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Pilatus PC-24 Pilot Report Pilatus PC-24 a Business Jet in a Class All Its Own

Pilatus PC-24 Pilot Report Pilatus PC-24 a Business Jet in a Class All Its Own

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Business & Commercial Aviation

PILOT REPORT Pilatus PC-24 Pilot Report Pilatus PC-24 A in a class all its own

BY FRED GEORGE [email protected] than 400 lb. compared to using tradi- tional midsize . Being able to use lighter weight engines had a he much-anticipated Pilatus PC-24 might well be named trickle-down effect on overall the big Swiss surprise. Many people confuse it for a tur- weight because beef can be taken out of engine mounts, support structures, bofan-powered variant of the PC-12. That would put it in and gear. the light jet class of the Cessna Citation CJ4 or Embraer APUs are virtually musts in midsize TPhenom 300, a market segment already overcrowded. aircraft, but Pilatus couldn’t afford the 300-lb. heft of the third engine. So, it worked with Williams to develop a But it’s actually a midsize jet with a a triple-disc for sure stopping. novel quiet power mode [QPM™] for the slightly larger cross-section than a Cita- The engines are mounted high on the right engine that reduces ground idle tion XLS+. Admittedly, it has 7 in. less aft to keep them clear of de- rpm while providing sufficient electri- headroom in the center of the cabin; bris kicked up by the tires. The flaps cal power for the vapor-cycle air condi- however, that’s because it has a con- have heavy gauge aluminum skins on tioner or electric cabin heaters when the tinuous flat floor rather than an 8-in. the bottom surfaces and they’re eas- aircraft is parked. dropped aisle. The main seating area is ily repaired. Final unimproved The right engine, operating in QPM, 2.7 ft. longer than in the XLS+, affording tests now are underway with approval comfortable seating for six people in the slated for later this year. standard executive interior. With 500 The quick-change interior is another cu. ft. of cabin volume, interior size alone distinguishing feature. In minutes, some puts the PC-24 into a midsize jet class or all of the chairs and furnishings can that’s sparsely populated, now that the be removed or repositioned, allowing Gulfstream G150, Hawker 900XP and the aircraft to be reconfigured as a four- most of the midsize Citations no longer seat passenger plus 200-cu.-ft. cargo are in production. combi, a double-club cabin for eight peo- “We wanted a small widebody,” says ple or a 10-seat commuter. All the chairs Chairman Oscar Schwenk. “In the begin- easily can be removed to convert for air ning, it was even wider. But that caused freight or air ambulance missions. too much . We think we have a good “Other aircraft in this class can be compromise now.” compared to the BMW 7 series or Mer- The PC-24, similar to the PC-12, has cedes S-Class,” says Bruno Cervia, who several exclusive qualities that arguably heads research and development for move it into a class of its own. The sig- Pilatus. “We wanted to build a Porsche nature feature is its 17-sq.-ft. aft cargo Cayenne.” door that swings up to provide access to It’s also the only business aircraft a 90-cu.-ft. aft, pressurized cargo com- priced under $23 million to have a laser partment. Incorporating the large door inertial reference unit, a key component into the aircraft design was no mean of an RNP 0.1-capable navigation sys- feat, considering the aircraft’s 8.8-psi tem. This, along with other standard pressurization system and strict empty components, makes the aircraft weight budget. The proximity of the well positioned to take full advantage of and rear-mounted the FAA’s and Eurocontrol’s 21st cen- engine air inlets to the cargo door posed tury air traffic management upgrades further challenges to Pilatus engineers. that are intended to make flying safer, The jet was designed from the outset more efficient and more environmen- for unimproved runway operations, un- tally friendly while increasing airspace like other jets aircraft adapted to that system capacity. role after certification. The rugged, Strict weight control enabled Pilatus trailing-link main gear are fitted with to fit the PC-24 with two Williams FJ44- four large, 73-psi tires. Each wheel has 4A-QPM light jet engines, saving more ASK FRED Send your questions about this article to: [email protected] also appears to make less noise than For admirers of Swiss engineering ex- are machined out of solid billets of alu- a typical APU, based upon our obser- pertise, it’s worth diving deeply into the minum alloy. Even the cursor control vations. That’s good news for airport details. device palm grip in the center console neighbors. is milled out of a solid aluminum block. “Weight control? We’re expert at it,” Structure and Systems Carbon fiber and other composites are says Schwenk. “It’s a continuous game used mainly for secondary structures, with Pilatus. It’s always about payload Walk through the Pilatus factory at particularly those with complex curves and range.” Buochs Airport (LSZC) and you’ll see such as aero fairings, the radome and The end result of the weight sav- a wholesale transformation in the way wheel well liners. ing campaign? While the aircraft has the small Swiss firm builds its first jet Wing proved espe- gained nearly 1,000 lb. from Pilatus’ ini- compared to its older prop . cially challenging because engineers tial estimates for BCA’s 2018 Purchase The PC-24 was designed from the out- were targeting cruise speeds as fast as Planning Handbook, a typically outfit- set to take full advantage of computer 440 KTAS and landing speeds of 100 ted PC-24 still weighs about 1,000 lb. controlled, high-speed milling processes KIAS or less. Pilatus developed its own less than a Citation XLS+. The aircraft, and robotic assembly. Skilled Swiss air- airfoil, one with a cranked-arrow lead- though, is typically Swiss tough in spite craft factory labor is expensive, so the ing edge with mild sweep outboard and of its light empty weight. It has a 30,000- new model is being built with fewer la- considerable sweep inboard. The trail- hr. basic design life, exceeded only in its bor hours than any Pilatus model in cur- ing edge is nearly straight, providing an price range by Embraer’s Phenom 300. rent production. And robots will do even unimpeded path for cargo or As with the PC-12, Pilatus already is ey- more of the assembly work in the future. ambulances to the cargo door. ing service life extension programs that As with most of Pilatus’ previous Airflow over the wing becomes will enable the PC-24 to fly well beyond models, the PC-24 primarily is an alu- mildly transonic above Mach 0.7. Sig- the 30,000-hr. milestone. minum alloy, semi-monocoque structure nificant drag divergence only occurs At face value, the PC-24 seems to be a constructed of stressed skins and inte- above the aircraft’s 0.74 Mmo, so the simple but solid Swiss product. Yet, sim- gral substructure. Cervia doesn’t like aircraft can cruise efficiently at Mach ilar to a Patek Phillippe Nautilus, there’s to use castings or forgings for compo- 0.72 or higher. As shown on the ac- an impressive array of technologies un- nents. As a result, most complex metal companying Specific Range chart on derneath the surface that makes pos- parts including wing spars, landing page 36, there’s a 7.5% spread between sible consistent, precision performance. gear and nose gear bulkheads Mach 0.65 best range and Mach 0.74

