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Pratt & Whitney

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Aerospace
Founded	1925
Headquarters	East Hartford, Connecticut
Key people	David Hess, President
Products	Aircraft engines Gas turbines Spacecraft propulsion
Revenue	US$ 12.94 billion (2010) [1]
Net income	US$ 1.99 billion (2010)
Parent	United Technologies Corporation
Divisions	Pratt & Whitney Canada Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
Website	Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney is a U.S.-based aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation (UTC). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviation. Its headquarters are in East Hartford, Connecticut, USA.^[2] As one of the "big three" aero-engine manufacturers, it competes with General Electric and Rolls-Royce, although it has also formed joint ventures with both of these companies. In addition to aircraft engines, Pratt & Whitney manufactures gas turbines for industrial and power generation, marine turbines, and rocket engines. The company’s over 35,500 employees (2009) support more than 9,000 customers in 180 countries around the world.^[3]

Early history[link]

In April 1925, Frederick Rentschler, an Ohio native and former executive at Wright Aeronautical, was determined to start an aviation-related business of his own.^[4] His social network included Edward Deeds, another prominent Ohioan of the early aviation industry, and Frederick's brother Gordon Rentschler, both of whom were on the board of Niles Bement Pond, then one of the largest machine tool corporations in the world. Frederick Rentschler approached these men as he sought capital and assets for his new venture. Deeds and G. Rentschler persuaded the board of Niles Bement Pond that their Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool subsidiary of Hartford, Connecticut, should provide the funding and location to build a new aircraft engine being developed by Rentschler, George J. Mead, and colleagues, all formerly of Wright Aeronautical.^[4] Conceived and designed by Mead,^[4] the new engine would be a large, air-cooled, radial design. Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool was going through a period of self-revision at the time to prepare itself for the post–Great War era, discontinuing old product lines and incubating new ones.^[4] The Great War had been profitable to P&WMT, but the peace brought a predictable glut to the machine tool market, as contracts with governments were canceled and the market in used, recently built tools competed against new ones. P&WMT's future growth would depend on innovation. Having idle factory space and capital available at this historical moment, to be invested wherever good return seemed available,^[4] P&WMT saw the postwar aviation industry, both military and civil (commercial, private), as one with some of the greatest growth and development prospects available anywhere for the next few decades. It lent Rentschler $250,000, the use of the Pratt & Whitney name, and space in their building. This was the beginning of the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company.^[4] Pratt & Whitney Aircraft's first engine, the 425 horsepower (317 kW) R-1340 Wasp, was completed on Christmas Eve 1925. On its third test run it easily passed the Navy qualification test in March 1926; by October, the Navy had ordered 200. The Wasp exhibited performance and reliability that revolutionized American aviation.^[4] The R-1340 powered the aircraft of Wiley Post, Amelia Earhart, and many other record flights.

The R-1340 was followed by another very successful engine, the R-985 Wasp Junior. Eventually a whole Wasp series was developed. Both engines are still in use in agricultural aircraft around the world and produce more power than their original design criteria. (Replacement parts for both engines are still in production and it is theoretically possible to assemble a new engine from the parts.)

George Mead soon led the next step in the field of large, state-of-the-art, air-cooled, radial aircraft engines (which the Wasp dominated) when Pratt & Whitney released its R-1690 Hornet. It was basically "a bigger Wasp".

In 1929, Rentschler ended his association with Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool and merged Pratt & Whitney Aircraft with Boeing and other companies to form the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. His agreement allowed him to carry the Pratt & Whitney name with him to his new corporation.

Later history[link]

Main articles: United Aircraft and Transport Corporation and United Aircraft > History

Headquarters[link]

Pratt & Whitney is headquartered in East Hartford, Connecticut and also has plants in Columbus, Georgia; Middletown, Connecticut; Dallas, Texas; Cheshire, Connecticut; West Palm Beach, Florida, North Berwick, Maine; and Bridgeport, West Virginia.

The home stadium for the University of Connecticut Huskies football team, Rentschler Field, is located adjacent to Pratt & Whitney's East Hartford, Connecticut campus, on Pratt's company-owned former airfield of the same name.

