Haiti Relief: PC-12s Go Where No One Else Can

On the day the earthquake struck Haiti, Laura Mason received more than a dozen calls from international relief organizations for help. As the executive director of the Pilatus Owners and Pilots Association (POPA), Mason was in a unique position to support the relief efforts. She immediately began coordinating humanitarian flights to Haiti by owners and operators of Pilatus PC-12 turboprop aircraft from across the country.

"We've had at least 30 POPA members making humanitarian flights to Haiti, many flying repeat missions," said Mason. "One of our members has been flying to and from Haiti for the last two weeks."

The devastated infrastructure of Haiti, and distance from the U.S., put Pilatus operators in high demand among relief organizations.

"The PC-12 is the ideal aircraft for these missions," said POPA President Bob MacLean. "With the main airport in Port-au-Prince locked down, the relief organizations needed to be able to get into the smaller airfields - with no lights, no tower - surrounding the city. They needed to be able to land on dirt airstrips. The PC-12 can do all that. It also has a large cargo capacity, the flexibility to carry people or supplies and it has the range to fly 700 miles to Haiti, hold before landing and return."

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