Pratt-whitney Canada Corp

Kenneth Matheson

Brant Duke

Carmine Lisio

James Robert Jarvo

Louis Duranleau-Hendrickx

Mario Guerra

Bryan Chen

Methods and system are described for operating an aircraft powerplant comprising an engine coupled to a variable-pitch propeller. The method comprises receiving a request to change a propeller rotational speed from a first setting to a second setting, determining a power need for the engine, when the power need corresponds to the second setting, modifying a command for at least one of fuel flow to the engine and oil flow to the propeller to govern the powerplant in accordance with the second setting for the propeller rotational speed, and when the power need does not correspond to the second setting, overriding the request to change the propeller rotational speed from the first setting to the second setting.

Method and system for operating an aircraft powerplant

An assembly for an aircraft propulsion system includes a propeller, a blade position sensor, and a controller. The propeller is configured for rotation about a rotational axis. The propeller includes a plurality of propeller blades. The plurality of propeller blades have a pitch. Each propeller blade of the plurality of propeller blades is configured for rotation about a respective lengthwise axis to selectively vary the pitch. The blade position sensor is configured to measure the pitch. The blade position sensor is configured to generate a pitch output signal representative of the measured pitch. The controller is in signal communication with the blade position sensor. The controller includes a processor in communication with a non-transitory memory storing instructions, which instructions when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: detect a presence or an absence of an erroneous propeller blade pitch measurement using at least the pitch output signal.

Systems and methods for detecting erroneous propeller blade pitch measurements

There are described methods and systems for controlling an aircraft. The system comprises a power plant controller configured for controlling operation of an engine and a propeller coupled to the engine, a power throttle having at least one throttle lever to regulate output power of the engine and thrust produced by the propeller, and an autothrottle controller operatively connected to the power plant controller and to the power throttle and configured to modulate engine power without pilot input by causing a change to at least one setting of the power throttle.

Autothrottle control for turboprop engines

There is described herein the automation of propeller feather testing functions, whereby the test is automatically performed and a pass/fail signal is issued upon completion.

Automated propeller feather testing

There is described herein methods and systems for testing a propeller feathering function. The method comprises monitoring a rotational speed over time of propeller blades of an aircraft, commanding an angle change of the propeller blades, comparing a post-angle change rotational speed of the propeller blades to an expected rotational speed without the commanded angle change and obtaining, by the processor, a rotational speed difference, and issuing a test passed signal when the rotational speed difference exceeds a threshold and a test failed signal when the rotational speed difference does not exceed the threshold.

The present disclosure provides methods and systems for controlling a propeller-driven aircraft powered by at least one gas turbine engine. A thrust change is obtained corresponding to a difference between an actual thrust and a desired thrust for an engine. When the thrust change is greater than a pre-determined threshold, a setting change to one or more control input(s) of the engine is determined. One or more commands are output to cause the setting change of the control input(s).

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Montreal, Canada

Kenneth Matheson