Aircraft

Selection of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW810 to power the Cessna Citation Columbus launches the second new engine in the so-called "10K" class. The first to be launched was Rolls-Royce's RB.282, selected in 2007 to power Dassault's super mid-size Future Falcon.

The name 10K means 10,000lb (45kN) thrust class, and the PW810 will be rated at 8,830lb take-off thrust on the Columbus. It is the first engine in the all-new PW800 family, which has been under development at P&WC as the PW-10X.

Cessna senior vice-president sales and marketing Roger Whyte says prospective Columbus customers "insisted the aircraft was environmentally friendly", and P&WC says the PW810 will beat international emissions standards by 50% for nitrous oxide and 35% for carbon monoxide while reducing noise "well below" Stage 4 limits.

Flight testing of the PW810 will begin on P&WC's flying testbed in 2009 to support a Columbus first flight in 2011. Features of the engine include a modular design for operational availability, dual-channel full-authority digital control and a diagnostics capability for proactive maintenance to extend time on wing.

Other 10K engine competitions are pending, with Embraer close to selecting a powerplant supplier for its new medium-light and mid-size jets. Honeywell is still looking for a launch customer for its HTF10000, and Snecma for its all-new Silvercrest, while General Electric is offering a CF34 derivative.