The Pilatus PC-12 makes its debut at the Singapore airshow this year despite having been in operation for a decade.
There are currently no PC-12 owners in Singapore Ð but that's a situation the Swiss manufacturer believes could change imminently.
Pilatus hopes that by demonstrating the aircraft daily in the flying display and in the other demonstrations it has booked in Singapore at the end of the week it will interest a local buyer.
Although around three-quarters of all sales so far have been in North America, the PC-12 already has a presence in the region.
The Australian Royal Flying Doctors have 16. Two more are in use in India with a third set for imminent delivery.
Two days before the airshow opened, the Pilatus team was demonstrating in the Indonesian city of Bekan Baru where it has interest from a state governor, and will demonstrate in Bangkok after leaving Singapore.
Sales in North America have suffered since 11 September. Having sold 70-plus aircraft last year, Pilatus had expected to chalk up improved sales in 2002.
Lowered
That number has been lowered but marketing manager Urs Maienfisch says a recent tour of distributors showed promising signs of a resurgence and he projects sales of around 60.
Maienfisch is convinced that the coming year will see increased sales of the PC-12 in Asia. Pilatus invested heavily in market research in the region before committing to Asian Aerospace 2002 and is very confident of its prospects, he says.
He makes a robust case for its superiority over the competition Ð primarily here the Raytheon Beech King Air 200 also on display which is, he says, significantly more expensive.
"The acquisition cost of the PC-12 starting at $2.7million is around a $1 million less that the King Air 200 and we believe its operating costs are around 40% lower," he says.
Japan is another target market where increasing liberalisation gives this class of multi-purpose aircraft a potential new market. The PC-12's ability to land on most terrain has resulted in a wide range of applications.
From the icy wastes of Canada where the Royal Canadian Mounted Police operates 13, through the European hubs favoured by fractional operators onto the dusty outback deserts, the PC-12 has found favour. In part this is because of its large cargo door which has made it a good freight carrier.
Executive
The version here, which rolled off the production line in Stans, Switzerland three months ago, is in an executive six-seat configuration.
Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67B engine the aircraft achieves a maximum cruise speed of 270kt (500km/h) with a range of 2,261nm (4,180km).
The aircraft flying in Singapore is equipped with engine trend control monitoring system, moving map and enhanced ground proximity sensors as part of its state-of-the-art EFIS cockpit. This fully-equipped version costs around $3.4million.
Source: Flight Daily News
