The NGX’s PT6E-67XP (the “E” is for electronic) also comes with autothrottle. If it’s above 26 degrees Celsius during shutdown, the engine will motor itself for a few seconds to help it cool down.īut wait, as the late-night TV ads say, there’s more. There are still other protections-against overtorques, surges, and flameouts, to name a few. And for all the other steps in a start sequence, the FADEC handles them as well. About to have a hot start? The FADEC will automatically shut the engine down. In addition to push-button start, this means that a digital electronic engine control (EEC) unit applies its logic to control and monitor the -67XP. The airplane’s PT6E-67XP is the launch platform for Pratt & Whitney’s first, and long-awaited, foray into the world of turboprop engine automation. Yes, for those pining away for a Pratt & Whitney PT6 with a single-lever power control and full-authority digital engine controls (FADEC), the NGX has answered their prayers. Well, the PC–12 NGX does away with all that by automating the start with the single flip of a switch.
It featured the sequence familiar to many PT6 drivers: checking the battery for adequate power, spooling up to 13 percent Ng, moving the condition lever to low idle, waiting for the lightoff, switching on the generator at 50 percent Ng, and watching out for an ITT rise that signals a hot start.
In a recent video ( /turbine/enginestart), I explained the basic steps in starting a Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprop engine-similar to the ones in PC–12s and PC–12 NGs. But the biggest news came in 2019 with the introduction of the latest model: the PC–12 NGX. The Apex avionics suite replaced the original PC–12’s old-school Bendix/King panel, with its round gauges and KLN90B GPS navigator. In 2008, the PC–12 NG brought Honeywell’s Apex glass cockpit to the airplane, among other performance and system upgrades.