Porter busy dropping skydivers over Everest

A new skydiving operation offering thrill seekers the opportunity to jump over Mt.Everst is up and running. The jump ship choosen by the operation is of course the famous PC-6 Pilatus Porter. This is the first time the Nepalese government has issued permits for such an adventure in the Everest Region. The aircraft was recently ferried from Switzerland to Nepal by Swiss pilots over a period of 42 hours. The jumpers exit the aircraft from altitudes of up to 29,500 feet. A true testament to the sheer ability of man and equipment.

Short video clip of Pilatus at NBAA

Pilatus finds unprecedented interest from jet customers

Pilatus notes a record level of interest from Jet customers. From global economic corrections to record oil prices, there is little doubt that change can occur very quickly indeed. However, the old saying that every cloud has a silver lining could well be true in the case of Pilatus and their new PC-12 NG. Apart from the strong order book that Pilatus currently enjoys, PC-12 dealers report significantly increased interest from the tier of jet customers immediately above the famous turboprop. Pilatus Centers from Australia to the USA report that customers are expressing a desire to step out of their thirsty jet aircraft in to the ultra efficient PC-12 NG. With a cabin size comparable to jet aircraft costing more than twice as much and a fuel burn saving of up to 50 percent, the case for the PC-12 NG has never been stronger.

FULL TEXT: http://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/applications/press_release/index_rd.php?det=0000000061

Pilatus receives excellent feedback from Honeywell Apex users

With deliveries of the PC-12 NG well underway, early feedback from operators has proven that Honeywell’s Primus Apex avionics system was an excellent choice for the next generation of this legendary aircraft. The PC-12 NG was announced during NBAA 2006 with the official launch taking place one year later at NBAA 2007. The Honeywell Primus Apex system was developed specifically for the PC-12 NG to reduce pilot workload and improve systems integration. As a derivative of the Honeywell Primus Epic system found in much larger aircraft, the Primus Apex system benefits from a wealth of research and development.
FULL TEXT: http://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/applications/press_release/index_rd.php?det=0000000063

AOPA featured the PC-12 NG

Thomas Horne produced an excellent article praising the PC-12 NG. Mike Fizer also undertook the photography for this article over the southern Colorado rockies.

IS&S forging ahead with PC-12 retrofits

IS&S in July announced upgrades for its Pilatus PC-12 avionics retrofit program, including a single-sided cockpit option, wide area augmentation system (WAAS) capability and group RVSM certification for all panel configurations.
IS&S also named Finnoff Aviation, Boulder, Colo., as an independent sales agent for the company's cockpit/IP flat-panel display system for the PC-12, a single-engine turboprop manufactured in Switzerland. The latter company is led by Chris Finnoff, former president of Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd.
Interviewed at the company's headquarters in Exton, Pa., President Roman G. Ptakowski said IS&S sees a market for more than 300 PC-12s, mostly in North America. The company initially certified a cockpit panel layout with two 15-inch displays, and then pursued other configurations.
"Unique among competitors, we actually have multiple architectures," Ptakowski said. "You can buy a PC-12 upgrade with two 15-inch panels, four 10- inch panels or a combination of one 15 (and) two 10s, or two 10s only, as long as we have redundancy of at least two displays. We have an architecture that has been certified by the FAA. We provide a lot of flexibility so people can do a single-side upgrade and then eventually do the dual side. They have an opportunity to address it the way they see fit."
IS&S expects to make WAAS capability available in the fourth quarter for both single-side and full-cockpit display architectures, allowing pilots to fly precision approaches at smaller airports. RVSM certification, available for all cockpit configurations, will allow pilots to fly at flight level 290 and above.

L-3 claim close to PC-12 EVS certification

The L-3 Avionics Iris was certified in April for flight aboard many of the King Air 90, 100, 200 and 300 series turboprop twins. L-3 reports other certifications in progress for Pilatus PC-12 and TBM-700 singles as well as Bell 206 and 407 rotorcraft. The 1.7-pound Iris camera also uses an uncooled IR sensor that, for initially certified installations, feeds video to a Honeywell KMD-850 MFD. L-3 Avionics adds that the King Air STC “allows display on any FAA certified cockpit display” that accepts an appropriate RS-170 video input. The Iris sensor, with a 24-degree horizontal field of view, was originally developed for automotive use.

AIN News