I have worked with this engine for years. They are unbelievably good in nearly every way! If I could afford to buy and feed this engine, I would certainly fly behind one.

Here is a documentary series on it's development that looks pretty cool: http://www.pt6nation.com/en/articles/ar ... 6-pioneer/

I love PT-6's. Have several thousand hours being propelled throughout he air by them. However in the last 5 years I have had two CT blade separations that led to off airport landings resulting in total losses of the aircraft. One PT-6 blade separation on landing that burned the aircraft to the tune of $390,000. And last October, my gearbox prop shaft failed and feathered my prop and I had to dead stick the Caravan into Gallup. So as of late my faith has been shaken up a bit. They are remarkable and simple engines, I think there have been some quality issues with supplies and overhaulers lately. I can unequivocally say one thing, NEVER USE PMA TURBINE BLADES! PARTICULARLY THE ONES MADE BY TURBINE PRODUCTS/DONCASTERS! I can also not recommend Northstar/Mint Turbines in Oklahoma for your overhaul needs, says he who filed his second lawsuit against them on Tuesday.

Now there are those who think that my actions are the cause of prices going up in aviation. I think they should understand that the repair to the gearbox and hot section on the last incident cost me directly over $120,000 and indirectly another $180,000 (none covered by insurance BTW). The gearbox was put together incorrectly and the hot section had blades with obvious defect re-used. So I feel that I should not be incurring the loss after 20.5 hours of use.

Other folks can go their whole career and not have so much as a burp from them. I'm just lucky I guess, like my R1820 engines failing 3 times in 180 hours on T28's. I must have a negative aura.

Dang Dogpilot! That's some rotten luck. Glad that you are still with us after all of that. Hope that you haven't lost the faith, for they are about as good as aviation engines get

Like I said, I must have negative waves or something. The PT-6 is still my favorite engine. On the T-56 I have had to shut down the engine, or it shut down on its own, over 200 times. Once quite dramatically, exploding and burning all the way to the ground (not my most graceful landing either). I have over 100 field arrestments (catch a wire upon landing) at North Island from that engine. So put in that perspective the PT-6 is rock solid.

When I grow up I want to own a Porter with a -34 on the nose and 35" Bushwheels

In my meager ag career I have flown behind PT-6s of the -15,-27, a plethora of -34's and -60 flavors, as well as a couple Garret varieties and the worst of both worlds the Walter M601... I'm probably an odd duck as pilots go, because I far prefer flying behind a Pratt than brand G. Curious if GE 'Walter' is any better?

Dogpilot,
Dave Trujillo, in the NMARNG, always asked the scheduling officer to put him with Jim Dulin. "My white cloud cancels out his black cloud," he explained. Dave, a Nighthawk pilot in Vietnam, was the slowest, safest pilot I ever flew with. I liked the T-53 L-13 Huey engine because the fuel was dumped automatically on start up. The Army and I both liked simple aircraft.

Thus far, in over 2500 hours, only had a couple of issues; a faulty oil pressure gauge dropping off prompting me to make a precautionary landing and a leaky prop seal splattering the windshield, nothing major thankfully and long may it stay that way! Been trusting my life to them for over three and a half years now. For single engine ops over mountainous jungle terrain, I wouldn't accept anything else.

I've got about 800 trouble free hours on a PT6-3B...actually 1600 hours since there was two of them Only difference between me and most here, is that sat in front of them

When I was talking to one of our mechs about different fuels used in these engines he said, "shit, these engines are so good they'll run on oily shop rags"

There are very few things I find i *hate* about Pratts.... But this week one of those things is plaguing me.
The ITT system... For the un initiated, think of it as EGT. Now imagine this..., I get no ITT indication on start one evening, but all else in the start appears normal. Of course, abort the start, and check for a loose or broke wire.... Try again with no joy...several times. Try a full start, and by all other indications the start is normal, but no ITT...
Replace the indicator (twice) Problem goes away but then comes back... actually the operating ITT's not completely dead at this point, just extremely cool...
Replace the thermocouple harness with one on the shelf, and then make up a new one. Problem goes away, but then comes back...
Pull the Trim stick, (this is like a secondary probe under the cowl, that corrects for installation errors). Displays perfect, problem's gone, ... and then it comes back.
So now we finally go to what we would have checked first in a recip or Garret... The ITT probes (EGT in recip or Garret) ... but in the Pratt,

Get this..... You have to split the engine... For a Probe R&R!

The good news for some is that I *Think* this only occurs on -27 and -34's