New engine testing facility officially opens at Mirabel

Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) has officially inaugurated its new assembly and test facility, the Mirabel Aerospace Centre located at Montreal-Mirabel International Airport. P&WC will assemble and test the PurePower® PW1524G for the Bombardier CSeries aircraft and the advanced PurePower® PW800 family of engines for the next generation of large business jets.

The centre incorporates an overhead and automated indexing flow assembly line allowing engines to be assembled horizontally and ergonomically, a first for aerospace engine manufacturers. The engines will be assembled in an optimized and lean process starting from the front and progressing towards the back with a specialized workforce trained to perform multiple tasks for maximum flexibility based on production needs.

The centre houses two Boeing 747SP aircraft that have been transformed into flying test beds to simulate a complete range of flight conditions and record key engine data.

The 300,000-square-foot facility represents a $360-million investment and will employ 300 people within five years. The aerospace industry employs 40,000 people in Quebec.

The first engine to be flight tested in Mirabel will be the PurePower PW1524G engine for the Bombardier CSeries aircraft. Flight testing is scheduled to begin during the summer of 2011. Both the PW1524G engine and the PW800 family will deliver double-digit improvements in fuel consumption, environmental emissions and engine noise, according to the company.

There are currently more than 47,000 engines in service on over 27,000 aircraft operated by some 10,000 operators in 198 countries.