P&WC prepares for NAAA 2016

Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has made a couple of announcements ahead of the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) Annual Convention 2016, which takes place from Dec. 5 to 8, 2016, in Long Beach, Calif.

P&WC’s FAST solution to help reduce costs and optimize aerial application operations

Pratt & Whitney Canada’s turnkey FAST (Flight, Acquisition, Storage and Transmission) solution is being readied for P&WC PT6A-powered agricultural aircraft following advanced prognostic health management trials with two agricultural customers: Field Air in Australia and Kinniburgh Spray Service in Canada. The FAST solution, which enables wireless capture, transmission and analysis of key engine data, will allow agricultural operators to make rapid and informed decisions, lower costs and troubleshoot issues before they happen–helping reduce maintenance intervention or avoid shop events entirely.

P&WC is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

With fully automated wireless data transmission to P&WC’s data centre for analysis, the results–including vital powerplant information and trend monitoring–are accessible to the operator minutes later via the Internet or by email. A key advantage of the FAST solution for agricultural operators will be the ability to know the condition of the engine without having to perform a hot section inspection each season.

“Being able to combine our 60-plus years of experience in understanding the intricacies surrounding aerial application with in-depth knowledge of engine conditions across our fleet allows us to best serve our customers and improve our operational efficiencies,” said Shaun Kinniburgh, president of Kinniburgh Spray Services. “Through our testing of P&WC’s engine prognostics solution it is clear that having rapid access to engine and aircraft data and analytics in near real time allows us to further optimize our maintenance and financial planning. This insight also adds to overall safety by ensuring our aircraft and engines are not overworked or underutilized–all of which further supports our ability to provide the best service to help our customers succeed.”

“The FAST solution for aerial application will provide deep and timely understanding about what is happening inside the engine and aircraft, helping customers optimize their operations and reduce costs,” said Denis Parisien, vice-president, general aviation, P&WC. “Ultimately, it’s about supporting operators in making data-driven decisions that enable them to run their businesses more efficiently and effectively. The FAST solution is already demonstrating its value on more than 600 aircraft. This is yet another example of how well connected P&WC is with its customers. They shouldn’t have to settle for less.”

P&WC enhances service capabilities with “virtual presence” customer-collaboration solution

In addition to the FAST solution, P&WC has further enhanced its capacity to provide rapid, tailored customer support with a new field-collaboration solution using Librestream’s Onsight software to connect the aircraft technician and remote specialist using an interactive audio-video technology platform.

Building on its customer service leadership in the aviation industry, P&WC will be able to deliver expedited support and faster response times through this powerful service.

With rollout to customers expected in early 2017, the new solution will help further enable rapid diagnosis and resolution of issues in the field by making it possible for remote experts to inspect engines “virtually” in close collaboration with the customer. The platform provides a live and interactive link between the customer, P&WC’s field support representative and the P&WC customer engineer, which captures high quality video and images even in low-bandwidth areas where Wi-Fi and cellular signals are weak.

Thanks to this dynamic connection, teams will be better equipped to rapidly troubleshoot issues and make proactive and preventive maintenance decisions–even if they are in remote locations on opposite sides of the globe. The solution, which is accessed via a software app installed on the remote expert’s computer and the customer’s smartphone, can save up to 12 hours by delivering virtual on-site support and technical expertise to the customer where and when they need it.

“We continue to invest in technologies and solutions that enable proactive and predictive maintenance and data-driven decisions that positively impact our customers’ bottom line through increased aircraft availability and reduced costs,” said Timothy Swail, vice-president, customer programs, P&WC. “The Onsight solution keeps us connected with customers in their environments in real time and provides immediate access to remote experts for rapid problem solving and issue resolution.”