The PC-24 is in the stages of certification for unimproved runway operations. Pilot Report

best speed cruise profiles. the anti-skid wheel , probe and compartment. Battery 2 is in a com- The wing is built in left and right windshield heat. Fuel boost pumps and partment aft of the right wing. During halves with forward and aft single- the pressurization system use electric normal operation with both engines run- piece, machined spars, plus a short sub- power. Electric brakes may be used ning, Battery 1 is connected to the left for the aft attach point of the main on future aircraft if the price becomes generator and main bus while Battery . It’s a conventional ladder more attractive. 2 is tied to the right generator and main box design using chordwise ribs and The PC-24 is the first production bus. Bus tie relays connect normally shot-peen formed skins attached with business aircraft to use brushless AC split buses together when connected to mechanical fasteners to the interior sub- induction starter/generators. Astronics ground power or with only one genera- structure. Left and right halves are at- Corp. attempted to perfect the system 15 tor operating. tached in the center by several tension years ago with the intention of introduc- The 6,000-lb. capacity fuel system bolts to form a single piece. The wing ing it on the Eclipse 500, but the tech- has mirror-image left and right wet- attaches to the fuselage pairs of forward nology wasn’t ready. Now, it’s making wing tanks. Each tank may be refueled and aft fittings, plus a forward spigot its debut on the Pilatus jet. Each engine through an over-wing port. A single- and socket fitting to locate the wing on has a compact, lightweight, three-phase point pressure refueling port ahead of the fuselage centerline. alternator that generates unregulated, the right wing allows both wings to be The fuselage has forward, pressure wild-frequency AC power. A power refilled to a quantity programmed into vessel, tail and sections. Pila- conversion unit (PCU) transforms the an external control panel or fuel synop- tus worked with the Swiss firm Mecaplex AC into regulated 28-volt DC/400-amp tic page on the MFD. to develop new generation, lighter weight, power. When the engines are running, main glass-faced acrylic transparencies for the The AC starter/generators produce and transfer jet pumps move fuel to the windshields and side windows. considerably more power at low rpm engines. DC boost pumps, with motors in dry cannisters for quick removal and replacement, provide fuel pressure for engine starting, cross-feed, cross-flow and defueling, as well as backing up the jet pumps. An automatic fuel bal- ance system keeps left- and right-side quantities within 200 lb. A warm fuel recirculation system maintains an even temperature throughout the wing tanks. The primary flight controls are manually actuated. Cockpit controls are connected to the , and by means of conventional chains, sprockets, cables, sector wheels and push-pull rods. Balance tabs reduce control force. The rudder and left aile- ron tab double as trim tabs. Pitch trim The PC-24 midsize jet has 500 cu. ft. of volume, six executive chairs and more interior is provided by the trimmable horizontal room than a Citation XLS+. . A rudder travel limiter re- duces movement of the surface based The main cabin has 13 stretched acrylic than conventional DC starter/genera- upon position to prevent rudder windows. The left side has one less win- tors. Thus, up to 250 amps of power are lock. A rudder bias function is incor- dow than the right to make room for the available from the FJ44-4A-QPM in the porated into the to reduce 4.4-ft.-high-by-2.1-ft.-wide airstair entry 45.4% reduced idle speed QPM, at least pedal effort by up to 50 lb. due to door. Each side of the fuselage has a Type 8% lower than normal idle. Cervia says asymmetry during engine failure. IV plug-design overwing emergency exit. air-condition peak demand for rapid As with the PC-12, a pre- stick The aft 4.3-ft.-high-by-4.1-ft.-wide cargo cooling requires only 220 amps, leaving shaker and provide high door only can be opened or closed from 30 amps surplus for other electrical sys- protection. At high outside the aircraft, thus it cannot qualify tems. Prior to engine start, the aircraft speed, a Mach trim system adjusts the as an emergency exit. Counter springs as- also may be connected to ground power horizontal stabilizer position to compen- sist closing the main door and opening the for cabin cooling or heating. sate for above the aircraft’s cargo door. An electric winch motor closes In the start mode, the PCUs convert 0.74 Mmo. The airbrakes also begin to the cargo door. Both main and cargo doors 16- to 29-volt DC power from the aft extend automatically above Mach 0.751 are secured with mechanically actuated battery, the cross-side generator or a to help prevent the aircraft from accel- bayonet-design shoot bolts. ground power unit into high-voltage, erating much past Mmo. Cervia designed the aircraft to have high-frequency AC power to energize All the secondary flight controls are virtually all electric power systems. the starters. electrically actuated, including the trim- Electrical power is used for avionics, Similar to PC-12NG, the PC-24 has mable horizontal stabilizer, trim tabs, lights and cargo door closing, plus land- a forward systems Battery 1 and an aft ground spoilers, multifunction spoil- ing gear, flap and actuation, start Battery 2. Each 24-volt, 44-amp/ ers and wing flaps. The spoilers extend along with air conditioning and cabin hour NiCad battery is easily accessible. symmetrically in