Contributor

Harry Weisberger

Rolls-Royce is reporting growth of its CorporateCare power-by-the-hour engine maintenance program, saying that it has signed more than 120 contracts this year, already surpassing a record of 103 contracts for all of last year. The engine maker now has more than 520 aircraft enrolled in CorporateCare or other flight-hour agreements, the contracts for which are valued at more than $1 billion.

According to Rolls-Royce, CorporateCare provides the customer with predictable engine maintenance costs and reduces acquisition costs. Rolls-Royce noted that customers enrolled in CorporateCare benefit from higher aircraft residual values as well as predictability and control of maintenance costs.

The engine manufacturer is also touting its e-business tools for customers here at NBAA’06. Beginning today, Rolls-Royce is demonstrating Aeromanager, its online portal for aerospace customers, at its booth (No. 2630). Aeromanager provides access to a wide range of services, including real-time technical information to help manage engine operation, as well as the ability to order spare parts or view the status of engines being repaired and overhauled.

The Aeromanager service, launched in 2001, has evolved into a “one-stop shop” offering customers a range of services including access to online information such as interactive manuals, service bulletins and engine management programs. It also allows customers to request engine overhauls and to monitor progress of their engines through the maintenance shops. Additional features include spares ordering, visibility of lease engine availability and access to engine health monitoring tools.

Rolls-Royce offers long-term maintenance agreements for its BR710, Tay and AE3007 engines. The company also provides traditional field service, repair and overhaul for these engines, as well as the V2500 and the company’s out-of-production Dart and Spey business jet engines. Currently, more than 360 corporate aircraft operators are using Aeromanager.

Rolls-Royce commences participation in NBAA’06 this morning with its annual business jet engine review and forecast press briefing followed by lunch. The event begins at 11:30 a.m. in Room N230A. The press conference will focus on Rolls-Royce’s 20-year business aviation forecast with some specifics on engine deliveries and values, while also looking at the market for the VLJs, which have gained much recent attention.

At 10 a.m. tomorrow, Rolls will join Cessna at Booth No. 2630 to celebrate 10 years of the Cessna Citation X, powered by the AE3007C turbofan. That engine, developed by Allison before the one-time General Motors division merged with Rolls-Royce, has achieved two million engine flight hours aboard the Citation X and Embraer Legacy 600. Rolls-Royce claims that the AE3007C ranks as the market leader among the high value mid- to long-range business jets.

When introduced in 1996, the Citation X was powered by the 6,442-pound-thrust AE3007C engine that pushes the aircraft to Mach 0.92 in cruise. That year the Cessna Citation X aircraft and design team won the Robert J. Collier Trophy, awarded annually “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America.” In 2002, Rolls-Royce introduced the uprated AE3007C1 for the Citation X, which increased takeoff performance with 6,819 pounds of thrust.

Ian Aitken, president of Rolls-Royce’s corporate and regional aircraft unit, said, “Ten years ago Rolls-Royce helped deliver the Cessna Citation X into service and so began our growing presence in the business aviation market. This milestone also marks the entry into service of one of our most successful engine programs, the AE3007, which continues to power aircraft in the business, regional jet and military sectors. We are very proud of the long relationship we have had with Cessna and look forward to many more years of this partnership.”

There are more than 250 Cessna Citation Xs in service. The 500th AE3007 engine was delivered to Cessna in February 2005. The engine shares the same high-pressure core with the AE2100 turboprop and AE1007 turboshaft engines. Nearly 1,100 AE3007-powered regional airline, military and corporate jet aircraft are in service today, with close to 25 million flying hours in the engine’s 10-year history. 

Rolls-Royce claims it ranks as the number-one aircraft engine supplier, based on the value of delivered engines, with 34 percent of the market. Five new business jets have entered into service with Rolls-Royce engines in the last three years, and R-R climbed from one to 13 business jet applications in the last decade. The company expects to deliver more than 330 business jet engines this year.

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

Rolls-Royce CorporateCare program grows

Rolls-Royce is reporting growth of its CorporateCare power-by-the-hour engine maintenance program, saying that it has signed more than 120 contracts this y