Allison T56 longest-lived engine design?
 

The same basic Allison T56 engine (currently a Rolls-Royce engine, of course) that powered the 1954 C-130 prototype still powers the C-130J.

Can anybody suggest to me any other aircraft powerplant that has been in production and productive, mainstream use for as long as the T56? (I'm writing about the C-130 for a U.S. aviation magazine, so I need somebody to stop me from making an outrageous longevity claim before learning that there's a Russian radial that has been in production since 1926...)

I don't think the C-130J has a T56 derivative as the AE2100-D3 is a two spool engine and the T56 is single spool. At least it was as the Allison 501-D13 on the Electra.

Thank you, dixi--that saves me from having made a big mistake. I foolishly assumed the AE2100 was a renamed T56.

A big hint of the multiple spool design of the AE2100 is the feathered engines of the C-130J when they are shut down, like you usually see on a free turbine engine(but not always).

i think the russian NK12 , propelling the tu95 bear beggining from the 50,s until now takes the price. beyond that its until now the most powerful turboprop ever build and propelled the biggest ( an22) and fastest (tu95) propeller driven aircraft ever in production .

cheers !

Allison T56
 

Stepwilk. The T56 would likely hold the record for the most number of single shaft turbo-prop engines built. Up until the C130J all C130's, all P3 Orions, E2-Hawkeye and other military aircraft used the T56 as well as Electra and some other modified civil aircraft. More than 18000 T56 engines have been produced.

Ci30 and Allision combination
 

Old Fella:

What a great combination the engine and airframe have turned out to be.

Tmb

C130 - Allison T56
 

Tmbstory, have to agree. The T56-AeroProducts prop combination and the later use of the Hamilton Standard prop on the C130 have proven to be great combinations. I certainly enjoyed my ten years on the "Lockheed Legend".

Continental 0-470. Certified in 1952, still in production.

What an amazing 'donk' the T56 has been. I spent many happy years associated with the Herc/T56 combo in the RAF, C130Ks to be exact using the T56-A-15. I always thought how 'cutting edge' the whole package was, being a constant speed engine (115/200 VAC 400Hz AC power generation a piece of cake, with no need for a CSD), electronic synchrophase and engine turbine temperature control. (I still remeber some of the 'numbers' involved: 1010°C controlling Turbine Inlet Temperature (TIT) with an overtemp release at 1077°C. And the engines were rated at 4,910 eshp and limited (circa 1967 to 1974) to 19,000 inch/pounds torque. What a sad bastard I am.
I remember it used to take ages to set up the Temperature Datums on the ramp (usually a freezing cold, soaking wet evening at Lyneham), using a test box and tweaking away at four 'blind' potentiometers deep inside the engine.
Setting up the synchrophaser prop phase angles was much more fun, as it had to be done in the air. (NO YOU DID NOT SIT ON THE ENGINE TO DO IT :p).

Ah the memories..
Best regards

Dude :O

Call me picky, but it's O-470 (as in horizontally Opposed), not 0-470, and if you include the earlier E165/E185 versions of the engine it goes back to 1947.

Ummm, yeah, I know what "O" means (and most of the other letters you typically find in aircraft engine designations) It was a typo. You might notice that the O and the 0 key are in close proximity on a Qwerty keyboard, and I'm not the worlds most skilled typist. But if you want to make an issue of it, knock yourself out.

And I considered mentioning that that the engine series had been in production longer than that, but then some pedantic twit would point out that the E165/E185/E225 engines were a different type certificate, and the point wasn't how long that engine had been in production, but that the T56 wasn't the longest production run.

Old Fella:Like any other prop, the AeroProducts prop was not without its problems.

not sure, but check the turbomecca engines like the Astazou and bostogne...helicopter and airplane both

T56/Alison 501 series are not very efficient but in terms of unbustable instant power they are hard to beat. However while they are many still in service I believe it has been over 15 years since any new ones were built.

The poor Aeroproducts 606A propeller has IMO gotten an undeserved bad reputation. It takes a bit of work to understand it but I think it is an absolutely brilliant design.

As for the longest in production turbine engine I would say it would be the PT6 series turboprop, first flown in 1961 and still being built in the same basic configuration (for the lower horse power single wheel versions) today.

The Allison (now Rolls Royce) 250 was certified in 1962 and is still produced.

For a straight turbojet, the P&W J-52 was first run in 1955 or so. It was developed for the Hound Dog missile and the A-6 Intruder, was put in later versions of the A-4 Skyhawk (E through M, plus several export variants), and is still in active service in the EA-6B Prowler. The civilian version was the JT8D that powered some 727s and DC-9s. I don't know how many JT8Ds are still in service...

T56/AeroProducts
 

Hi Barit1. You are of course correct, the AeroProducts propeller did have its problems, but in a general sense it was very reliable and a less complex propeller than the Hamilton Standard 54H60 series. The accident report to which you refer did not involve the same propeller (A6341FN-DIA) as used on the C130A, which was the 3 Blade 15' diameter Prop, not the 4 Blade A6441 FN-606 series as on the accident aircraft. It took a little patience to set up the AeroProducts in it's basic hydraulic governing mode due to having to shutdown, position the propeller to the applicable index mark, and then make an adjustment to the governor. It was imperative that the oil level was correct as a low level would result in RPM "droop". Once all set up to the same RPM in hydraulic governing using the strobebox and not the tacho, it was a great prop. It could be run with basic hydraulic governing, individual electronic governing (ATE mode) or three slaved to a Master for syncronised operation using either No1 or No2 as the Master. No syncro-phasing was provided and whilst a bit noisier than the HS, due to the reduced tip clearances (15" against 13'6" diameter) it performed very well and was more robust with steel blades rather than aluminium as on the HS.

Shvetsov ASh-62
 

First run in 1937, licenced versions are still in production by WSK "PZL-Kalisz" in Poland as the ASz-62 (as of 2007).