Divisions[link]

Pratt & Whitney is a business unit of industrial conglomerate United Technologies, making it a sister company to Sikorsky Aircraft, Hamilton Sundstrand, Otis Elevator Company, UTC Fire & Security, UTC Power and refrigeration giant Carrier Corporation. It is also involved in two major joint ventures, the Engine Alliance with GE which manufactures engines for the Airbus A380, and International Aero Engines company with Rolls-Royce, MTU Aero Engines, and the Japanese Aero Engines Corporation which manufactures engines for the Airbus A320 and the McDonnell Douglas MD-90 aircraft.

Commercial Engines[link]

Pratt & Whitney's large commercial engines power more than 40 percent of the world’s passenger aircraft fleet and serve more than 800 customers in 160 countries. With more than 16,000 large commercial engines installed today, Pratt & Whitney provides power to hundreds of airlines and operators, from narrow-bodied airplanes to wide-bodied jumbo jetliners. In June 2007, Pratt & Whitney’s fleet of large commercial engines surpassed 1 billion flight hours of service.

Global Material Solutions[link]

Pratt & Whitney’s Global Material Solutions (GMS) makes parts for the CFM56 engine thus giving customers an alternative in new CFM56 engine materials. In addition to engine parts, GMS provides customers with fleet management and customized maintenance service programs. United Airlines was the GMS launch customer.^[5]

GMS received its first part certification in July 2007, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Parts Manufacturing Approval (PMA) certification for the GMS high pressure turbine (HPT) shroud for the CFM56-3 engine. In March 2008, the FAA certified the GMS fan and booster with a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) with FAA Chapter 5 life limits equal to the original type certificate holder. The STC was the first FAA certification ever granted for alternative life-limited engine parts. In May 2008, Global Material Solutions received FAA STCs for its remaining life limited parts for CFM56-3 engines.^[6]

Global Service Partners[link]

Pratt & Whitney Global Service Partners (GSP) offers overhaul, maintenance and repair services for Pratt & Whitney, International Aero Engines, General Electric, Rolls-Royce, and CFMI engines. In addition to engine overhaul and repair services, GSP provides services including line maintenance, engine monitoring and diagnostics, environmentally friendly on-wing water washes, leased engines, custom engine service programs and new and repaired parts.

Pratt & Whitney maintains one of the largest service center networks in the world, with more than 40 engine overhaul and maintenance centers located around the globe.

Military Engines[link]

Pratt & Whitney's Military Engines power 27 air forces around the globe, with nearly 11,000 military engines in service with 23 customers in 22 nations. Pratt & Whitney military engines include the F135 for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the F119 for the F-22 Raptor, the F100 family that powers the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcon, the F117 for the C-17 Globemaster III, the J52 for the EA-6B Prowler, the TF33 powering E-3 AWACS, E-8 Joint STARS, B-52, and KC-135 aircraft, and the TF30 for the F-111. In addition, Pratt & Whitney offers a global network of maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities and military aviation service centers focused on maintaining engine readiness for their customers.

Pratt & Whitney Canada[link]

Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC), originally Canadian Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company, and later United Aircraft of Canada, provides a large range of products, including turbofan, turboprop and turboshaft engines targeted for the regional, business, utility and military aircraft and helicopter markets. The company also designs and manufactures engines for auxiliary power units and industrial applications. Its headquarters are located in Longueuil, Quebec (just outside Montreal).

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne[link]

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) was formed in 2005 when Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion and Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power were merged following the latter's acquisition from Boeing.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne engines powered the Space Shuttle, and the company also supplies booster engines for Delta II rockets and boosters and upper stage engines for Atlas III and V and Delta IV rockets.

Pratt & Whitney Power Systems[link]

Pratt & Whitney Power Systems (PWPS) designs, builds, furnishes and supports aero-derivative gas turbine and geothermal power systems for customers worldwide. These industrial gas turbines power everything from small businesses to small cities. PWPS’ industrial turbines not only generate electrical power, but provide variable speed mechanical drive for marine propulsion, gas compression, and liquid pumping. PWPS has over 2,000 industrial gas turbines installed in more than 40 countries worldwide. PWPS also provides parts and repairs for heavy-duty frame gas turbines as an OEM alternative.^[7]

International Aero Engines[link]

International Aero Engines is a joint venture that develops, builds and services the V2500 aero engine family, which powers the Airbus A320 family and McDonnell Douglas MD-90 aircraft. The four engine manufacturers that make up IAE each contribute an individual module to the V2500 engine. Pratt & Whitney produces the combustor and high-pressure turbine, Rolls-Royce the high-pressure compressor, JAEC the fan and low-pressure compressor and MTU the low-pressure turbine.

