Most engines are shipped as freight
Thanks, thought that might be the case in today's tight economy and full flights.
In digging around about this (yeah, should've done so before asking the question
) it looks like freighter size depends on the manufacturer. Emirates ships just the GP hot core, to be attached to the hopefully more robust fan (birds notwithstanding), while Rolls touts it's smaller casing size, allowing the engine to fit in a 747F.
Decades of manufacturer expertise mean that a choice between the two A380 powerplant contenders will depend on the little things
By J.A. Donoghue
Air Transport World, November 2004
((Excerpt)) With the offerings being so close on the technical side, the larger issues of total cost of ownership and maintainability become even more important-if that is possible. One maintainability issue with a clear difference is out-station repair capability. Rolls says its engine can be shipped whole in a 747 freighter. EA acknowledges that a full GP7200 must be shipped in an An-124 but adds that the 747F's capability to ship Trent 900s is marginal, with door clearances of less than 1 in. per side.
Rolls achieved a fan case diameter smaller than that on its 110-in. fan through the use of a titanium-based case, a lighter version of the steel case adopted on the Trent 500, to improve post-blade-loss case structural integrity in an ETOPS-like environment. EA is staying with "an aluminum honeycomb web case for weight and a Kevlar wrap," Saia says, "very consistent with the 4084 architecture, and we've had no problems with the 4084 in service." Rolls has had containment problems in recent years, Thompson notes....
Engine Alliance Ships 1st GP7200 Propulsor
Published on ASDNews: May 27, 2009
(East Hartford, Conn., May 26, 2009) -- The Engine Alliance (EA) shipped the first GP7200 propulsor to Emirates on May 21. The delivery marks the first time the Engine Alliance and member company Pratt & Whitney have delivered a propulsor, rather than a full engine, to any airline.
"Shipping a propulsor is an innovative way to supply spare engines," EA chief engineer Paul Smith explained. "The fan module has a very long life, so it can be reused with a new propulsor to provide a full spare engine. It's a huge cost savings for the customer."
According to EA industrial director Marios Evripidou, delivering spare propulsors in lieu of spare engines also helps minimize an airline's inventory. "They don't have to keep as many unused fans in inventory because they can reuse the ones they already have," he said. Shipping propulsors is easier than shipping a full engine, too, Evripidou said. Because they're smaller, they can be transported on most wide-body freighter aircraft. "It gives the customer great transportation flexibility," he said....