BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — A longtime air maintenance contractor at the North Central West Virginia Airport in Bridgeport has a new nine-year, $1 billion defense contract that will further boost its operations in Harrison County.
Pratt & Whitney Canada will overhaul engines used in the planes that train military pilots. More specifically, the work will be done on PT6A-68 engines that power the U.S. Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) T-6 trainer fleet.
The T-6 Texan is used by the U.S. Military as a beginning trainer for all pilots.
Pratt & Whitney Canada Senior Director Anthony Hinton said the contract is the largest the company has ever been awarded and many of the parts were manufactured here originally. The engine platform has been in use for about six decades, and of the 67,000 produced, about 25,000 remain in service.
“Most of these engines were actually built in the Bridgeport facility in the late 1990s or early 2000s when we had the production contract,” Hinton said during an appearance on WAJR’s “Talk of the Town.”
Hinton said most of the engines are removed in the field and shipped back to the NCWV Airport for service. Some of the aircraft are flown back to Bridgeport for service so the Pratt & Whitney employees can see the contributions they’re making.
“We’ve had a few fly in for visibility and for the workforce to see them,” Hinton said. “The engines are removed at military installations and shipped into Bridgeport, West Virginia, and we perform the work and ship them back.”
Engines are scheduled for major overhaul after 5 years or 4,500 flight hours, according to Hinton. He said the employees typically have an airframe and powerplant mechanic certification that can be earned from the Pierpont Community and Technical College School of Business, Aviation, and Technology that is located on the airport grounds.
“Each and every part is inspected to make sure it fits within the manual limits,” Hinton said. “Any rework or new parts required are addressed, and then we rebuild the engine.”
Hinton also serves on the Pierpont Community and Technical College Board of Governors and said they’re able to watch each class moving through the program. Pratt & Whitney can offer internships that can evolve into lucrative full-time employment and even management opportunities in the future.
“Not only are we scouting future team members, but I’m always interested in those that have aspirations to grow within a company,” Hinton said. “I spend a lot of time with those students.”
Frédéric Lefebvre, vice president, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Customer Service Operations, credited the skill and dedication of the West Virginia workforce of about 500 in winning the contract. Hinton added that the North Central West Virginia Airport is growing and offering great careers for young people and others looking to learn a new skill.
“Pratt & Whitney is a great place to work,” Hinton said. “We’re always on the cutting edge, and we lead the charge in the aerospace industry, and that is certainly appealing for a lot of young people and those coming out of the military.”