Download PDF Flight Test Reports 05.11.2020 Pilatus PC-12
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
BUSINESS & COMMERCIAL AVIATION PILOT REPORT: PILATUS PC-12NGX OPS IN ICELAND DOWNSIDE OF AIRCRAFT SHARING SEPTEMBER 2020 VOL. 116 NO. 8 BUSINESS & COMMERCIAL AVIATION PILOT REPORT: PILATUS PC-12NGX OPS IN ICELAND DOWNSIDE OF AIRCRAFT SHARING SEPTEMBER 2020 VOL. 116 NO. SEPTEMBER 2020 $10.00 AviationWeek.com/BCA Business & Commercial Aviation PILOT REPORT Pilatus PC-12NGX Leaping far ahead of its predecessors ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Mentoring Leadership Iceland: Aviation at the Arctic Circle Slip Sliding on Snow Wrong Right-Seater Downside of Aircraft Sharing DESIGNED FOR PASSENGERS WHO COME WITH EXTRA BAGGAGE The world’s first Super Versatile Jet takes off! No other business jet features an enormous cargo door integral to its design, which is exactly why Pilatus made it standard in the new PC-24. Whether it’s a bulky prototype to show your top client or your favourite mountain bike, we just removed the words “it won’t fit” from your pilot’s vocabulary. Load whatever you want and fly PC-24 – contact us now! Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd • USA • +1 303 465 9099 • www.pilatus-aircraft.com Business & Commercial Aviation Editor-in-Chief William Garvey — [email protected] Executive Editor Jessica A. Salerno — [email protected] Senior Editor/Chief Pilot Fred George — [email protected] International Operations/ Features Editor David Esler — [email protected] News Editor Molly McMillin — [email protected] Art Direction Lisa Caputo — [email protected] 20202020AIRPORTAIRPORT Art Department Thomas De Pierro, James Miller, Rosa Pineda, Colin Throm Associate Producer Theresa Petruso — [email protected] Copy Editor Scot Greenan — [email protected] Contributors Richard N. Aarons — [email protected] James Albright — [email protected] Mal Gormley — [email protected] Kent S. Jackson — [email protected] H n ringring Ross Detwiler — rossdetwiler.com Patrick Veillette, Ph.D. — [email protected] tthehe Ringston Media — [email protected] Editorial Offices 520 Folly Rd., Ste. 238, Charleston, S.C. AAirpirp rrtsts (520) 638-8721 • (843) 718-2458 Publisher Frank Craven — [email protected] Phone: (913) 967-1729 DDistinctiistincti n Managing Director, Anne McMahon — [email protected] Business Aviation Intelligence/ Phone: (646) 291-6353 Data Services Director of Sales, Elizabeth Zlitni — [email protected] Business Aviation Phone: (913) 967-1348 Ad Operations Specialist Kara Walby — [email protected] Coordinator Informa, 22701 W 68th TER STE 100 Shawnee KS 66226-3583 Phone: (913) 967-7476 • Fax: (913) 514-7303 SeniorAudience Tyler Motsinger — [email protected] Development Manager Phone: (913) 967-1623 Head of Business Aviation Nigel Prevett — [email protected] Fleet Data Phone: (407) 314-7403 Head of Valuations, Chris Reynolds — [email protected] Business Aviation Phone: (913) 967-1956 Subscription Information BCA Customer Service: Phone: (800) 455-3145; +1 (913) 967-1719 Email: [email protected] Reprints Wright's Media [email protected] BaBa Phone: (877) 652-5295 • Fax: (281) 419-5712 EExx u v President, Aviation Week Network Gregory Hamilton — [email protected] Battl Managing Director—Civil Aviation Iain Blackhall — [email protected] Administrative Offices 605 3rd Ave., New York, N.Y. 10158 BTL By Informa Markets G /C/C BCA – Business & Commercial Aviation (ISSN 0191-4642) is published 11 times per year with a combined issue in June/July by Informa Markets, a trading u y division of Informa PLC, 22701 W. 68th Ter., Ste. 100 Shawnee, KS 66226-3583. Also the publisher of Aviation Daily, Aviation Week & Space Technology, The Weekly of Business Aviation and World Aerospace Database. Single copy: Current and back issues, $10.00 Domestic/Canada/Mexico. $15.00 International. y Subscriptions (1 year, 11 issues): United States and Canada, $59.00; all other countries, $79.00. For single copies/back copies call Customer Service at (800) 455-3145 in the United States; +1 (913) 967-1719 for all other countries. Periodicals postage paid at Kansas City, MO and additional mailing offices. Registered for GST as GST #R126431964. Canada Post Publication Mail Agreement Number 40026880. Editorial contributions should be addressed to BCA, 520 Folly Rd., Ste. 238, Charleston, S.C. 29412, editorial address and must be accompanied by return postage. Publisher assumes no responsibility for safety of artwork, photographs or manuscripts. USPS 503-450. Printed in the U.S.A. Permissions: Material in this publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means wwwwww fl (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Postmaster: Send address corrections to BCA — Business & Commercial Aviation, P.O. Box 12901, Overland Park, KS 66212. (Present subscribers include label) © Copyright 2020 by Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. All rights reserved. 