Page 18 - TNTApril2018

Getting the Most Out of Your PT6A
The turbine engine is the single most expensive component on an airplane. Here’s how to best manage and minimize maintenance.
by Rebecca Groom Jacobs
The production oor at Dallas Airmotive.
Now found in more than 70 aircraft models, the PT6A engine family is a powerhouse among the turboprop world – and with good reason. With versions varying from 500-1,700
shaft horsepower, the engine has proven to be incredibly versatile and dependable no matter the application across general, commercial and military sectors.
An incredible 47,000 PT6A engines have been produced since the product entered service in the 1960s. On top of performance, operators especially appreciate its predictability and vast service network. One service organization in particular has been involved since the engine’s infancy.
Dallas Airmotive
Dallas Airmotive, an operating unit of BBA Aviation, has been servicing the PT6A for more than 50 years. Today, its official designation is as a Pratt & Whitney Canada Distributor and Designated Overhaul Facility (DDOF). The company essentially covers it all: overhauls, full service
repair, hot section inspections, part sales, engine testing and more. Its current employee count sits around 800.
“Our experience runs deep, with many of our employees averaging more than 20 years in tenure,” said Kalyn Ortiz, marketing manager at Dallas Airmotive. “We know engines because it is all we have done for more than 80 years.”
Originally a piston overhaul facility during its founding in the 1930s, Dallas Airmotive quickly grew as it started winning OEM contracts with Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Rolls Royce and Honeywell over the following decades, relationships which still run strong today.
While they service over 20 different engine types, current specialties include the PW200, PW300, PW500, JT15D, TFE731, M250, RR300, RR Spey, RR Tay and of course the PT6A. Dallas Airmotive sees approximately 300 PT6A engine events every year.
To keep with demand and increase efficiency, the company recently consolidated five locations into one enormous new headquarters and overhaul facility near the DFW airport. It is the largest engine maintenance and testing facility in the world, sharing 240,000 square feet between its MRO
16 • TWIN & TURBINE
April 2018