Make That PT6 Last for Decades

If you’re old enough to remember the 1960’s, think about the cars you owned back then. While it’s unlikely that you’re still the owner of any of these vehicles, you might wonder if they’re still on the road. Chances are, no matter what kind of vehicle you owned, it was sold off for scrap decades ago.

But if you owned an aircraft from that era with a Pratt and Whitney PT6 engine in it, the outlook for airworthiness is quite different. In fact, a surprisingly large number PT6’s have maintained engine integrity for a phenomenally long time.

One of the nice side effects of this durable engine is that PT6 owners have a lot of choices when it comes to PT6 repair and service centers. A quick web search reveals several of these operations spread out across the country. But keeping these venerable engines in the air is not always cheap. A complete PT6 overhaul can run upwards of a few hundred thousand dollars. But that’s a small price to pay for decades of reliable, efficient service.

That beloved old Corvair or GTO you had in 1964 probably never made it to the 1980’s, but the Pratt and Whitney PT6 survived the Sixties and is thriving in the 21st Century.