Pilatus PC-6 Porter

On 4 May 1959, the first prototype, powered by a 254 kW (340 shp) piston engine, made its maiden flight. In comparison to its earlier piston engine-powered incarnation, the Astazou II-equipped Turbo Porter had an increased gross capacity and top speed, as well as benefitting from the engine's automatic handling functions. These benefits came at the expense of the greater initial purchase cost and higher fuel consumption. Its unit cost in 1962 was $55,000 The initial turbine-powered models of the PC-6 were equipped with the Astazou II powerplant, however complaints on the reliability of this engine led to another early turboprop powerplant becoming available for the PC-6. This was the Garrett AiResearch TPE 331. Some operators such as Air America chose to retrofit their Astazou II-powered PC-6s with the TPE 331 engine. In May 1966, the first PC-6 to be equipped with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine performed its maiden flight. To offset rising labour and manufacturing costs in Switzerland, Pilatus distributed manufacturing work on the PC-6 to other countries; in 1993, Czech Republic–based Letov Kbely began manufacturing activity upon the type. Global production of the PC-6 will eventually be transferred to the Chongqing facility. On 11 December 2014, the first Chinese-assembled PC-6 fuselage was completed. In 2014, the majority of PC-6s delivered that year were to Chinese customers. By April 2016, around 20 PC-6s were in operation in the Chinese market; the type has often been used to replace the Antonov An-2, being reportedly cheaper to operate. The Porter was also manufactured under licence by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. Roughly 100 of these licence-produced aircraft would be completed, being mainly purchased by civil operators within the US. After nearly 600 deliveries in six decades including about 90 Fairchild-Hiller built and 425 PT6-powered, but only 52 in the last ten years, Pilatus will close the orderbook from summer 2018 and will roll off the last one in early 2019 while parts production will continue for at least 20 years. Due to pandemic delays, the last PC-6 Porter was instead delivered in December 2022 after 604 produced in 63 years. ==Design==

The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) utility aircraft. The majority of aircraft are powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop engine, which drives a fully reversible, constant-speed, three-bladed HC-B3TN-3D (or an alternative four-bladed HC-D4N-3P) Hartzell aluminium propeller via a reduction gearbox. Pilatus claims that it possesses unique STOL capabilities, capable of landing in places only otherwise accessible by rotorcraft. Early models of the PC-6 were equipped with a full instrument panel as standard, and were reportedly easy for unfamiliar pilots to intuit. In addition to its flight functionality, the G950 system acts as a remote maintenance unit and electronic flight bag all in one. Two large 10.4-inch liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) are present, functioning as the Primary Flight Display for all key flight information and the Multi-function Display for system/mission management. Fully independent secondary flight instrumentation is also provided to provide backup altitude, attitude, and airspeed information in the event of complete electrical failure. The wings, fuselage, and empennage are manufactured using conventional semi-monocoque construction techniques, the primary structure being composed of aluminium; Corrosion resistance is achieved via a combination of plating and a polyurethane-based enamel paint. For role flexibility, individual aircraft can be easily converted between various mission types, such as transport, paradrop, aerial photography, surveillance, air medical services and search and rescue duties. The main cabin area is furnished with soundproofing measures, ventilation, and heating as standard. Additional equipment include a firefighting system, aerial application system, underwing tanks, sand filters, propeller de-icing system, mudguard, tailwheel debris guard, oxygen system, and additional power distribution system. ==Operational history==

Pilatus PC-6 STOL landing at the Murska Sobota Airfield The PC-6 is noted for its Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) performance on almost any type of terrain - it can take off within a distance of and land within a distance of while carrying a payload of 2,646 lbs (1,200 kg). Thanks to its STOL performance, the PC-6 holds the world record for highest landing by a fixed-wing aircraft, at , on the Dhaulagiri glacier in Nepal. Due to the type's favourable STOL characteristics, described by the magazine Flying as being "one of the most helicopter-like airplanes in terms of takeoff performance", Pilatus has deliberately marketed the PC-6 towards helicopter operators at times, feeling the type to be complementary to their typical mode of operation. During its early service, the PC-6 Porter was noted for its high level of comfort and usability against competing aircraft. The type has also proven to have a long service life; by 1993, roughly 440 of the 500 PC-6 Turbo Porters completed by that point were still in service. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Central Intelligence Agency-controlled airline Air America operated up to 23 PC-6s at a time. Many of these were operated in the South-East Asia region, including South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The type was used for various missions, including paradropping supplies to troops, passenger transport, psychological warfare, reconnaissance, prisoner conveyance, airborne radio relay, and other intelligence operations. According to Flying magazine, around 40 per cent of all PC-6s in use in Europe during the early 1990s were being used by skydivers. In 1996, during the First Congo War, Zaire's president Mobutu Sese Seko hired Western European mercenaries (mostly French and Belgian) in an attempt to stop a Rwandan-led offensive. This contingent (part of the White Legion) was supported by a BAE Andover and a Pilatus PC-6B Turbo Porter transports and four Mil Mi-24 attack helicopters. The Porter was lost after colliding with a tall anthill which damaged the plane's landing gear, causing it to crash-land just a few days after arriving in Zaire. ==Variants==

