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Pilatus delivers 1800th PC-12


May 4, 2021  By Wings Staff

By mid-2021, Pilatus Aircraft reached a fleet milestone with the delivery of the 1,800th PC-12 production unit, a PC-12 NGX which was introduced in 2019 as the third major iteration of the platform. Levaero Aviation, founded in 1997, is instrumental in establishing and maintaining the PC-12 fleet in Canadian aviation. (Photo: Pilatus Aircraft).

Pilatus reached a fleet milestone with delivery of the 1,800th PC-12 production unit, a PC-12 NGX, at the end of April. The PC-12 fleet has amassed more than eight million flight hours of operating experience, including hundreds of thousands of hours in some of the world’s harshest environments.

The company notes the Pilatus PC-12 was the most popular model of all turbine-powered business aircraft in 2020, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s 2020 Year-End Aircraft Shipment Report, at 82 deliveries last year.

The 1,800th PC-12 production aircraft, with serial number 2070 was delivered to Alán Aguirre, owner of Divine Flavor LLC, a family-run and grower-owned distribution company based in Nogales, Arizona, with greenhouses and vineyards throughout Mexico.

“After flying it I’m certain we made the right choice,” said Aguirre. “The return on cost is certainly the best in its category, as the NGX includes the latest engine and avionics technology, and the interior and exterior is a thing of beauty. Pilatus should be proud of the distinctive precision of its Swiss origin.”

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Adrian Zambrano, Managing Director of the Authorised Pilatus Sales & Service Centre in Mexico, handed over the keys to the new PC-12 NGX to Aguirre at the Pilatus Broomfield completions and delivery centre in Colorado. “We’re privileged to work with Pilatus and also with driven and successful customers who place their trust in our aircraft,” he said.

Pilatus explains the PC-12 NGX, introduced at the 2019 National Business Aviation Association’s annual convention, represents the third major evolution of the PC-12 airframe. The NGX incorporates the first Electronic Propeller and Engine Control System in a turboprop aircraft. The Pratt & Whitney PT6-67E engine is also coupled to a fully integrated auto throttle, explains Pilatus, dramatically reducing pilot workload, increasing efficiency, and extending the time between overhaul by 43 per cent.

The Experience Engine, Inside the Pratt & Whitney PT6 E-Series

Pilatus incorporated additional upgrades to the NGX including larger cabin windows, all -new passenger seats, and reduced cabin noise with a new cabin air distribution system and a propeller low-speed mode.

“We are extremely pleased to have the honour of delivering this milestone aircraft to Mr Aguirre,” said Thomas Bosshard, CEO, Pilatus Business Aircraft. “The PC-12 program continues to exceed all expectations originally set for it by Pilatus. The market response to the PC-12 NGX has been fantastic, and we are seeing many operators of earlier PC-12s, twin turboprops, and light jets making the switch to an aircraft which offers proven reliability, performance and safety combined with the latest in engine and avionics technology.”

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