Pilatus is on schedule to deliver its 1,600th PC-12 aircraft this year, by far the largest number of single-engine pres- surized turboprops in the business aircraft fleet.
Oriens Aviation recorded a strong 2017, with the sale of five new Pilatus PC-12 aircraft to customers. The company also has secured its first new-build delivery position for 2018.
There’s no mistaking a 2016 Pilatus PC-12 NG from earlier versions of the aircraft. The third iteration of this 22-year-old model sports a five-blade Hartzell prop with scimitar shaped blades made of black carbon fiber. It is more efficient at converting torque into thrust in all phases of flight than the aluminum Hartzell four-blade prop it replaces.
Short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft will be the latest addition to the Homeland Security Dept.'s air force for protecting the U.S. from terrorism and smuggling.
