[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 124 (Monday, July 21, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S4502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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          RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF PRATT & WHITNEY

 Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the 
100th anniversary of Pratt & Whitney, a pioneer and titan in the field 
of aviation.
  The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company was founded in 1925 in Hartford, 
CT, by Frederick B. Rentschler and colleagues from his previous 
position at Wright Aeronautical, with funding and facility space from 
Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool.
  Rentschler, along with George J. Mead and other colleagues, were 
designing and developing a new air-cooled radial engine design that 
would enable an unprecedented power-to-weight ratio. The company's 
first engine, the 425-horsepower R-1340 Wasp, was completed by the end 
of 1925. On its third test run in March 1926, the engine easily passed 
the U.S. Navy qualification test and proceeded to revolutionize 
military and commercial aviation through a combination of both 
performance and reliability.
  In order to ramp up production, the company moved to East Hartford, 
where assembly lines, research and testing, and administrative offices 
are still located, along with an airfield, known as Rentschler Field.
  Notably, the R-1340 powered the aircraft of many high-profile 
aviators of the day, including Wiley Post and Amelia Earhart. It also 
gave birth to an entire Wasp series, which are used in agricultural 
aircraft and other aviation applications around the world to this day.
  Engine production soared during World War II, and in 1944, Pratt & 
Whitney--now independent of Pratt & Whitney Machine Tool and part of 
the United Aircraft Corporation--began its gas turbine and jet 
propulsion initiative. The company constructed a wind tunnel, 
laboratory, and engineering center to support the United States and its 
allies in World War II. By 1945, wartime production of these engines 
totaled more than 300,000 and were known by servicemembers to be 
extremely dependable. Indeed, the ``Dependable Engines'' has been one 
of the company's slogans--and its overriding goal--for decades.
  After World War II, Pratt & Whitney continued designing and 
innovating aircraft engines that were more powerful, agile, and 
reliable. Today, they remain a world leader in the commercial and 
defense aerospace industry, with more than 85,000 engines in service, 
approximately 17,000 customers worldwide, and plants across the United 
States.
  With roughly 11,000 employees between its headquarters in East 
Hartford and a facility in Middletown, Pratt & Whitney continues to be 
one of the greatest, most impactful commercial institutions in 
Connecticut. I hope my colleagues will join me in honoring the 100th 
anniversary of Pratt & Whitney and the tremendous legacy it has left--
and continues to forge--in the aerospace industry.

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