The Pilatus PC-12 single-engine utility turboprop has now logged more than ten million flight hours since the first examples of the model were delivered in 1994. According to Pilatus, 71 PC-12s have flown for more than 20,000 hours each with the fleet leader logging over 35,000 hours. The company says it has delivered almost 2,000 PC-12s to date, noting that the fleet has currently recorded more than 9.3 million landings.
“When the PC-12 was launched, this milestone seemed light-years away in the future,” said Ignaz Gretener, Pilatus business aviation division vice president. “You must give credit to the engineers who designed this incredibly robust airframe, the production team that builds outstanding quality into each unit, the sales team that found so many markets eager to adopt this versatile aircraft, and the support team so dedicated to keeping them in the air.”
The PC-12 has seen regular use by corporate flight departments, individual owner-operators, fractional and charter companies, air ambulance service providers and special missions units. The most recent version, the PC-12 NGX, was introduced in 2019. Powered by the Pratt & Whitney PT6E-67XP, the PC-12 NGX offers a top cruise speed of 290 knots, 1,803-NM range and full-fuel payload of 988 pounds.
The plane seems to have a very good safety record. The crashes you do read about all seem to involve severe weather that could have been avoided.