Before I wrap up for now my exposure to (LVFR) A330 in MSFS here, I wished to follow up my earlier A330 post with one of a slightly different twist (and learning). I'd remarked that the A330 was the first Airbus airliner to offer all three engine options: General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, and Rolls-Royce. The A330 was also the first long-haul (modern) twinjet ever to be offered with such engine choices. Prior to that, the (quad-jet) Boeing 747 series of aircraft had been offered with 3 engine types. Boeing's twinjet 777 that flew a couple of years after A330, would also come equipped with a choice of 3 engine types, for some of its variants. 

The trio of (popular) engine models (PW4000/GE CF6/RR RB211) that were already proven and field-tested with the most successful of the B747 variants (the -400) would go on to be adapted for the A330, with one change. For the A330 launch, Rolls-Royce had been heavily investing in (further) development of its RB211 engine. The result was the birth of the illustrious (RR) Trent engine family, evolved from RB211. The Trent 700, the first member (i.e., lowest numeric Trent designation) of the Trent series, was used for the first time on A330(ceo). It's interesting that Trent 7000 (note the extra "0"; it's the largest numeric Trent designation) is now being used on the A330(neo). Apparently, after reaching "7000", RR decided to switch to non-numeric designation (e.g., "Trent XWB" now powers Airbus A350 XWB). So, (PW4000 / GE CF6 / RR Trent 700) are/were the 3 engine choices offered on the Airbus A330ceo, the a/c which is the subject of my post and the pictures below. 

BTW, the history of Rolls-Royce is a fascinating one to study...from (vintage) automobiles to modern aero engines... [Side Note: After my last A330 post, my interest for a bit of deep dive into Rolls-Royce was triggered after recently viewing (one more time) the James Bond film "Spectre"...🙂...bit of a fan here of the British Secret Service Agent. Bond, of course, is known to be pre-qualified and certified to pilot any aircraft of immediate need...🙂...from the flimsiest Gyros, through the fastest Fighters, to the largest Jets, especially when chasing (or being chased by) the villains of the world. If you've not, I invite you to watch him pilot the BN-2 Islander in "Spectre", with complete disregard for the procedural operating manuals of the a/c (or any a/c for that matter) ...🙂...Anyway, there is also a Rolls-Royce in that film, which I recall well. Type this on your on-line search, "[James Bond: Spectre 2015; 1948 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith]" to be led to a 2min:44sec video, where Bond expertly identifies, to his soulmate, the Rolls-Royce from afar saying the words, "That is a 1948 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith", while simultaneously cocking his pistol ready for use, just in case needed...🙂...as the vehicle emerges from a cloud of Moroccan desert dust...]. It's a bit like me saying here, "That is an Airbus A330-200 with Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines..."...🙂...Anyway, if I can identify so, you can do it easily too...if you're not a professional pilot as most of us here are not either (please see next).

With due respect for the rich heritage of RR engines, we must also mention the other two remarkable engine makers (PW and GE). As aviation fans, we cannot but be familiar with the legendary JT8D and JT9D powerplants of PW. JT8D powered the RW (and our virtual world) 707s, 727s, DC9s, and MD80s etc. JT9D powered the RW (and our virtual world) A300s, A310s, B747s, B767s, and DC10s etc. The iconic PW logo of the soaring eagle with the words, "PRATT & WHITNEY DEPENDABLE ENGINES" has stood the test of time, while evocating the memories of massive pistons and the glory days of golden age of travel. For the GA fans around here, PW's PT6A engines have set the gold standard, and are the market-leaders in the Turboprop segment.

GE is no stranger to jet engines either. Here is a little-known fact from long-bygone history, "In the fall of 1941, a group of GE engineers in Lynn, Massachusetts, received a secret present from King George VI via wooden crates on aircraft, as part of a contract from the U.S. War Department. Inside of the crates, were parts of the first jet engine ever flown by the allies; a "Whittle" engine (invention of Sir Frank Whittle) ...". So, it was GE that was instrumental in mass production of the very first jet engines of the world, evolved out of the "hand-made" prototypes of Whittle. The GE engines are now everywhere in aviation [B-(737, 747, 777, 787) and A-(320, 330, 340, 380)] etc. 

So, here we go, along with my tips for telling apart the 3 engines (PW4000 / GE CF6 / RR Trent 700).

• Step 1: On the A330 Wiki Page, examine the 3 nice (juxtaposed) pictures of the 3 engine types in the "Engines" sub-section of the "Development" Section. The first image is that of the Trent 700 (observe the slim and elongated shape with an abrupt finish of the back (exhaust) end). The 2nd image is that of the PW4000 (observe the noticeable bulge and also the protruding sections at the back end). Finally, the 3rd image is for the GE CF6 (somewhat similar to the RR Trent 700 in shape but of shorter length, also with protruding sections at the back end plus an unmistakable pointed tip). 
• Step 2: Now, you may examine the images below of my (i.e., LVFR's) A330 engines on 3 different airlines: Aerolíneas Argentinas (Takeoff Phase); China Eastern (Cruise Phase); and Air Caraïbes (Landing Phase). I leave it to you...🙂...to identify the type of engine that each airline has chosen based on (simple) visual clues (no technicalities involved). I'll do the same next time I'm in O'Hare knowing now that Delta Airlines is currently the largest A330 (ceo/neo) operator of the world...

Thanks for viewing these 3 sets of images of the A330-200 for 3 different airlines, each powered by a different engine type. 

Hope you enjoy...!

Edited October 11, 20241 yr by P_7878

Beautiful shots! 😉 

Fine set and nice to see the different engine variants of the A330.

By the way, thanks for the huge Information about that engines..

cheers 😉

Will, pmplayer:

Thanks for the feedback comments... Cheers...!