Hopefully this is the appropriate forum for a question that's been on my mind:
The Pratt& Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan under development uses a gearing arrangement to modify the relative rotational speeds of the fan and the core. Is the resultant improvement in efficiency more or less constant over all phases of flight or is it much better e.g. at take-off/climb, or conversely in cruise?
Follow-on question which may implicitly be answered by the above:
There is much discussion at present about the potential to re-engine the A320 family (and perhaps B737NGs) with the GTF. Is there any merit in re-engining the A340-200/300 (a DC8-70 series for the 21st century!
) If the engine is as fuel-efficient as is claimed, could it improve the economics of the A340 back into the acceptable zone? The most powerful of the GTF family looks as though it's in the right thrust range for the A340.
Thanks for any feedback.
Brgds
C.