Aircraft Overview: Pilatus PC-12

The PC-12 is a single-engine turboprop airplane produced by Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft, the current version of which is the PC-12/47E-based PC-12 NGX.

 

Development of the PC-12 began in 1987, with the type’s first flight—performed by a prototype airframe registered as HB-FOA—taking place on May 31, 1991.

 

Subsequently, the first variant—designated PC-12—received approval from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) on March 30, 1994.

 

Following the certification of that PC-12 variant, Pilatus also received approval for three additional variants—the PC-12/45, PC-12/47 and PC-12/47E—which were certified on June 4, 1996, Dec. 14, 2005, and March, 28, 2008, respectively. 

 

Despite the differences between the variants of the PC-12, all four have a common maximum passenger seating capacity of nine, in addition to the single required pilot.

 

However, when single-pilot operations are conducted, the maximum passenger capacity can be increased to 10, with “the right-hand cockpit seat” occupied by “an additional passenger.”

 

Passengers on the PC-12 NGX are accommodated in cabin that has a length of 16 ft. 11 in., width of 5 ft. and height of 4 ft. 10 in.—as well as a volume of 330 ft.³—with both the length and volume measured from the “cockpit/cabin partition to [the] aft pressure bulkhead.”

 

Supplementing the space in the cabin is a 40-ft.³ baggage compartment—with “all baggage” being “internally accessible”—while a “pallet-sized cargo door” that has a height of 4 ft.4 in. and usable width of 4 ft. 5 in. is standard.

 

The available cabin configurations include a commuter configuration that can accommodate as many as 10 passengers, six- and eight-seat executive cabins, a passenger-cargo combi arrangement and full-cargo and air ambulance layouts.

 

Pilots operate the PC-12 NGX using Pilatus’ Advanced Cockpit Environment (ACE) avionics system that is based on Honeywell’s Primus Epic 2.0 integrated avionics system and which is described by the airframe manufacturer as being “specifically developed for the PC-24 and PC-12 NGX.”

 

The features of the ACE system include an autothrottle, dual flight management systems (FMS), four 10-in. liquid-crystal displays (LCD) and graphical flight planning.

Powering all variants of the PC-12 is a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engine that has a takeoff engine limitation of 1,200 shp.

 

The PC-12, PC-12/45 and PC-12/47 are equipped with the PT6A-67B engine, while the PC-12/47E is powered by either the PT6A-67P (PC-12 NG) or PT6E-67XP (PC-12 NGX).

 

Beyond its 10,450-lb. MTOW, Pilatus states that the basic operating weight of a PC-12 NGX—when operated by a single pilot and configured with a six-seat executive interior—is 6,803 lb.

 

Furthermore, when carrying full fuel, the maximum payload is reduced to 988 lb.

Operating limitations common to all PC-12 variants include a maximum operating speed and Mach number (V_MO/M_MO) of 240-kt. calibrated airspeed (KCAS) and 0.48 Mach, respectively, as well as a maximum operating altitude of 30,000 ft.

 

Based on the maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), International Standard Atmosphere (ISA), sea-level altitude and a runway that is dry and paved, the PC-12 NGX’s takeoff distance over a 50-ft. obstacle is 2,485 ft.

The 2,170-ft. landing distance over a 50-ft. obstacle assumes the same criteria except for the maximum landing weight. 

In addition to those takeoff and landing distances, Pilatus also promotes the PC-12 NGX’s ability to operate from unpaved surfaces such as dirt, grass and gravel, as well as in known icing conditions.

 

Assuming National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) instrument flight rules (IFR) reserves “of 100 nm,” the airplane operated by a single pilot at the long-range cruise speed at flight level (FL) 300, ISA and with a cabin configured in an executive layout with six seats, the range of the PC-12 NGX varies based on the payload, with a range of 694 nm possible when carrying the 2,236-lb. maximum payload.

 

When carrying a 1,200-lb. payload that includes six passengers, the range is extended to 1,568 nm, a figure that is further increased to 1,803 nm with an 800-lb. payload that assumes four passengers. Additionally, the airframe’s ferry range is 1,889 nm.