There are several especially good reasons to register now for the 26^th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Western Turbine Users Inc (WTUI) at the Palm Springs Convention Center/Renaissance Hotel, March 20-23, including the following:

• Come up-to-date on industry and aero-engine issues.

• Take advantage of top-quality training. WTUI’s annual conferences offer more technical instruction and discussion on LM2500, LM5000, LM6000, and LMS100 gas turbines than any user group in the world. The break-out sessions for each machine total more than nine hours to meet the burgeoning information needs of users. Detailed instruction is provided by engine experts from the OEM and its licensed repair depots: Air New Zealand (ANZGT), IHI, MTU Maintenance, and TransCanada Turbines (TCT).

• Spend time with more than 150 of the leading providers of aero-related equipment and services in the exhibit hall. Vendor-fair hours: Sunday (March 20) from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 (reception included), Monday 9-5, and Tuesday 8-4:30.

• Collaborate with colleagues during meals and social events.

With competition keen in the electric generation business, it takes an increasing amount of effort to keep your plant at the top of the dispatch list. The latest statistics from SPS’s ORAP®, presented to CCJ ONsite just last week, bear this out. Sal DellaVilla and his team report that simple-cycle aeros in peaking service averaged 10.5% more starts in 2015 than in the previous five-year period (2010-2014), and they performed at higher availability and reliability. Average unit availability for 2015 was 93.6% versus 91.9% for 2010-2014; reliability 96.7% versus 96.3%. Is your facility in this league?

Simple-cycle units in base-load service are working harder as well. They’re operating more hours at higher availability: 7185 hours on average for 2015 versus 6935 for 2010-2014. Availability was 93.4% in 2015 versus 92.8%.

When making travel arrangements, keep in mind that the technical program begins Sunday afternoon (March 20) with user orientation for first-time attendees at 3:30. This two-hour session offers a valuable introduction to LM engines, terminology, nomenclature, and other hands-on knowledge and experience to prepare for group discussions the following day.

Social events. A good idea for everyone: Come a day early and participate in the golf or tennis tournament on Sunday morning. Bring your wife or significant other. The annual spouse tour Monday morning will be an unforgettable adventure: An aerial tramway tour up the sheer cliffs of Chino Canyon mountain and a short walk through pristine wilderness. Rounding out the social calendar for the 2016 meeting is The Monday Night Reception on the Renaissance pool deck—WTUI’s first Hawaiian Luau, plus a Polynesian dance show.