flight to function as heating, the hydraulic power pack for Battery 1 is on a shelf in the left nose two-position air brakes, 20 deg. up at the one-half position and 35 deg. up at full condition. The internal cargo compart- out. They may be fully deployed above ment is fitted with a smoke detector that 50 ft. AGL with flaps extended to pro- triggers a CAS alert. vide high drag for steep approaches. Most business aircraft use a federa- The multifunction spoilers also ex- tion of a dozen or more computers to tend asymmetrically, in proportion to control and monitor all those systems. upward movement when the But the PC-24 is a truly integrated flaps are extended, to augment roll con- platform that has a Utility Manage- trol authority. ment System (UMS), furnished by Curtiss-Wright supplies the com- Innovative Solutions & Systems in pact, but powerful, planetary geared Exton, Pennsylvania. The UMS inte- flap actuators and “power hinge” rotary grates virtually all systems aboard airbrake and multifunction spoiler ac- the aircraft except for the engine tuators. Unequal length arms and scis- , digital flight control system sors links, fully enclosed in fairings in and avionics. UMS-24, as IS&S calls the clean wing configuration, control the the system aboard the PC-24, features movement of the double slotted Fowler open architecture, so it will accommo- flaps. Cervia insisted on eliminating flap date systems made by a wide variety tracks that could be prone to jamming of manufacturers. It will handle up to due to dirt and debris accumulation. The 17-sq.-ft. aft cargo door is a signature seven dual-channel data concentration The interior features two-zone, cock- feature that’s not available in any other and processing units (DCPUs), but only pit and cabin temperature control. Air production business jet. four are needed aboard the Pilatus jet to Comm Corp. in Boulder, Colorado, fur- handle more than 40 functions. nishes the 19-lb., electrically powered, pedals provide 16 deg. ± 1 deg. positive Each DCPU has dual data channels, 27,000-BTU vapor-cycle air conditioner, steering authority, but the nosewheel Ethernet and RS422 that use dissimi- cockpit and cabin air distribution sys- also will free caster up to 60 deg. for lar hardware and software to mini- tems, and five thermally self-regulating tight turns. When retracted, the nose mize the risk of common cause failure ceramic heaters for the cabin. When the gear is fully enclosed by three doors. of both systems. Essential functions engines are running, heating Outboard doors partially enclose the are assigned two or three channels, is available. main gear, leaving the outboard wheels sometimes in different DCPUs, to Temperature-controlled bleed air exposed. Wheel covers and brush seals provide redundancy. Crew control of provides 8.8-psi pressurization, which is in the wheel wells minimize drag. A UMS functions is provided by discrete sufficient to maintain an 8,000-ft. cabin guarded emergency landing-gear ex- switches, levers, knobs and buttons, altitude at FL 450. Using departure field tension lever in the cockpit releases plus softkey controls. The UMS pro- ambient pressure, takeoff and landing all three landing gear uplocks, allow- vides indications through the EICAS. field elevations, the FMS automatically ing them to free-fall into the down and The UMS is context sensitive, so it au- schedules pressurization for each flight. locked positions. tomatically calls up the appropriate sys- Bleed air also is used for engine in- Fire/overheat sensors are fitted to tem synoptic on the MFD based upon let and wing anti-ice pro- each engine area. Fore and aft checklist item or abnormal situation. tection, along with horizontal stabilizer extinguisher bottles, each contain- lead edge deice boot operation. The ing Halon 1301, can be individually Passenger Comfort windshields, Rosemount pitot-static discharged to either or both engines. probes and angle-of-attack vanes are Overheat detectors in the bleed air and Convenience electrically heated for anti-ice protec- system trigger crew alerting system tion. Dual ice detectors enable auto- (CAS) alerts. Various components can Pilatus seemingly has taken a lesson matic activation of the ice protection be isolated to eliminate the overheat from Dassault regarding illusive pack- system when needed. aging since the PC-24’s modest exterior The landing gear are fitted with proportions belie its relatively large electromechanical actuators that are cabin dimensions. Its footprint is about electrically heated to assure proper the same as that of the Citation XLS+, operation in extremely cold weather. but it offers about 19% more interior The long travel, trailing link main gear volume. and dual mains are well-suited to unim- Primary access is provided by the proved runway operations. A 3,000-psi forward airstair cabin door. It has a electric/hydraulic power pack supplies spring-loaded counterbalance to offset the triple steel disc, anti-skid power its heft, a sturdy forward side handrail brakes. Owing to the aircraft’s rela- and left and right telescoping door sup- tively low , there is no need for a ports that are immune from tangling brake temperature monitoring system. woes that can snare support chains or Mechanical linkages to the rudder cables, especially if the wind is blowing on the ramp. Just inside the aft side of Dual 73 psi main tires, long-travel trailing link the door frame, there’s a push-button landing gear and triple-disc steel brakes are switch linked to the hot battery bus that well suited to rough field operations. powers up entrance lights, including Pilot Report

