Originally Posted by
HOVIS
Just my tuppence worth.
From a line maintenance point of view the RR has always been easier to service. The gearbox is on the fan case with all the accessories. Starter motor, IDG, Fuel and oil pump packs etc. Access is simple, just open the fan cowl and away you go. The GE and PW philosophy was to cram as much as possible around the hot core section which means you need a pump to open the C Ducts/ Thrust Reverser halves. More time consuming and in my opinion more difficult access.
The GE CF6 is a brilliant bit of kit though. Incredibly reliable.
I agree, and would like to add another view:
Although being rather a desk driver and havn´t touched hardware for a long (too long?) time, I always found the wiring on the T700 (and other RR engines) superior to CF6 / PW for my part of the job - proper routings, markings, colour codes. It always seemed to me as if in GE/PW, the wiring guy came last in the design phase and had to find his ways along all the obstacles along his routes. And I somehow got along with the RR manuals much better.