Pratt & Whitney Canada’s FAST Solution Selected By Finmeccanica for its AgustaWestland AW139 Helicopters
HAI Heli-Expo, Louisville, KY – (February 29, 2016) – Pratt & Whitney Canada’s (P&WC’s) Flight Acquisition, Storage and Transmission (FAST™) solution is now available on the AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter through Finmeccanica’s Helicopter Division, providing a wireless turnkey solution that delivers actionable, preventative engine health information as well as flight data recorder (FDR) data collection and transmission to operators. The result is reduced pilot workload, operating costs and downtime through enhanced engine health monitoring ease and accuracy. P&WC is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).
“We are thrilled to work with Finmeccanica to deliver the FAST solution on the world-leading AW139 helicopter,” said Timothy Swail, Vice President, Customer Programs, P&WC. “We know operators want easy-to-use tools that automate processes, reduce costs, ease maintenance and help avoid downtime. Today, including FAST, we have more than 800 helicopters using one of our diagnostics, prognostics and health management solutions and we fully expect the number to keep rising.”
An end-to-end technology for advanced helicopter and engine intelligence, P&WC’s FAST solution wirelessly captures, analyses and sends full flight data, including FDR data, to helicopter operators and maintenance technicians within minutes of landing. Unlike many avionics systems, which still require manual intervention to off-load data from the helicopter, the FAST solution enables wireless transmission after each flight and the ability to capture complete mission data – from engine start to shut down. More than 80 distinct engine and helicopter parameters related to speed, pressure and temperature are analysed. Customers are provided powerful insight about their aircraft and engines so they can operate their helicopter more reliably and efficiently, simplify and reduce maintenance and operating costs, and protect the value of their investment.
The next phase of the FAST solution will include automated power assurance check (APAC). APAC will improve the pilot workload and engine health monitoring accuracy, as well as deliver timely, high-quality data for the Flight Data Management requirements. The FAST system is also available as a turnkey aftermarket solution directly from P&WC. Systems shipped today can be updated with APAC functionality when it is available in the coming months.
P&WC’s FAST solution is business-proven on both scheduled and unscheduled fleets with over 580 systems installed. Over 225 FAST systems – approaching 600,000 hours in operation – are active on P&WC-powered business jets supporting fractional carriers, corporate fleets and charters. The FAST solution is also proven and growing with regional turboprop customers, with more than 120 aircraft using the solution at 20 airlines.
“These operators know that P&WC’s FAST solution help them deliver increased aircraft availability and reduce operating costs,” said Swail.
A key part of the services and support ecosystem, the FAST solution allows P&WC to optimize and streamline service delivery and rapidly respond to customers’ business needs at a much more intimate level while at the same time reducing pilot and mechanic workload.
For more information, visit our media page at http://www.pwc.ca/hai-media-kit.
Visit us at HAI Heli-Expo, booth #1817. Interested operators are invited to drop by the booth to speak with a customer service representative.
About Pratt & Whitney Canada
Founded in 1928, and a global leader in aerospace, P&WC is shaping the future of aviation with dependable, high-technology engines. Based in Longueuil, Quebec (Canada), P&WC is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. United Technologies Corp, based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the global aerospace and building systems industries.