PC-24 Performance These graphs are designed to illustrate the performance of Pilatus PC-24 under a variety of range, payload, speed and density alti- tude conditions. Pilatus sales engineers in Stans provided the data for all charts. Do not use these data for flight planning purposes because they do not take into account ATC delays, and less than optimum routings and altitudes, along with other factors that can alter actual aircraft performance. 0.50 Source: Pilatus

FL 450 High-Speed SPECIFIC RANGE (MID-RANGE WEIGHT, ISA) 0.45 Cruise This graph shows the relationship between cruise speed and Long-Range FL 430 fuel consumption for PC-24 at representative cruise altitudes Cruise FL 410 for a 15,000 lb., mid-weight aircraft. The data indicate that 0.40 FL 30 FL 370 FL 450 is the optimum for fuel efficiency at Mach 0.74 or 424 FL 350 KTAS (standard day conditions) at this weight. During our evalu- 0.35 ation flight, we could not duplicate these data due to lack of airspace. 0.30 Speci c Range (nm/lb.) Conditions: 15,000 lb., ero Wind, ISA 0.25 320 340 360 380 400 420 440 Speed (KTAS) 1,852 nm 2,000 nm 4,922 lb. 4,922 lb. 2,000 Source: Pilatus TIME AND FUEL VERSUS DISTANCE 1,800 1,626 nm This graph shows the relationship distance flown, block time High-Speed Cruise 4,329 lb. 1,798 nm and fuel consumption for a typically equipped aircraft having 1,600 Long-Range Cruise 4,434 lb. an 11,739-lb. single-pilot BOW and carrying 4 passengers. The 1,400 1,206 nm 1,418 nm 3,250 lb. fuel and distance points were individually computed by Pilatus 1,200 3,509 lb. for the overall mission. Block speed is 400 kt. on most normal 1,000 785 nm 1,047 nm 2,640 lb. missions. Long-range cruise speed varies between 327 to 375 800 2,200 lb.

KTAS at FL 350 to FL 450, depending upon aircraft weight. Distance (nm) 685 nm 600 364 nm PC-24 can fly 148 mi. farther at long-range cruise compared 1,821 lb. 400 1,173 lb. to high-speed cruise. Most operators are likely to opt for high- Conditions: NBAA IFR reserves (100 nm) 200 330 nm speed cruise on all but the longest missions. 1,047lb. 800 lb. payload, Zero wind, ISA 0 0:00 1:00 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 RANGE/PAYLOAD PROFILE Time (hr.) The purpose of this graph is to provide simulations of various trips under a variety of payload and two airport density altitude conditions, with the goal of flying the longest distance at high speed cruise. Each of the six payload/range lines was plotted using multiple data points by Pilatus sales engineers as BCA did not have access to flight planning data for the aircraft. Do not use these for flight planning as they are gross approximations of actual aircraft performance. The dashed hourly cruise lines were computed individually for each hourly mission and they assume zero payload. Each of the takeoff field lengths assumes flaps 15 deg. configuration. The aircraft can depart BCA’s 5,000 ft. elevation, ISA+20C airport at MTOW in this configuration and meet FAR Part 23 Commuter Category one-engine inoperative climb requirements.

Takeoff Field Length (ft.) Fuel Burn (lb.) 700 1,000 1,200 1,500 SL 5,000 ft. Gross Takeoff Time (hr.) 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 5:56 ISA ISA+20°C Weight (lb.)

19,000 Source: Pilatus

2,820 4,750 18,000

2,540 4,060 17,000

2,360 3,570 16,000 Max Payload 2,000 lb. Payload 2,320 3,050 15,000 1,500 lb. Payload 1,000 lb. Payload 2,280 2,870 14,000 500 lb. Payload Zero Payload 2,240 2,820 13,000 Conditions: NBAA IFR reserves (100 nm), Long-range cruise, Zero wind, ISA 12,000 0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 2,200 Range (nm) Comparison Profile PC-24 Designers attempt to give exceptional capabilities in all areas, including as a whole. Those differences are presented in bar graph form along with price, but the laws of physics, thermodynamics and aerodynamics do not the absolute value of the specific parameter for the subject aircraft and its allow one aircraft to do all missions with equal efficiency. Trade offs are a ranking relative to others in the composite group. reality of aircraft design. For the Pilatus PC-24 Comparison Profile, we compared it to a group of In order to obtain a feeling for the strengths and compromises of a light and midsize aircraft of five aircraft including it, Citation CJ4, Embraer particular aircraft, BCA compares the subject aircraft’s specifications and Phenom 300, Learjet 70 and Citation XLS+. Please note: BCA estimated performance attributes to the composite characteristics of other aircraft in some of the runway performance data for PC-24 because it wasn’t yet its class. We average parameters of interest for the aircraft that are most available from Pilatus Aircraft. The Comparison Profile is meant to illustrate likely to be considered as competitive with the subject of our report, and the relative strengths and compromises of the subject aircraft, rather than then we compute the percentage differences between the parameters of being a means of comparing specific aircraft models in this diverse group the subject aircraft and the composite numbers for the competitive group to each other. Comparison Pro le (percent relative to average) 40%

30%

20% Above Average Above

10%

0% Average -10%

-20% PC-24 Price Index -30%

-40%

-50% Below Average

°C) 4,895/1

Cabin Width 5.1/2 Cabin Height 4.8/2 Cabin Length 17.0/1 Max Payload 2,481/3 TOFL (SL, ISA) 2,914/1

Service Ceiling 45,000/2 NBAA IFR Range 2,000/2 Pressure Differential 8.8/5

Payload (With Max Fuel) 694/5 Max Certi ed Altitude 45,000/2 TAS (High-Speed Cruise) 425/5 TAS (Long-Range Cruise) 374/4

