F-16 and F-35 Engines - Pratt & Whitney vs GE

Rick is always such a treat to have on. He’s such a master of knowledge on military aviation. The DOD should listen to him today. Your show is always great . I try not to miss it every week. Thank you for your service guys.

History repeats itself - which is why I love this format whenever you get chance to interview the old and bold (pilot, engineer) and compare the current world... you never know someone in the right place might learn something! (Doesn't hold breath).

As a former jet engine mechanic who worked on both PW and GE. I would take the GE anytime. PW is innovative and forward thinking but they do not follow through. They never take into consideration that maintenance needs quick turn around. GE gives better performance and easier to maintain. It remains to be seen how the new adaptive engine will perform.

Had the honor of working under Rick Abell in the late 80's. Men like him were a wealth of knowledge and dedicated public servants. He's nailing here everything I became a part of. Many years ago I was at an air show at Edwards; I mentioned to the F-16 pilot I was in the GE-129 program office, and he damn near kissed me for how much he loved the engine's operability throughout the envelope.

One of the big issues with the Pratt F100-PW-200 motors was the rear bearing seals. IIRC, we had three or four go down (in 1986) and actually had one captain save one when he ran out of oil over the Mediterranean and was able to glide for 15 minutes or so back to Aviano AB in Italy. That helped determine what was going on. So Rick was the guy at the other end of our pipeline, huh. Was part of the bed-down/logistics crew at 5th AF back in 1986, for when we swapped the F-16A's we had at Osan, Kunsan and Misawa, with the Block 30 F-16C/D's with GE F-110-GE-129's. Germany got the Block 32 F-16C's with F-100-PW-220's when they switched. As the GE motor was a 29,000 pound thrust motor over the Pratt 22,500 thrust motor, there was a scramble by Pratt to come out with the -229 version, at 29,000 as well. Another airplane that benefited from the 'War" was the F-15 Strike Eagle EX as it has the GE motor. And, yes we benefited greatly from the competition, and we should have been allowed to do the same thing with the F-135 and F-136 motors, but Pratt was good at lobbying the monopoly this time so we are stuck with engine improvements on their schedule and not ours.

From my crew chief perspective, I prefer GE over Pratt. Intake and exhaust inspections are easier on the GE and only one chip detector vs five.

The term Rick is looking for is "whiz kids". It started with McNamara (ergo. the F-111), but has continued ever since.

This guy is awesome!

That was amazing.

Personally, your last interview with Rick is my favorite episode of yours. I can’t wait to watch this new one. I’m so glad you got him back on the show.

Rick needs to be a "regular" contribute please, so much knowlege 07's Good stuff boys!

I worked with a Navy AD Chief who was also an A-3 Skywarrior Crew Chief. The A-3 used the J57-P10. On his leather flight jacket had had a patch that "looked like" the "Pratt and Whitney Dependable Engines" eagle patch. His patch had a drunk buzzard on the patch instead of the eagle and the wording was changed to "Pratt and Whitney Generally Decrepit Engines".

PW vs GE is like Goodyear tires vs Michelin.

Pratt & Whitney always an innovative company, but many times delivered an unfinished product with the TF-30, F-100, F-119, F-135 in military and JT9D in civilian world. GE knew how to build reliable engines with the F101/ F110 and the CF6. The Tomcat would still be flying had it not been for the TF-30’s shortcomings and accidents

I was on the flight line, at General Dynamics, when we stuffed an F101 DFE motor into an F-16 block 15 for flight demo. While installing, we dropped the motor on its' afterburner can! We told the DFE managers what happened and they had to remove an F101 from an Edwards Flight Test F-14, ship it to Fort Worth to meet the flight demo phase. This one, we did not drop, flight went great an the F101 DFE morphed into the F110 and went into the F-16 block 30 and the rest they say is history. Along this same time-frame we installed the General Electric J79 into an F-16 block 15 in preparation for an export version of the F-16 to countries that we did not wish to do technology transfer of the F100 technology. That didn't happen, everyone got the F100. Pilots that flew the J79 F-16 were impressed when the aircraft was below 25K feet altitude, but the aircraft lost a lot above 25K.

Rick is a hoot! Thanks Mover!

Maybe Rick tell us more about GE & PW? My pops worked for a company (B&V) that GE brought in to help consult on the engines for the Viper years ago, love to hear that story from another perspective.

"The airplane that is good for a mission is good for a mission. And an airplane isn't good for several different different missions, it's just sort of mediocre for all of 'em." Yes! Thank you!!! 👏👏👏👏👏

Oh my GOD this is so cool!!! Please get him and more engineers on more!!!

I could listen to Rick for hours!!!