Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Unveils Their Single-Engine PC–12 NGX Turboprop Aircraft.
By: David M. Edwards B.S., M.B.A.
David’s LinkedIn professional profile can be viewed by clicking here.
Switzerland and the associated Swiss people are Galactically Renowned for their unmatched and uncompromising product quality and craftmanship. The well-known and highly regarded Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. (Pilatus) company has been in operation for over eighty (80) years since its founding on December 16, 1939, according to Pilatus-a (2019).
First reported, through email notification, by Western Aircraft of Boise, Idaho (United States of America; U.S.A.), a Greenwich Aerogroup Company, Pilatus revealed their new PC-12 NGX at the National Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (N.B.A.A.-B.A.C.E.) in Las Vegas, Nevada (U.S.A.) on the evening of Monday October 21, 2019.
The Pilatus PC–12 product line has been long established and earned its notoriety as the premier and pinnacle product in the single engine turbine market with its vast utility (e.g. Large Cargo door, Off-Airport-Field & Soft [Non-Concrete]-Airport-Field Take Off and Landing Capabilities, etc.), superior performance, quality, reliability, craftmanship, top-notch customer support & service, and effective usage & deployment of modern technology.
The single-pilot certified Pilatus PC–12 NGX is the third and latest iteration in the PC–12 product line. Over one thousand and seven hundred (1,700) PC–12‘s have been produced and have globally accumulated more than seven million flight hours, according to Western Aircraft (2019). The PC–12 NGX can cruise at 290 knots, five knots faster than the previous generation, the PC–12 NG, according to Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association’s (A.O.P.A.) Thomas A. Horne (2019). Updates and upgrades to the PC–12 product line in the new PC–12 NGX model include the following:
1) The Iconic Pratt & Whitney PC–6 engine brand has been upgraded with 1,825 thermodynamic horsepower and 1,100 shaft horsepower for cruise flight, according to Horne (2019). The PC6E–67XP engine is Unmatched with Safety, Reliability, and through Decades of Global (180 Countries) Rigorous Utilization (400+ Million Flight Hours), according to Pratt and Whitney (2019). The modern PC–6 E–Series Full Authority Digital Engine Control (F.A.D.E.C.) control turboprop engine is the first dual channel integrated electronic propeller and engine control system (Pratt and Whitney, 2019).
2) Touchscreen Flat Panel Control Avionics Technology with Synthetic Vision Technology
3) Digital Autothrottle Technology
4) Redesigned and crafted interior by BMW DesignWorks, includes larger windows, has a cabin volume of 300 (^3) cubic feet.
The PC–12 NGX has a list base price of $4.39 Million United States Dollars (U.S.D.), while a typically equipped PC–12 NGX will cost approximately $5.369 Million U.S.D., according to Horne (2019).
Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. expects both United States Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) and the European Union Aviation Safety Administration (E.U.A.S.A.) Certifications in December of 2019 (Horne, 2019).
“The first production PC–12 NGX is on display at NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition static display at Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas,” according to Horne (2019).
Customer deliveries of the PC–12 NGX from the production line are expected to begin in April 2020, or the second quarter of 2020 (Q2 2020) (Horne, 2019).
DISCLAIMERS:
1) This is not a paid advertisement by Pilatus Aircraft Ltd., nor has Aerospace Weekly (A.W.) been financially subsidized and/or financial compensated for this article in any way, shape, and/or form directly and/or indirectly.
2) Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. currently owns, holds, and retains any and all rights of and/or associated rights with respect to the photographs sourced from Pilatus Aircraft Ltd., herein.
References:
Pilatus-a. (2019). Our Herritage. http://www.Pilatus-Aircraft.com
Retrieved From:
https://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/en/pilatus/heritage
Pratt and Whitney. (2019). General Aviation Engines. http://www.pwa.utc.com
Retrieved from:
https://www.pwc.ca/en/products-and-services/products/general-aviation-engines
Western Aircraft. (2019, October 22). Pilatus Media Release: The Best Turboprop Is Better Than
Ever; Pilatus Reveals The PC–12NG. Western Aircraft email notification.