PC-21 configured for Singapores Air Force

As contenders for Singapore's advanced jet trainer contest showed their wares at the Singapore air show, Switzerland's Pilatus has flown the first PC-21 turboprop trainer configured for the Republic of Singapore Air Force's Basic Wings Course flight training programme. Lockheed Martin was awarded a 20-year contract in November 2006 to support the Basic Wings Course, with training to begin in June 2008. The contract includes 19 PC-21s.

Lockheed will provide aircraft, maintenance, simulators, courseware and simulator instructors to the RSAF's 130 Squadron based at RAAF Pearce near Perth, Western Australia. The PC-21s will replace Aermacchi S-211s.

EPPS aviation receive EASA certification

ATLANTA (February 21) -- Epps Aviation at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) in Atlanta has obtained certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to maintain all European Union registered aircraft. This certification will enable the Epps Service Center to serve aircraft from all 30 European Union countries.
“With Atlanta’s evolution as an international destination, the EASA certification is important to continue to meet the needs of Epps’ growing customer base,” says Pat Epps, President, Epps Aviation. “We are pleased to be one of the few aviation businesses in the Atlanta area with this certification. Epps is optimistic these capabilities will enhance our relationship with the European aviation community.” Epps’ EU connections extend throughout the company including an outstanding relationship with Swiss-based Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Epps is the exclusive Pilatus PC-12 distributor for the Southeast and the Caribbean.

Singapore to train with Pilatus PC-21's

The Republic of Singapore Air Force is the first export customer for the latest Pilatus PC-21 turboprop trainer, developed to train pilots to front-line fighter level without intermediate training on a jet. The order for Pilatus includes 19 PC-21s scheduled for delivery this year.

The flight training program will be carried out at the Royal Australian Air Force base in Pearce, located north of Perth in western Australia. Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd. will provide aircraft maintenance services to Pilatus for the duration of the 20-year training program. According to Lockheed Martin, the order contains options to extend the training program beyond the contractual 20-year limit.

Great onboard PC-9 footage

The Royal Australian Airforce Roulettes provide about 150 flying displays a year in Australia and in friendly countries around the South-east Asian region. The Roulettes utilize the Pilatus PC-9 and form part of the RAAF Central Flying School (CFS) based at RAAF East Sale, Victoria. Here we have some onboard footage of the PC-9 in action.
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Porsche 911 and the PC-12

The world’s leading manufacturer of single-engine turboprop aircraft, Pilatus Aircraft and the world’s most successful one-make sports car championship, Carrera Cup – it makes a perfect fit.

With that in mind Pilatus Australia has reaffirmed its commitment to Carrera Cup Australia. For the 2008 season Pilatus will have the naming rights to the championship-within-a-championship, the Pilatus Challenge.

Click here to learn more:

http://tinyurl.com/33z6av

A trip to St.barts in the PC-12

While most of the northern hemisphere suffers on through winter, there is always somewhere sunny worthy of a trip in the PC-12.

Russias Dexter developing a taste for PC-12's

Russian air taxi service Dexter plans to expand its fleet by purchasing eight-seat turboprop Pilatus aircraft, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Dexter said its board had approved plans to increase the fleet to 13 Swiss-made Pilatus aircraft and three M101T planes by the end of 2008.

Dexter currently operates two Pilatus planes in the Cental, Volga and Northwest federal districts. Dexter plans to enter the Southern, Urals and Siberian federal districts in 2008. By 2013, the company plans to have a national network in place with a fleet of 80-100 planes, the company said.

Russia's Avia Management Group, the operator of the Dexter air taxi service, plans to invest approximately U.S. $400 million in the purchase of aircraft before 2013, according to earlier reports.

PC-12 patrols the Superbowl

Federal authorities displayed helicopters and other aircraft they will use to patrol the skies during the Super Bowl at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed a no-fly zone below 18,000 feet that stretches more than 35 miles around University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale and will be in place from 3-10:30 p.m. on Sunday. A smaller off-limits zone will be in place from 1-3 p.m. Private pilots are being warned that they'll be intercepted if they stray into the area. Martin Vaughan, director of air operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the agency plans to have a Cessna Citation jet, Blackhawk helicopter and a Pilatus PC-12 aircraft flying during the entire flight restriction time. The PC-12 is equipped with a camera system that will feed video footage to a Joint Operations Center in Phoenix.

