We Fly: Pilatus PC-12 NGX

Tuesday, June 02, 2020 at 04:11 PM ET

Verified

“The biggest impediment to selling a new PC-12…is a used PC-12. But that’s what drives us to continually improve and innovate.” Courtesy Pilatus Aircraft

Key Takeaways:

The Pilatus PC-12 NGX is a highly versatile and robust "turbine Suburban," known for its exceptional cargo capacity, utility, and ability to operate from various airstrips, carrying significant loads over long distances.
Key upgrades in the NGX include the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6E-67XP engine with the first-ever full authority digital engine control (FADEC) and autothrottle for a single-engine turboprop, simplifying operation and increasing usable horsepower.
It features an advanced Honeywell Epic avionics suite (Pilatus Advanced Cockpit Environment) with high-resolution screens, customizable displays, and enhanced safety features like TCAS II and emergency-descent mode.
The cabin offers 10% larger windows, improved environmental systems, BMW Designworks-designed quick-release seating, and significantly increased maintenance intervals to reduce operating costs.

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I first flew a Pilatus PC-12 Model 10 back in 2008 and found it made a nice, stable instrument platform. At 270 knots, it was no jet, but a walk through that gargantuan cabin on the ground with the massive rear cargo door open made no bones about the airplane’s ability to carry tons of stuff.

I think I called it an airborne Chevy Suburban. Pilatus chief pilot Jed Johnson offered a more descriptive tag line when I was in Broomfield, Colorado, for a December 2019 visit to Pilatus Business Aircraft, calling it a “turbine Suburban.”