;PC-6/340 Porter :Initial production version, powered by a 254-kW (340-hp) Lycoming GSO-480-B1A6 flat-six piston engine. Max takeoff weight 1,960 kg (4,320 lb). :;PC-6/340-H1 Porter ::As PC-6/340, but with modified landing gear and increased weight (2,016 kg (4,444 lb)). All aircraft were sold to Royal Thai Air Force. ;OV-12 :Designation for US version, cancelled 1979. ;UV-20A Chiricahua :STOL utility transport version for the US Army. Two UV-20As were based in West Berlin from late 1979 until 1991. ;PC-8D Twin Porter :Twin-engined version flown in 1967, but not subsequently developed. ==Operators==

Current military operators PC-6, 2013 Former military operators Law enforcement operators Civil operators PC-6 upon Franz Josef Glacier, 1999 Former civil operators ==Accidents and incidents==

• 18 November 1981, a Pilatus PC-6 (Porter & Turbo Porter) of Royal Nepal Airlines crashed after it lost height during take-off from Biratnagar Airport in Nepal. The fatalities included 1 crew and 9 passengers with no survivors. • 12 November 1991 - An Australian Army Turbo Porter A14-683 crashed after it stalled on take off, killing two soldiers. The inquiry identified pilot error as the primary cause. The aircraft was written off. • 26 December 1999 - A Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo porter registration HB-FKJ crashed near Turin. Because of heavy turbulence, a wing broke away from the fuselage causing the plane to crash; the two people aboard died. • 15 March 2002 - A United States Army Pilatus UV-20A collided in midair with a Cessna 182C during parachute jumping operations at Marana Regional Airport, near Marana, Arizona. While the Cessna was able to land, the Pilatus entered an uncontrolled dive and crashed, killing the pilot and destroying the aircraft. • 30 May 2008 - A Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo porter registration EC-JXH crashed near Lillo, Spain. After going into a stall, the plane's left wing broke causing the door to open, allowing nine skydivers to jump out and survive. One skydiver and the pilot died in the crash. • 25 April 2012 - A Pilatus PC-6 (PK VVQ), operated by Susi Air, crashed in Kalimantan Timur, Melak district killing the pilot and passenger(s) which was engaged in an Aerial Survey of the area. The aircraft was reported missing at 1710 LT on 25 April with the wreckage found on 26 April, thus confirming the condition of the occupants/aircraft. • 19 October 2013 - A Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo Porter registration OO-NAC carrying ten skydivers (instructors and students) and a pilot, lost height and impacted terrain at Fernelmont some ten minutes after takeoff from nearby Namur-Suarlée Airport (EBNM), Belgium. All aboard died. The aircraft (S/N 710) was built in 1969 and had been rebuilt in 2002 by Pilatus Flugzeugwerke following a takeoff accident at Moorsele (EBMO) on 12 March 2000. • 19 June 2016 - A Pilatus PC-6 disintegrated in midair while carrying seven skydivers for practice in Beja, Portugal. All skydivers survived, although two were severely wounded. The pilot was the single fatality. • 30 August 2022 - A South African Police Service PC-6 crashed shortly after taking off from Rand Airport, South Africa. All five passengers died during the accident. The pilot was the sole survivor and was severely injured. • 8 March 2024 - A Pilatus PC-6 (PK-SNE), operated by Smart Aviation, crashed into a forest near Binuang, Nunukan, North Kalimantan, after taking off from Juwata Tarakan International Airport. During the flight, the plane had two people: the pilot and the engineer. The pilot was the sole survivor. ==Specifications (PC-6 B2 Turbo-Porter)==

== Notable appearances in media ==

A PC-6/B2-H2 Turbo-Porter is featured in the opening scene of the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, which Bond uses to escape from a clandestine Soviet chemical weapons facility. ==See also==