Ratio — Useful Load : BOW 0.57/4 TOFL (1,000 nm Mission) 2,400/1 Range (With Max Payload) 1,190/5 TOFL (5,000 ft., ISA+20 Ratio — Max Payload : MTOW 0.14/3

Block Fuel (1,000 nm Mission) 2,800/4

Ratio — Max Landing Weight : MTOW 0.92/4 Speci c Range (High-Speed Cruise) 0.420/1 Speci c Range (Long-Range Cruise) 0.455/3

“welcome lights” that flood the ground door below the sink conceals the exter- eyeball air outlet and drop-down, emer- near the cabin door, a cockpit dome nally serviced vacuum toilet that folds gency oxygen mask. Lined side pockets light, two interior entry area spot lights, down for use when needed. Solid parti- provide storage for personal electronic two optional entrance upwash lights in tion doors on the cockpit and cabin sides devices, including mobile phones and the entryway and five optional airstair of the compartment provide privacy. A tablet computers. Parent with infant lights. The entry lights remain powered drop down emergency oxygen mask is and stand-alone child restraint systems for 50 sec., or less if the cabin door is hidden in the ceiling. are available. closed during the timed period. The 13 windows in the main cabin are An electrically powered, vapor-cycle The entryway cabinetry, interior among the largest in class and they’re air conditioner, with separate cockpit doors, bulkheads and all cabin monu- well placed for outside viewing. Along and cabin evaporators, cools the interior ments are covered with high-gloss wood with upwash, downwash and aisle lights, on warm days. Four electric cabin heat- veneer. Left of the entry door and behind the windows make the cabin appear ers, plus an additional one in the cock- the pilot’s seat, there’s a coat closet. The larger than its measurements. The for- pit, each having its own fan, warm the compact wash basin, vanity mirror and ward section has four club chairs with interior on cold days. The heaters have small storage pocket on the right side foldout worktables and power outlets ceramic cores that increase electrical of the entryway, or “welcome center” between facing pairs. The aft cabin has resistance as they get hot, so they auto- as termed by Pilatus, are the only clues two forward-facing chairs, each with matically regulate current flow to pre- that the compartment also doubles as a foldout worktable and power outlet. vent overheating. Separate cockpit and a forward lavatory. Basin wash water Each cabin chair has an overhead pas- cabin control valves automatically regu- is heated to 90F (32C) for comfort. A senger service unit with a reading light, late temperature between 15C (59F) and Pilot Report

