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 features significant upgrades, including a new Pratt & Whitney PT6E-67XP engine with Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and autothrottle (a first for a single-engine turboprop), offering enhanced performance and automation.
It integrates advanced Honeywell Epic avionics, branded as the Advanced Cockpit Environment, which provides improved processing, larger screens, and advanced safety features like envelope protection and an emergency-descent mode.
The NGX retains the PC-12's renowned utility and cargo capacity while offering a redesigned, more luxurious cabin with larger windows, improved comfort, and increased engine overhaul times, making it more cost-effective to operate.

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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.”