Whenever I’m around a Pilatus PC-12, either standing on the ramp, or inside the cockpit or cabin, I am dazzled by the size of this turboprop single. The wingspan is more than 53 feet. The tail is 14 feet above the pavement. And the cabin is as roomy as some midsize business jets. The PC-12 cabin is often compared to the stately Beech Super King Air 200, but the Pilatus cabin is actually a little bigger with several more inches of width and length.
No airplane offers more cabin room or range for the money. And because it is a single the PC-12 is more economical to operate than any turbine airplane of similar size. Sales of the PC-12 have been accelerating rapidly and backorders are building because no other airplane can deliver so much for the money. When the PC-12 entered service in the mid-90s it was most attractive to owner pilots who appreciated the benefits of a turboprop single and to utility operators who needed the cabin space and rough field capability. Those groups still represent big chunks of the PC-12 customer base, but in the past couple of years the number of nonpilots and charter and fractional operators on the order list has been growing fast. In every case, it’s for the same reason-size and comfort of the cabin.