30C (86F) in each zone. from the cargo compartment. Cargo the rear pyramid cabinets, moves back Twin pyramid cabinets behind the nets may be installed at two different the aft bulkheads between passenger rear seats provide additional storage. points to provide either 24.7- or 47.7-cu.- and cargo compartment and installs The aircraft lacks a dedicated galley, ft. baggage compartments for items two additional chairs in the aft cabin. so bring aboard a stocked ice chest, hot weighing 66 lb. or less. Bulkier items Small pyramid cabinets are installed coffee thermos bottles and beverage must be tied down to the full-length seat ahead of the forward club grouping. cups, if you need refreshments on lon- rails. A double club arrangement also is ger trips. For operators needing more passen- available, among other optional cabin Left and right aft bulkheads, plus a ger seats, Pilatus offers a six plus two layouts. curtain, separate the main seating area executive chair layout that eliminates Pilatus offers individual and bundled options packages. The 105-lb., $424,900 Professional U.S. package includes cock- pit and cabin Wi-Fi, Honeywell Char- tlink for electronic Jeppesen charts, ADS-B In, L3 WX500 Stormscope, 2-D airport diagrams, Latitude S200 Sky- Node Iridium satcom, XM radio weather and entertainment receivers, separate L3 cockpit voice and flight data record- ers, integrated cabin management sys- tem for tablet control of cabin systems and entertainment, and Gogo Biz 3G ATG-2000 text, talk and internet ac- cess. Other options include additional AC power outlets and USB charging ports at every seat. Let’s Go Flying Chief pilot Reto Aeschlimann was our guide and right-seat instructor for the Avionics evaluation flight. Walking around the The Pilatus PC-24’s ACE flight deck, powered by Honeywell Epic 2.0 avionics, aircraft, we were impressed with the features four 12-in. display screens, a point-and-click graphic user interface and ease of access to systems and indicators. several advanced features, including a Honeywell Laseref VI inertial reference Opening the left, forward nose compart- ment door, for instance, provides access system for the left-side flight instruments. The right-side flight instruments use a to systems Battery 1 and various avion- conventional AHRS with magnetometer. ics components. Doors on the right side ACE has a classic Epic hub-and-spoke layout with dual modular avionics units of the aircraft provide access to the oxy- at the center of the system. The standard system includes dual KTR-2280A multi- gen bottle refill port, lavatory servicing, mode digital VHF comm and nav radios, plus UHF glideslope receivers. One KTR- refueling/defueling panel and the aft 2280A box also has an ADF receiver. A second ADF is optional. A single KN-63 start Battery 2. Remote engine oil level DME is standard and a second is optional. Dual SBAS GPS receivers are included. sensing on the EICAS alerts the crew of the need to replenish the systems. Notably, the dual FMSes are truly multi-sensor, capable of using IRS, GPS, DME Belting into the left seat, I was im- and VOR inputs. Dual digital air data computers, connected to conventional Rose- pressed with the human-centered de- mount pitot-static probes, assure high reliability. Also included are a single radio sign of the flight deck. It’s one of the best , RDR-2100 weather radar, TCAS II, L3 ESI-1000 emergency standby in- we’ve seen and well-suited for a classic strument system, L3 combined CVR/FDR and Kannad 406 ELT. blindfold cockpit check because of the Rather than burying control function through myriad touchscreen menu and shape, position and movement of various sub-menu layers, ACE has several easy-to-reach, stand-alone controls, including controls. Normal is 12 o’clock on knobs, up on switches, levers forward, no aural left- and right-side audio panels, a cursor control device, a multifunction keyboard, alerts and dark annunciator buttons. and left- and right-side PFD controls. Point-and-click cursor control menu functions The crew seats have adjustments for are no more than two levels deep. longitudinal track, height, recline, thigh Options include an XMD 157 satellite radio weather receiver, a Honeywell KHF- and back cushion support, armrest posi- 1050 HF transceiver, Latitude S200 Iridium satcom system, separate L3 FA5031 tion and headrest height. A hand crank flight data recorder and FA5033 cockpit voice recorder, and Honeywell AFIS, moves the rudder pedal position. Left and right USB power ports keep tab- among others. let computers hosting EFB apps well Wireless EFB and tablet-based cabin management systems are optional. Currently, charged. the EFBs only are compatible with Honeywell products and services, but the firm has The PC-24’s Advanced Cockpit Envi- plans to host third-party apps, such as Foreflight and FlightPlan.com. BCA ronment (ACE) design closely parallels that of the PC-12 NG, easing the upgrade transition. It’s powered by Honeywell We started the right engine on liftoff, though, pitch response was light Epic 2.0 avionics, the successor to the ground power to save the batteries. A and crisp, as was roll response with the Apex system installed in the PC-12 NG. twist of the overhead engine stop/run help of the roll spoilers with flaps ex- The cockpit has only a few mechanical knob to the 12 o’clock position, a push tended and speed below 175 KIAS. With circuit breakers dedicated to powering of the overhead start button and the flaps retracted, I kept taking off my and protecting essential functions. Most FADEC plus the UMS takes care of all headset to check interior sound levels. electrical systems are tied to electronic, the start chores. But we still monitored After repeating that a half dozen times, or virtual, circuit breakers. all engine start indications to provide I concluded that the PC-24 is the quiet- ACE™ makes use of the electronic adult supervision of the computers. est midsize jet we’ve yet flown. checklist a virtual must. Each item on We set the stab at 2-deg. nose up for Using 200 KIAS for climb, we initially the checklist automatically calls up the the aircraft’s 33% CG. Setting the stab leveled off at FL 200 for airwork. Roll appropriate system schematic on the pitch trim assures proper elevator re- control effort becomes heavy as speed EICAS so that the flight crew can verify sponse at takeoff rotation. With brakes increases. The aircraft would be more proper configuration and/or functional- released, it took a healthy push on the pleasant to hand-fly at high speed if the ity of the aircraft step by step through thrust levers to overcome the rolling re- electrically powered roll spoilers as- color-coded diagrams. Many of ACE’s sistance of the low-pressure tires. Once sisted the ailerons, in our opinion. user interface conventions, particularly rolling, steering response through the Pitch effort also was considerable at when programming the FMS, borrow rudder pedals was crisp, but differen- high speed, but that’s OK as it prevents heavily from Dassault’s EASy flight tial thrust and braking was required for over-control. It’s easy to stabilize the decks in Falcon Jets. tight turns. aircraft in steep turns using the flight Many general aviation aircraft now Aligned with Runway 24, I advanced path vector symbol on the PFD to set have a runway performance computa- the thrust levers and engaged the au- the correct pitch and the airspeed trend tion function loaded into their FMSes. tothrottles. The engines stabilized at vector to prevent speed deviations. But Pilatus elected to use Guru2, a 96.6% N1, producing moderate accel- Idle to maximum thrust changes also stand-alone tablet app supplied by Fly- eration. Initial rotation effort was hefty, produce very little pitching moment due gprestanda AB in Malmö, Sweden, for as the main gear are well aft of the CG to the engine exhaust nozzle design. this function. In contrast to many other to assure a stable stance on the ground (See the “Engines” sidebar.) such OEM-supplied airport perfor- when loading the rear cargo bay. After Stall behavior is quite similar to that mance apps with which we’ve struggled, Guru2 is considerably more discover- able and user friendly, in our opinion. It’s comprehensive, having a complete airport database, including runway di- mensions and alignment, runway slope and obstacles, plus full AFM aircraft performance numbers, including V speeds and runway requirements for each configuration and for both wet and dry surfaces. PC-24 Prototype 3’s 11,533-lb. empty weight was close to Pilatus’ current es- timate for the average production air- craft. With Aeschlimann, me and typical test aircraft stores, zero fuel weight was Engines 12,324 lb. Fuel weight was 4,300 lb. and Up to 5% more push is available in the Automatic Thrust Reserve mode for one- ramp weight was 16,624 lb. Guru2 asked for our inputs for weight engine inoperative takeoffs. It’s a conventional two-shaft, small engine with an and balance, wind, OAT, barometer and N2 section having a single centrifugal flow compressor powered by a single-stage aircraft configuration, along with as- high-pressure turbine. The N1 section features a wide-chord blade, damper-less signed runway. It knew Buochs’ 1,475- fan, three axial-flow low- and intermediate-pressure compressor stages powered ft. field elevation. We entered variable by a two-stage low-pressure turbine section. winds, a 24C OAT and 1014 MB barome- Two design features make the engine stand apart from competitors. First, it ter, along with 15-deg. flaps. It computed 90 KIAS for V1, 92 KIAS for rotation has a Quiet Power Mode that drops idle rpm by 8% or more to allow the engine to and 102 KIAS for V2. Flap retraction double as an APU that produces up to 250 amps of electrical power for air condi- speed was 127 KIAS and OEI en route tioning, cabin heating and avionics power. Second, it is fitted with Williams’ Exact speed was 170 KIAS. Computed OEI passive-thrust vectoring exhaust nozzles. They use Coanda effect to provide 3 takeoff distance was 3,679 ft. and Run- deg. of thrust vectoring during high-power operations. At altitude, sonic choking way 24 length was 6,562 ft. of the exhaust flow occurs that negates the 3-deg. deflection of the thrust vector, To improve OEI second-segment according to Ken Shimabukuro, a veteran Southern California-based powerplant climb performance for hot-and-high airport operations, Pilatus also will integration engineer. attain approval for flaps 8 deg. take- The engines are fitted with dual-channel FADEC and have 5,000-hr. TBOs. BCA offs as a post-certification task. Pilot Report