2 Business & Commercial Aviation | September 2020 AviationWeek.com/BCA ASK FRED Pilot Report Send your questions about this article to: [email protected] Pilatus PC-12NGX Leaping far ahead of its predecessors Faster, quieter, quicker climbing, more comfortable, easier to y. Fourth-generation PC-12 NGX secures its position as class leader. PILATUS BY FRED GEORGE [email protected] rom a distance, it’s tough to distin- When nearing the aircraft, the engine heat and vibration for long life. guish the PC-12 NGX, the fourth- NGX’s larger cabin windows, with From a pilot’s perspective, the only generation of Pilatus’ best-selling squarer corners, tip off spotters that meaningful difference between flying single-engine, pressurized turbo- it’s the new model. Unbutton the engine with a PT6E with the EPECS and op- Fprop, from those that came before. It cowl, belt into the left seat or nestle erating a FADEC-equipped turbofan bears close resemblance to the original into the cabin and dozens of upgrades engine is the five-blade prop spinning airplane that made its debut more than become apparent. on the nose. Look closely under the a quarter century ago. Up front, there’s Pratt & Whitney cowl and you’ll notice no prop governor True to its roots, it still boasts a cabin Canada’s PT6E with full-authority inte- and no associated mechanical control that has 10% more volume than that of grated prop and engine digital controls. linkages. The prop control unit is elec- the King Air 250, along with an 18-sq.- P&WC calls it an Engine and Propeller tronically controlled by the EPECS, hy- ft. aft cargo door and the only flat floor Electronic Control System, EPECS for draulically changing blade pitch with oil in its class. It’s just as comfortable fly- short. The Canadians call the EPECS a pressure. ing out of a grass strip as it is operat- system of systems, as it’s linked to fuel Similarly, the fuel control unit (FCU) ing from the nearly 6,000 airports with and prop controls, stand-alone elec- has no mechanical linkages. It schedules paved runways. In other words, it re- tronic engine control, and engine trend fuel flow in response to electronic com- mains business aviation’s favorite fly- monitor unit and sensors, among other mands from the EPECS. The FCU has ing off-road vehicle, offering virtually components. It’s mounted low in the en- a fuel/oil heat exchanger that warms unmatched utility. gine compartment, well isolated from bypass fuel flow from the engine-driven 34 Business & Commercial Aviation | September 2020 AviationWeek.com/BCA PILATUS fuel pump to 50C to 60C that is then recirculated back to the wing tanks to power the jet pumps. The heated and insulated motive flow system prevents ice from forming in wing fuel and thus eliminates the need for anti-icing fuel additives, such as Prist. The flight deck has several modifi- cations. Most noticeable is the throttle quadrant. Gone are the manual override and prop condition levers, plus all me- chanical linkages to the engine. As with FADEC-equipped turbofans, the PT6E’s power control lever is electronically linked to the EPECS. An optional full- authority autothrottle handles power setting chores from takeoff roll to short final on landing. The dual-channel EPECS provides fuel scheduling redundancy and the flight/ground idle transition is con- trolled by a weight-on-wheels switch. The left side of the overhead panel has a simple engine stop/run toggle switch and start button. The EPECS provides The 6 + 2 seat exterior interior is a $455,000 option. New chairs recline fully to create start malfunction protection, chock-to- lie-flat berths. Quick release chair mounts allow interior to be reconfigured for cargo in less chock torque limiting and prop control, than 10 minutes. (Rearmost +2 seats not shown.) along with automatic dry motoring to cool or purge fuel from the engine as outside because of their different shape. skins riveted to front and rear spars, necessary. A prop low-speed mode but- The chairs now fully recline to convert along with machined and hydro-formed ton reduces prop speed to 1,550 rpm into lie-flat berths. Seat mounts have chord-wise ribs. Each wing has an in- from 1,700 during most phases of flight quick-release fittings that allow chairs tegral wet wing fuel tank with an for considerably lower cabin sound to be removed or replaced in minutes. over-wing refueling port and a usable levels. The PT6E has a slightly higher The headliner has been recontoured capacity of about 1,347 lb. torque limit to assure that all 1,200 shp to increase seated headroom, to im- All PC-12 models feature NASA- are available at 1,550 rpm. prove air distribution and to accommo- derived airfoils developed in the early The flight deck has been upgraded date upwash lighting.