Pilatus Porter to honor Sir Edmund Hillary

The Aoraki Mount Cook community is to hold its own memorial service to farewell Sir Edmund Hillary on Tuesday 22 January.

The service will begin with a wreath laying at the Alpine Memorial near the site of the original Hermitage at 9.15am. This will be followed by a 30 minute service on the Hillary Deck of the Sir Edmund Hillary Alpine Centre at 10.15am.

The service will be led by Philip Robinson the Anglican Archdeacon for South Canterbury, with non-denominational Christian and Buddhist elements reflecting the philosophies of the local Sherpa community. Opera singer Becky Murray from Lake Tekapo will conclude the service in song.

Weather permitting, the final salute to Sir Edmund will be a fly past by Mount Cook Ski Planes pilots in a three aircraft formation of one Pilatus PC-6 Porter and two Cessna 185s.

Sir Edmund was at Aoraki Mount Cook on 22 September 1955 when Sir Henry Wigley made aviation history by landing the world’s first ski plane with retractable skis (the Auster) on the Tasman Glacier. He was also one of the Auster’s first passengers, accompanying Sir Henry on a flight later the same day.

Coverage of Sir Edmund’s state funeral will be screened from 11am to 1pm (to be confirmed) in the Centre’s theatre and on two plasma screens in the café. The Hermitage General Manager Denis Callesen says the local population, which includes much of New Zealand’s climbing fraternity is keenly feeling the loss of Sir Ed, a friend and mentor to many. “There is a strong need for this tightly knit community to come together to pay their respects. Sir Ed has played a big part in our lives here and we want to say goodbye in our own way.”

PC-12 arrives at Cannon AFB

Cannon Air Force Base reached another milestone Tuesday in its transition to a special operations base with the arrival of a new aircraft. The PC-12 was delivered to the 27th Special Operations Wing and will be flown by the 318th Special Operations Squadron when it activates in March, according to a base press release.

The turboprop aircraft, selected for its versatile performance characteristics and ability to operate from short and unimproved runway surfaces, will provide battlefield mobility for special operations forces in theaters throughout the world, according to Air Force Special Operations Command officials. The aircraft that arrived Tuesday is the first of three PC-12s scheduled for delivery to the 27th SOW this year, the release said.
“We’re excited to take the first delivery of this aircraft,” said Col. Tim Leahy, 27th SOW commander. “And we’re excited to bring a new mission to Cannon Air Force Base.” A total of 10 PC-12s are planned for purchased over the next four years, the release said.

Simcom expanding

Simcom, has just expanded into a former Lockheed Martin facility in Orlando. The company also has sites in Vero Beach (for Piper Aircraft) and in Arizona. The company operates 30 simulators, all manufactured in-house, covering an array of small to medium-size aircraft, from the obscure (Extra 400 and Mitsubishi Diamond) to current Cessna Citation, Hawker, Pilatus and Socata models. Established in 1989, and with 170 employees, the company's focus remains the owner-flown, single-turboprop market. The 7,000 pilots who pass through its doors each year are typically experienced pilots who are stepping up to larger aircraft or want a Simcom training certificate to validate their insurance. "We are at the value end of the market, personalised for the customer. That's our differential," says chief executive Wally David.
However, the company is looking at other markets. It recently began offering training on two niche regional aircraft: the Dornier 328Jet and BAe Jetstream 41 - housed at the former Lockheed Martin facility. Very light jets are another opportunity. It already operates seven business jet simulators and David believes VLJs such as the Eclipse 500, Cessna Mustang and Embraer Phenom 100 are a logical next step for many of the company's customers.

Committee pressures EPA on aircraft emissions

The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming is turning up the heat on the Environmental Protection Agency over the contribution of aircraft emissions to global warming. Committee Chairman Edward Markey (D-Mass.) has written a letter wondering whether "the agency has plans to regulate heat-trapping global warming emissions from America’s aviation sector, continuing the committee’s ongoing investigation into aviation’s increasing contribution to global warming and what can be done to reduce those emissions." Last month five states, the city of New York and environmental groups petitioned the EPA to tackle the issue but there have been no smoke signals from the EPA on the topic since.