of the PC-12 NG, as are the indica- Bernese Oberland foothills of the tions and stall warning and pro- , southwest of Lake tection system. At 16,200 lb. in the Thun. The last time we landed at , stall warning the airport was in a PC-12 NG with was triggered at 111 KIAS, signaled Pilatus test pilot Theddy Spichtig. by , an aural warning This would be our first attempt and two red “stall” annunciations in a jet. on the PFD. The pusher fired at Down at 7,500 ft., we picked 99 KIAS, causing the nose to drop our way around clouds, peaks and prompting me to further re- and ridges at 180 KIAS along the duce pitch attitude, push forward Simme River until we spotted the the thrust levers and recover from airport. We hugged the hill on the maneuver. the north side of the airport until Pre-stall behavior at 16,000 lb. in we passed the west end, then ex- the flaps 15-deg. takeoff and 33-deg. tended flaps to 8 deg., slowed to landing configurations was equally 150 KIAS and made a tight turn at benign. Stick shaker and pusher the west end of the airport to head occurred at 90 KIAS and 81 KIAS toward Gstaad. at flaps 15 deg. and 83 KIAS and 78 Reversing course over Gstaad, KIAS at flaps 33 deg. There wasn’t a we extended landing gear and hint of wing roll-off or adverse yaw full flaps to make the plunge to during any of the maneuvers. the 3,307-ft. elevation airport and Using a 200 KIAS/Mach 0.59 landing on Runway 26. It has a climb schedule, we then climbed 1,050-ft. displaced threshold for up to FL 450 for cruise and han- obstacle clearance, leaving 3,443 dling checks. Once level at a weight ft. available for landing. At 14,500 of 15,375 lb. and with the lb., Vapp was 105 KIAS and Vref engaged, the aircraft stabilized at was 95 KIAS. Computing unfac- Mach 0.72 at ISA+3C, resulting in 416 Top/Bottom: The single-point pressure tored landing distance was 2,350 ft. KTAS with a fuel flow of 490 lb./hr. per refueling receptable has selectable refill When we spotted the runway, we engine. quantity pre-set feature. The PC-24 is were a little high and a little fast, but It’s also easy to hand-fly the aircraft the first midsize jet to have an externally momentarily extending the airbrakes at altitude, should that become neces- serviced vacuum lavatory system. corrected both deviations. We crossed sary. We turned off the yaw damper the displaced threshold on speed and and excited Dutch roll with a moderate landing gear may be extended to has- touched down softly due to the long thump on a rudder pedal. The aircraft ten the descent. And below 200 KIAS, travel, trailing link landing gear and became mildly divergent, but as soon flaps may be extended to 15 deg. for even low-pressure main tires. With weight as I corrected with rudder input, it more drag. As with extending and re- on wheels and wheel spin up, the ground stabilized. tracting the airbrakes, there is a flap/ spoilers automatically extended. Firm Rolling into a 60-deg. bank turn, the stab interconnect that minimizes pitch braking slowed the aircraft to taxi speed aircraft was buffet-free up to 2 Gs at moments when extending or retracting by midfield. Mach 0.71, the peak buffet boundary the flaps. We slowly rolled to the west end speed. As it slowed down to Mach 0.65 The PC-24 was designed to be as doc- of Runway 26, then reversed course due to induced drag, the buffet bound- ile as the PC-12, so our flight plan called and rolled back to the east end to let ary decreased. for an approach and landing at Saanen the brakes cool. The aircraft has steel Aircraft response to exten- Airport (LSGK), tightly nestled in the brakes and no brake temperature indi- sion is another strong suit of the cation. Aeschlimann said that, PC-24. The multifunction roll based on his experience, that spoilers double as speed brakes. would allow heat to dissipate suf- They produce considerable drag ficiently for takeoff. but very little airframe buffet as For departure from Saanen at they’re located well outboard of 14,400 lb. at 20C (68F) and using the horizontal tail tips. The flight flaps 15 deg., V1 was 90 KIAS, control system also has an air rotation was 99 KIAS and V2 brake/stab trim interconnect was 102. Takeoff field length was function that virtually eliminates 2,090 ft. any pitch moments during exten- We departed VFR and then sion or retraction. Maximum de- picked up an IFR clearance back scent rate at the 290 KIAS Vmo into Buochs via Willisau VOR redline approaches 10,000 fpm, (WIL) and then RONIX IAF so the passengers will spend lit- passing over Lake Baldegger. We tle time wearing the cup masks requested the RONIX RNAV ap- in the event of an emergency descent. All interior and exterior lights, including the proach that it limited to Category A and Below 20,000 ft. and 250 KIAS, the landing light arrays, use long-life LEDs. B aircraft. The PC-24’s slow approach maneuvering speeds easily qualify it as accompanying Comparison Profile a Category B aircraft. Pilatus PC-24 chart in which we gauge the PC-24 Following the procedure around Lake against its most closely priced competi- and then down the north leg of Lake Specifications tors, including the Cessna Citation CJ4, , we descended to 2,550 ft. and Embraer Phenom 300, Learjet 70 and spotted the Bürgenstock that masks BCA Equipped Price...... $8,900,000 Citation XLS+. Buochs. We canceled and maneuvered The chart shows the PC-24’s selling around the west side over to Characteristics points are its cabin volume, runway align with Runway 06. Wing Loading...... 