![WE FLY: PILATUS' NEW PC-12 NGX](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/4975/425676/5e900918aeab8/WE-FLY-PILATUS-NEW-PC-12NGX.jpg)
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 PLANE’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.”
No matter what nickname you give it, the PC-12 is famous for being able to haul a couple of Harleys and a few passengers out to a dirt strip and back (see “A Little PC-12 History” for more on the models). In fact, Pilatus specifically designed the PC-12 with a T-tail to make using a forklift possible while loading cargo through that big aft door. Johnson said, originally, Pilatus just saw the airplane as a robust utility, cargo and military airplane that was only later transformed into a luxury vehicle. Pilatus vice president of marketing Tom Aniello said it was actually the dealers who saw the potential for the PC-12 once the interior was spiffed up.
With 1,750 PC-12s built to date, new NGX owners— AIRabout 10 percent of whom will operate it single pilot—can carry a 2,000-pound load on a 3½-hour IFR flight with reserves and feel as though they were operating a light jet, except for the NGX’s 290-knot top speed. Adding to the airplane’s own capabilities is the venerable Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 powerplant, which already has about 8 million flight hours under its belt, and Honeywell’s proven Epic avionics system.
Esta historia es de la edición April 2020 de Flying.
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Esta historia es de la edición April 2020 de Flying.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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The Temple of Speed
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Flat Sixes
Fanatical artisans
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I’m old , I’m cranky. Why do I keep air-camping?
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Gulfstream Reveals G400, G800
The product lineup gains large-cabin and ultralong-range mounts.
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Embrace the challenge of mastering a new machine.
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Fuhggedaboutit
Fifty-plus years of f lying forgetfulness
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THE MAULE FAMILY APPROACHABLE AIRCRAFT
Choose your mount —the Maules do it all.
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Sisters
“ Women certainly have the courage and tenacity required for long flights.” —Mildred Doran
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What kind of pilot should you be?
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WE FLY: CESSNA CITATION CJ4 GEN2
THE FLAGSHIP CJ JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT BETTER.