Engine Alliance[link]

Engine Alliance, a 50/50 joint venture between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, was formed in August 1996 to develop, manufacture, and support a family of modern technology engines for new high-capacity, long-range aircraft.^[8] The main application is the GP7200, which has been designed for use on the Airbus A380. It competes with the Rolls-Royce Trent 900, the launch engine for the aircraft.

The first GP7200-powered Airbus A380 entered service with Emirates on August 1, 2008 on a non-stop flight from Dubai to New York City.^[9]

Motorsports[link]

Between 1967 and 1971, Pratt & Whitney turbine engines were used in American Championship Car Racing and Formula One. The STP-Paxton Turbocar dominated the 1967 Indianapolis 500 until a small part failed four laps from the finish. STP entered four Lotus 56s in the 1968 Indianapolis 500. One car crashed during qualifying. Two of the remaining cars qualified fastest and second fastest, but all three retired from the race. Turbine cars were deemed illegal before the following year's race, so Lotus chief Colin Chapman developed the car for use in Formula One and an updated 56B competed in half a dozen Formula One races in 1971.

Products[link]

Reciprocating engines[link]

• Pratt & Whitney R-1340 (Wasp)
• Pratt & Whitney R-1690 (Hornet)
• Pratt & Whitney R-985 (Wasp Junior)
• Pratt & Whitney R-1535 (Twin Wasp Junior)
• Pratt & Whitney R-1830 (Twin Wasp)
• Pratt & Whitney R-2000 (Twin Wasp)
• Pratt & Whitney R-2180
• Pratt & Whitney R-2800 (Double Wasp)
• Pratt & Whitney R-4360 (Wasp Major)

Turbojet engines[link]

• Pratt & Whitney J42 (JT6) (Rolls-Royce Nene)
• Pratt & Whitney J48 (JT7)
• Pratt & Whitney J52 (JT8A)
• Pratt & Whitney J57 (JT3C)
• Pratt & Whitney J58 (JT11D)
• Pratt & Whitney J75 (JT4A)
• Pratt & Whitney J91 (JT9)
• Pratt & Whitney JT12 (J60)

Turbofan engines[link]

TF33s of a C-141 Starlifter leave contrails over Antarctica

F-22 showing F119 (PW5000) engines in afterburner

• Pratt & Whitney JT3D (TF33)
• Pratt & Whitney JT8D
• Pratt & Whitney JT9D
• Pratt & Whitney TF30 (JTF10A)
• Pratt & Whitney F100 (JTF22)
• Pratt & Whitney F119 (PW5000)
• Pratt & Whitney F135 (derived from F119)
• Pratt & Whitney PW1000G
• Pratt & Whitney PW1100G
• Pratt & Whitney PW1120 (derived from F100)
• Pratt & Whitney PW2000 (F117)
• Pratt & Whitney PW4000
• Pratt & Whitney PW6000
• Engine Alliance GP7000
• International Aero Engines V2500

Turboprop/turboshaft engines[link]

• Pratt & Whitney T34 (PT2)
• Pratt & Whitney XT45 (PT4)
• Pratt & Whitney T52 (PT3)
• Pratt & Whitney XT57 (PT5)
• Pratt & Whitney T73 (JFTD12)
• Avco/Pratt & Whitney T800 (APW34)

Aeroderivative industrial and marine gas turbines[link]

• Pratt & Whitney GG3/FT3
• Pratt & Whitney GG4/FT4
• Pratt & Whitney FT8

Engine Maintenance Systems[link]

Ecopower Services—Pratt and Whitney now markets a pressure-washing service that uses a high-pressure water spray run through several nozzles to clean grime and contaminants from jet engine parts, most notably turbine blades, which prevents overheating, improves engine operating efficiency and reduces fuel burn. The system collects the runoff from the washing process for appropriate disposal. The washing is accomplished at the airport tarmac in about one hour. Pratt and Whitney's customers include United Airlines, Air India, Martinair, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and JetBlue.^{[10][11][12][13][14]}

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Fernandez, Ronald (1983), Excess profits: the rise of United Technologies, Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Addison-Wesley, ISBN 9780201104844. 
• Neumann, Gerhard (2004) [1984], Herman the German: Just Lucky I Guess, Bloomington, IN, USA: Authorhouse, ISBN 1-4184-7925-X. A republishing of the 1984 memoir titled Herman the German: Enemy Alien U.S. Army Master Sergeant [Morrow, New York, NY, USA], with a new title but with minor or no textual changes. 