54.9 performance and fuel efficiency. Its During the turn Aeschlimann pulled Power Loading...... 2.68 shortcomings mainly are related to back the right to simulated en- Noise (EPNdB)...... 90.9/77.5/91.5 its empty weight increase relative to gine failure. Light rudder pressure kept its relatively low maximum takeoff, the aircraft in balanced flight. At 200 ft. Seating...... 1+8/11 landing and zero fuel weights. This at- above the runway, we executed a simu- tribute limits its range with maximum lated OEI go-around. Dimensions (ft./m) payload and payload with maximum Initially, I pressed way too hard on the Internal fuel. With four passengers aboard, the left rudder pedal. The rudder boost sys- Length...... 17.0/5.2 aircraft now can fly 1,852 nm at high tem using the yaw damper servo is quite Height...... 5.1/1.6 speed cruise or 2,000 nm at long range powerful. I estimate that less than 50 lb. Width (maximum)...... 5.5/1.7 cruise, as shown in the accompanying of pressure was needed to keep the ball Width (floor)...... 3.8/1.2 Range/Payload Profile chart. Each ad- in the center during the go-around. ditional 200-lb. passenger costs about We climbed to 3,000 ft. over Lake Lu- Thrust 80 mi. of range. cerne and circled around the north side Engine...... 2 WMS FJ44-4A-QPM But our charts only measure a limited of the Bürgenstock, blind to the airport. Output/Flat Rating number of performance attributes, so Aeschlimann allowed me to use both the PC-24 cannot be evaluated solely engines for the final landing on Runway OAT°C...... 3,420 lb. ea./ISA+8C with those criteria. The charts don’t re- 06. At 13,500 lb., Vapp was 102 KIAS TBO...... 5,000 hr. veal how quiet this aircraft is inside or and Vref was 92 KIAS. At touchdown, the technology or high level of integra- we applied maximum brake pressure. Weights (lb./kg) tion of its systems and avionics. This requires considerable foot pres- Max Ramp...... 18,398/8,345 Most obviously, it has a 17-sq.-ft. cargo sure, similar to a maximum effort land- Max Takeoff...... 18,298/8,300 door that provides access to a 90-cu.-ft. ing in an Embraer Legacy 650. The Max Landing...... 16,579/7,520 internal baggage bay and the rest of the PC-24 stopped in about 2,600 ft. after Zero Fuel...... 14,220/6,450 cabin. Pilatus calls it the Super Versatile crossing the landing threshold. BOW...... 11,739/5,325 Jet for good reason. The plush execu- Conclusions? From a pilot’s per- Max Payload...... 2,481/1,125 tive interior can be removed in minutes, spective, Pilatus’ first jet is one of the Useful Load...... 6,659/3,021 allowing the aircraft to be configured most docile, forgiving and predictable Executive Payload...... 800/363 as an air ambulance, a cargo-liner or a business aircraft we’ve flown. It’s well- Max Fuel...... 5,964/2,705 combi passenger-and-cargo jet. suited to single-pilot operations. Payload with Max Fuel...... 695/315 As with the PC-12, this aircraft was It’s also one of the most integrated, Fuel with Max Payload....4,178/1,895 designed to operate from unimproved sophisticated civil aircraft yet produced, Fuel with runways. That’s going to open up thou- having automation that’s designed to Executive Payload...... 5,859/2,658 sands of landing facilities that have work for the flight crew rather than re- never seen jets. Operators will be able place them. The ACE flight deck, for Limits to shuttle between major airports and instance, functions as an additional vir- Mmo...... 0.740 back-country strips all over the world. tual flight crewmember who seeks to FL/Vmo...... FL 280/290 The PC-24 is going to be an ideal provide solutions rather than “what’s it PSI...... 8.8 upgrade for PC-12 loyalists. It’s also doing now?” problems. going to attract current light and me- Nits to pick? We’d like to see simpler Climb dium jet operators looking for more EFIS color conventions, such as magenta Time to FL 450...... 24 min. versatility in their business aircraft. for computer-generated targets and data, FAR 25 OEI rate (fpm)...... 665 And Pilatus product support is sec- cyan for pilot-entered targets and data, FAR 25 OEI gradient (ft./nm)...... 379 ond to none, according to several in- green for all active functions and white or dustry surveys. gray for standby functions. The aircraft Ceilings (ft./m) On balance, we believe that Pila- also could benefit from an optional head- Certificated...... 45,000/20,412 tus will deliver at least 2,000 PC-24 up display. And lighter high-speed roll All-Engine Service...... 45,000/20,412 aircraft over the next two decades. control forces would be a plus. Engine-Out Service...30,000/13,608 It’s clearly on track to deliver 2,000 Sea Level Cabin...... 23,500/10,660 PC-12s, a slap in the face to doubters Price and Value who said it would never build more Certification....FAR 23 CC / EASA 23 CC than 200. The future success of the We’ve often written that aircraft man- 2017 PC-24 would be a fitting tribute to ufacturers seek to maximize all de- a small Swiss company that’s been sign goals, but in the end, tradeoffs refuting skeptics for the past quarter are inevitable. Glance please at the century. BCA

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