Pratt & Whitney has completed the airworthiness certification programme for the PW1524G engine that will power the Bombardier CSeries.
"I'm proud to say that just last week, we completed the final certification test of the first new geared turbofan for Bombardier's application for the CSeries," P&W president David Hess told Flightglobal on the sidelines of a ceremony marking the start of construction at its new Singapore factory.
"The engine testing and certification programme is 100% complete and successfully passed. We're working on the paperwork with Transport Canada to obtain formal certification for the engine, but all tests have been completed," he adds.
Certifcation of the powerplant will mark a major milestone for P&W as it attempts to successfully bring the geared turbofan to market and prove to its customer base the fuel-saving potential of the design.
The PW1524G, which will make its debut on teh CS100, was originally scheduled to receive certification by late 2012. This would have supported Bombardier's target of conducting the CSeries' maiden flight before 2013. Bombardier, however, postponed the first flight from December, but aims to conduct it no later than June 2013.
Flight tests for the 23,300lb thrust PW1524G began last January.
The engine is the first in a series of six new geared fan powerplants, including the PW1100G for the Airbus A320neo, PW1200G for the Mitsubishi Regional Jet, PW1400G for the Irkut MS-21, and PW1700G and PW1900G for the next version of the Embraer 170 and 190 respectively.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