External links[link]

	Connecticut portal
	Companies portal
	Aviation portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines

• Pratt & Whitney official website

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2011)

David Hess
Born	David Alexander Hess[1] (1936-09-19)September 19, 1936 New York City, New York, United States
Died	October 8, 2011(2011-10-08) (aged 75) Tiburon, California, United States
Other names	David Dante, David Hill[2]
Occupation	Actor Songwriter Film producer Film director Composer
Years active	1956–2011

David Alexander Hess (September 19, 1936 – October 8, 2011)^[3] was an American actor, singer, and songwriter.

Early life[link]

Hess was born in New York City.

Career[link]

Music career[link]

In 1956, Hess recorded the original version of the Otis Blackwell composition "All Shook Up" under the stage name David Hill.^[1] The next year the song became a #1 hit single for Elvis Presley.

He began his professional career as a songwriter for Shalimar Music, in 1957. He composed "Start Movin'" for Sal Mineo and "Rockin' Shoes" for the Ames Brothers. In 1959 he recorded a cover version of Cliff Richard's "Living Doll" for Kapp Records and it became a mild placed charter for him on the US Billboard charts. He continued to write songs for Elvis Presley throughout the 1950s and 1960s, which include "Come Along," and "Sand Castles". "Your Hand, Your Heart, Your Love" became a 1960s hit when it was performed by Andy Williams. In 1962, Hess wrote and recorded "Speedy Gonzales," (as David Dante)^[1] which became a #6 single for Pat Boone in the US and a #2 in the UK, selling more than eight million copies worldwide. Hess then recorded two solo albums for Kapp Records, again topping the charts, this time with a Top Ten folk hit called "Two Brothers."

In 1969, he became head of A&R at Mercury Records in New York. There he linked up with Western classical composer John Corigliano, and together they wrote the Grammy award-winning rock opera, The Naked Carmen, which became a big hit of the Berlin Ballet Week in 1970. His work with Mercury also included And the Children Toll the Passing of the Day, a 1969 album he wrote for Irish actor Malachy McCourt.

Acting career[link]

In 1972, his career split off into several new directions with his starring role in the Wes Craven horror classic The Last House on the Left (1972), for which he also composed the soundtrack.^[1] He went on to score Buck at the Edge of the Heaven, a children's film based on a collection of Jack London stories. The film won the top prize for film and direction at the Giffoni Film Festival. He also had roles in Hitchhike and The House on the Edge of the Park.

A subsequent job offer from PolyGram' German affiliate gave Hess the opportunity to move to Munich, Germany, and a multilingual career in film dubbing from 1972 to 1976 which in turn led him to writing the English language shooting scripts for such German directors as Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Reinhard Hauff, and his present collaborator, Peter Schamoni.

In 1980, he directed his first American feature film, To All a Good Night, for Media Home Entertainment in 1980. He also appeared in two horror films directed by Ruggero Deodato, La Casa sperduta nel parco (1980) and Camping del terrore (1987). He appeared as a villain in Wes Craven's Swamp Thing in 1982.

In 1991, he played the part of the American in Peter Schamoni's Max Ernst—My Wanderings, My Unrest (1991). From 1993 to 1995 he produced Niki de Saint Phalle: Wer ist das Monster - du oder ich? (1996).

In recent years, he released two albums, Caught Up In The Moment and Live & Unplugged in Hollywood, 2002. He lived most recently in Northern California, just outside of San Francisco, with his wife, with whom he had three children. He recently worked on several tracks for the horror film Cabin Fever (2003), directed by Eli Roth. His final appearance was on the television series Royal Pains in 2010.

Death[link]

Hess died from a heart attack on October 8, 2011 in Tiburon, California. He was 75.^[3]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• David Hess at the Internet Movie Database
• Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know: An Interview with David Hess - The Terror Trap - February 2011

This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (February 2009)

Alan Epstein is an author who has written four books, including the travel book As The Romans Do (ISBN 0-06-093395-X), which appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show.^[1]

References[link]

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