Page 12 - April 2015 Volume19 Number 4

I’ve now flown the NG for almost five years; the airplane never ceases to amaze me. Whether it’s the performance on any particular day, the flexibility of suitable airfields (including unpaved airstrips), or the reliability of the airframe, the NG always delivers what we’ve grown to expect from the Pilatus. If you’re looking for a personal airplane, this is it. If you’re looking for a cargo hauler, this is also it. And if you’re looking to maximize business travel, well, this is it, too. It’s a horse of many different colors, and this is what sets the airplane apart. Follow along, as I walk through different stages of flight to describe the Pilatus PC-12NG. But first, let’s note the differences among previous models.Old Dog, New TricksInitially appearing in 1995, the PC-12/41 had a gross weight of 9,036 lbs, quickly upgraded to 9,920 lbs with stronger landing gear as the PC-12/45. Pilatus deserves much credit for providing retrofits for10 • TWIN & TURBINEolder airplanes to bring them up later standards. Larger winglets in 1998, panel changes in 2001 and the increase in gross weight in 2006 to create the PC-12/47, continued the upgrades. Pre-NG aircraft used the PT-6A-67B engine, limited to 1,000-shp after five minutes.The NG has had a few significant upgrades over the earlier model PC-12s. For one, the airplane now comes standard with the Honeywell Primus Apex Integrated Avionics System. Very robust, the avionics package includes four 10-inch reversionary screens that can easily be reconfigured in the event of a failure. The screens are arranged in a “T” shape, with two PFD’s on either side of the upper MFD and one additional MFD below that. The information is divided in quadrants for easy viewing and interpretation. Maneuvering around the system is made easy with a cursor control device, in addition to the standard joystick, which helps tremendously in turbulent conditions. Housed in the modular avionics unit,subsystems controlled by computers and line-replaceable modules allow the integrated avionics system to produce easy-to-manage information, system functionality, and graphical depictions.Moreover, the NG also benefited from new winglets (for a myriad of efficiencies), a rudder/aileron interconnect (for improved lateral stability and coordination), servo tabs on the aileron (introduced on the PC-12/47 for boosted roll performance), and lastly, as mentioned earlier, increased power from the PT6A-67P engine, capable of 1,845-shp but flat-rated to a continuous 1,200-shp by Pilatus, coupled to the increased maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 10,450 lbs. All of these upgrades have continued to make the NG a formidable player in both the turboprop and light-to- small jet markets.OperationallyThe PC-12NG handles as well as she is beautiful. With all of the newAPRIL 2015