Pratt & Whitney Canada Celebrates Swedish Police Squadron 40,000-hour Milestone

HELI-EXPO, ORLANDO, FLORIDA--(Marketwire - March 6, 2011) - Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has joined with aircraft maintenance company Patria Helicopters AB to mark an important milestone reached by the helicopter squadron of the Swedish Police. EC135P2 helicopters operated by the Squadron and equipped with P&WC's PW206B2 engines have now recorded a remarkable 40,000 in-flight hours. The milestone was announced at the Swedish Police Pilot Conference in Sweden, and P&WC awarded the Squadron with a special plaque commemorating the event. Pratt & Whitney Canada is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company.

"The Swedish Police was the inaugural customer of our PW206B2 engine, part of our PW200 family of engines, when it was launched in August of 2001," said Richard Dussault, Vice President, Marketing, P&WC. "This milestone is a testament to the PW206B2 engine's reputation for reliability. It also points to the growing success of the PW200 engine family, an advanced-technology engine." 

"We are very pleased with our ongoing partnership with P&WC and have been impressed with the excellent reliability of the engine and the great customer support the company has provided us," said Joakim Lundmark, quality manager/technical coordinator with the Swedish Police. "The engine has reached the same level of reliability as the PT6 engine."

The PW200 continues to be the engine of choice for the light-twin market. With more than 3,000 engines produced, and more than 3.7 million hours of accumulated operating time, the PW200 is a growing part of Pratt & Whitney Canada's turboshaft business. 

P&WC customer service

P&WC is celebrating the 22nd anniversary of its ESP^® plan this year, with more than 1,000 operators and 3,000 engines enjoying the benefits of membership.

In addition to the most advanced engine technology available, Pratt & Whitney Canada brings world-class customer service backed by a worldwide network of more than 100 field support representatives (FSRs), distribution centres in key locations around the world and more than 80 mobile repair technicians; a broad pool of rental and exchange engines; a customized Fleet Management Program (FMP^®) and Eagle Service™ Plan (ESP); comprehensive warranty coverage; as well as an extensive Customer Service Network with more than 30 facilities around the world.

P&WC and the helicopter industry

Since the 1970s, P&WC has produced more than 12,000 engines for the helicopter market, accumulating more than 43 million flying hours. The company has certified 31 models for more than 25 applications and engines destined for the helicopter industry.

We continue to make significant investment in our market-leading PW200 and PT6 turboshaft families of engines. Our outlook remains strong and we continue to direct our R&D investments toward customer-driven initiatives that target outstanding performance and reliability, optimal power-to-weight ratio, fuel burn, operating economics and environmental performance.

Come see us at Heli-Expo: Booth 421, Orange County Convention Center

Interested operators are invited to drop by P&WC's booth (421) to speak with a customer service representative.

About Pratt & Whitney Canada

Founded in 1928, and a global leader in aerospace, Pratt & Whitney Canada is shaping the future of business aviation with dependable, high-technology engines. Every second, a Pratt & Whitney Canada-powered aircraft takes off or lands somewhere in the world. Pratt & Whitney Canada's engines, with more than 500 million hours in the air, are the industry benchmark for innovative design, dispatch reliability, operating economics and easy maintenance. Pratt & Whitney Canada is firmly committed to ensuring that its products are designed, produced and operated while minimizing environmental impacts throughout their life cycle.

There are currently more than 47,000 engines in service on over 25,000 aircraft operated by some 10,000 operators in 198 countries. The most extensive support network in the industry, which includes more than 30 company-owned and designated service facilities, supports this global fleet.

P&WC has been taking front-line services to the next level ever since it launched its Customer First Centre (CFirst) in 2007. CFirst brings together a multidisciplinary and multilingual support team to resolve issues so that customers can return to service quickly. CFirst handles more than 100,000 contacts every year.

Based in Longueuil, Quebec (Canada), Pratt & Whitney Canada is a United Technologies Corp. company (NYSE:UTX). UTC is a diversified company providing high-technology products and services to the global aerospace and building industries.