Impressive! Pilatus delivers 1,800th PC-12!
At the end of April, Pilatus reached an impressive milestone by delivering its 1,800th PC-12 to a customer, in this case the owner of a distribution company for vineyards and greenhouses in Mexico. Since the delivery of the first PC-12 in 1994, the type has accumulated over eight million flying hours.
Development of the PC-12 was launched in 1989 at the annual NBAA (National Business Aviation Society). Pilatus saw a potential in the market for a large-cabin, single-engined aircraft, able to fly a good distance and able to operate under harsh conditions. The first flight took place on 31 May 1991 and certification was expected to finalise later thay year. During the test-phase, however, a few issues popped-up, which prompted the manufacturer to redesign parts of the wings and adding winglets to ensure that the aircraft would meet its specification targets. Certification was eventually achieved in 1994 and in the same year deliveries began.
The PC-12 is a six to nine seating passenger aircraft that can be operated by a single pilot. It's also available as a utility aircraft for use as a medical transport or surveillance aircraft. So far seven variants of the PC-12 have been developed.
- PC-12: The original PC-12, featuring a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67B engine, a round-dial cockpit and a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 4,100 kg.
- PC-12/45: Upgraded version of the PC-12, featuring a MTOW of 4,500 kg. Also available as an retrofit-upgrade for the original PC-12.
- PC-12/47: Version of the PC-12 with a MTOW of 4,700 kg.
- PC-12/47E: Marketed as PC-12NG and launched in 2006. Featuring a PT6A-67P engine and a glass cockpit.
- PC-12NGX: Upgraded version of the 47E, with a PT6E-67XP engine, a redesigned cabin (with larger windows) and improved avionics.
- PC-12M: Paramilitary version of the PC-12, sometimes marketed as PC-12 Spectre.
- U-28A: USAF version of the PC-12, named Draco.
Photo by Pilatus.