durability since it was first introduced to the market.

"The PT6 has been the foundation on which we have evolved into a world leader in a wide range of power ratings to meet the diverse needs of the marketplace"

The program was launched in 1958 and remains one of P&WC's most successful engines, with over 100 applications to date. The PT6 turboprop and turboshaft family is the world's most popular engine in its class, with over 36,000 delivered.