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Innovation Takes Flight

The 1920s: The decade that brought us Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and defined a new era of aviation.

A Legacy Is Born

1925

Pratt & Whitney Aircraft was established by aircraft engine designer, Frederick B. Rentschler: a visionary who was confident he could produce a 400 to 500 horsepower air-cooled radial engine that would be superior to the then-dominant liquid-cooled engines. By April 1925, Rentschler and his brother had convinced an Ohio manufacturer – with a machine tool division called Pratt & Whitney, in Hartford – that his project had merit. The new company, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, was born.

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The Wasp engine – Pratt & Whitney's very first product – is a historic engineering landmark. Powering nearly 100 aircraft types, the Wasp was a pioneer for reliable commercial aircraft service and had a significant impact on military aviation.

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Introducing Pratt & Whitney Canada

1928

The Canadian Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company, Ltd. was originally established and founded as a service center for its parent company's aircraft engines. However, the production of Wasp engines was transferred to Pratt & Whitney Canada when the founding entity shifted focus to develop jet engines.

Today, Pratt & Whitney Canada has 66,000 engines in service with more than 15,000 customers across 200+ countries and territories. In 2023, we achieved 1 billion flight hours across general, regional, and business aviation, helicopters, and APUs.