Pilatus Business Aircraft is debuting its PC-12NG here at Oshkosh with the first NG airplane on display.
The PC-12 has historically been an owner/pilot airplane says Michael Kenny, marketing project manager. “But we’re also seeing interest from the next tier up.”
About 12 months ago the company started analyzing the step-down market. It is now seeing interest from owners of early Learjets and Citations because of the fuel efficiency of a single engine.
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From the owner/pilot side, Kenny says a lot of people are also stepping up from the Cirrus SR22 and it has had pilots with as little as 500h purchase an airplane.
“You have pilots who are building their businesses and getting fed up flying with the airlines so they start looking at airplanes,” says Kenny. “They might look at a jet and then they realize that the PC-12 is insurable. And to get the same size cabin you are looking at much bigger jets.
“They then realize that they can integrate the PC-12, not just with their business but also with their family life.”
The NG carries on the legacy from the earlier /47 models. At the heart of the NG is the Honeywell Apex avionics. “These we have are derived from those of much larger aircraft. This means they are truly integrated,” explains Kenny.
“Single pilot IFR is so much easier now. The avionics, for example, will look at your flight plan and then build the pressure plan for the aircraft. Pressurization is completely automatic,” he says.
Source: Flight International
