Aircraft for Your Escape to Kiawah Island

The Pilatus PC-12 NGX and the Daher TBM 960 offer speed, style and cargo carrying capabilities.

Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 11:20 AM ET

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With its 2,236-pound payload, the Pilatus PC-12 NGX can carry up to 10 passengers, plus a pilot, and/or a lot of stuff, making it a versatile mount for your vacation to the South Carolina coast. [Credit: Pilatus]

Key Takeaways:

The article compares two high-performance turboprop aircraft, the Pilatus PC-12 NGX and Daher TBM 960, as ideal choices for stylish and capable travel to destinations like Kiawah Island.
The Pilatus PC-12 NGX is highlighted for its impressive payload capacity (up to 2,236 lbs) and large cargo door, making it suitable for carrying extensive gear or up to 10 passengers at speeds up to 290 ktas.
The Daher TBM 960 is presented as the option for "Speed & Style," offering a higher maximum cruise speed of 326 ktas, a powerful new engine with FADEC-style control, and advanced Garmin G3000 avionics including the HomeSafe autoland system.

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For your trip to Kiawah Island—or the fine city of Charleston—you want to arrive in style, and in an airplane that can keep up. Whether you’re running with the bizjets at Charleston Executive, or following a Lockheed C-130 on final at the joint-use Charleston Air Force Base/International Airport, speedwise, our two choices can match whatever speed ATC needs you to maintain—and allow you to take along what you need for your adventure.

READ MORE: Discover Kiawah Island

All the Gear: Pilatus PC-12 NGX

If you just can’t bear to leave any gear at home—but you still need more speed than a Cessna Caravan would offer—you might choose the Pilatus PC-12 NGX. The PC-12’s Pratt & Whitney PT6E-67XP turboprop powerplant pulls the aircraft’s max gross weight of 10,450 pounds through the air at speeds up to 290 ktas.