Page 30 - Oct24T

CIES
Flying over the mountains
I don’t have any complaints about the PC-12. I just love that aircraft...
“I did recurrent training at SIMCOM, which was seven days long. What is great about that facility [in Scottsdale] is that they have an NGX simulator with all of the same buttons, knobs, et cetera. So, the transition into the airplane is just how you learned in class, but it’s kind of intimidating to see how huge the PC-12 is. It’s quite the aircraft in person,” Greksa said.
“My biggest concern with the Pilatus was the Honeywell system since I knew the Garmin system so well, and the G3000 was so intuitive in the M600. It’s just so different from the Garmin system and not quite as intuitive. But once you get it, I will say that the system seems more solid, especially on approaches.”
Greksa enjoyed the perspectives offered by his seatmates during initial training and actively sought fresh viewpoints on PC-12 operations. He aims to fly with a mentor pilot
every few months to stay sharp in the cockpit.
And nine months into ownership, he says that the aircraft has met his expectations and then some.
“I can put four bikes in the back and carry six of us, plus luggage, and we can fly all the way to Orcas Island, Washington [from Colorado]. That’s a fairly typical flight for us and is four hours door-to-door, plus another hour and a half of fuel remaining. And it’s especially cool because Orcas Island Airport (KORS) has a 2,900-foot-long runway, and I don’t use beta most of the time. I hardly have to use the brakes, either.”
Greksa concluded, “I don’t have any complaints about the PC-12. I just love that aircraft, and the way that the Swiss do things is just incredible. Whenever you get a Pilatus, you know you are getting a great product.”
Grant Boyd is a private pilot with eight years of experience in aviation business, including marketing, writing, customer service, and sales. Boyd holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s of Business Administration degree, both from Wichita State University, and a Doctor of Education degree from Oklahoma State University. He was chosen as a NBAA Business Aviation “Top 40 Under 40” award recipient in 2020.
28 • TWIN & TURBINE / October 2024