Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) today announced that its PurePower(R) PW814GA engine has achieved another key milestone by successfully powering the first flight of the new Gulfstream G500 long-range business jet. P&WC is a United Technologies Corp. company (NYSE:UTX).

The PurePower PW800 turbofan engine raises the bar on performance and economics for next-generation large business jets in the 10,000- to 20,000-lb thrust class. Using the most environmentally sustainable, high-performance technologies, the engine offers double-digit improvements in fuel burn, emissions, noise and maintenance times.

The first flight of Gulfstream's new G500 business jet is truly a leap forward in the future of high-flying, fast, long-range business jet travel. "We are thrilled to shape the future of business aviation with cutting-edge design technologies, advanced manufacturing processes and new levels of customer service," said John Saabas, President, P&WC. "This success is made possible because of the hard work and dedication of P&WC employees around the world as well as our close collaboration with Gulfstream."

The PurePower PW814GA and PW815GA engines, which respectively power the new Gulfstream G500 (range of 5,000 nautical miles) and G600 (range of 6,200 nautical miles) business jets, received Transport Canada type certification this past February. So far, the PW800 engine family has surpassed 3,600 hours of full engine testing, including rigorous endurance testing that simulates a multitude of aircraft missions and environments, and more than 470 hours on P&WC's 747 Flying Test Bed.

The PurePower PW800 engine shares the same proven core technology used in Pratt & Whitney's award-winning PurePower Geared Turbofan(TM) commercial engines. With its proven core technology, best-in-class availability and comprehensive service plan, the PW800 has been designed with the customer in mind and with features that facilitate access and maintenance.