PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD. HISTORY EST. 1939
SWISS BASED – INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED
Numerous noteworthy pioneering achievements have occurred in the world of aviation. And the fantasy of flight continues to fascinate. Pilatus are proud to be a part of a lengthy history that began on 16 December 1939 for us. On that day, a small maintenance group was established in Stans, Switzerland, to operate for the Swiss Air Force. World events of the period guaranteed that the aviation sector saw significant innovation and progress, but no one could have predicted that the establishment of Pilatus Aircraft Ltd would herald the beginnings of a worldwide success story. Since then, Pilatus has grown from strength to strength, with a brand synonymous with Swiss excellence and innovation.Pilatus Aircraft Ltd is headquartered in Stans, Switzerland and is the only Swiss aerospace manufacturer capable of developing, manufacturing, and selling aircraft to customers on a global scale: from the renowned Pilatus Porter PC-6 to the PC-12, the best-selling single-engine turboprop in its class, and the PC-21, the future of training.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
In 1939, Pilatus Aircraft was formed. Pilatus has focused on specialized markets, most notably short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft and military trainers.Pilatus’ history manufacturing innovative aircraft types began in 1940 with the SB-2 Pelikan, which was created for usage in mountainous environments such as the Swiss Alps. However, Pilatus’s first long-term success came with the P-2.
BREAKTHROUGH INTO THE MILITARY TRAINER MARKET
Pilatus made multiple attempts during the early years of World War II to get a building license for two training aircraft of Italian and German provenance. Once they resigned to the harsh reality that this would be impossible, Pilatus got to work designing and manufacturing its own military trainer, the P-2 and P-3, both of which were flown by the Swiss Air Force (Swissair). The first prototype began construction in late 1943. Swissair, as it was known at the time, also employed the PC-7. These two training aircraft provided Pilatus with the experience necessary to thrive in Switzerland and around the world. In 1946, the Swiss Air Force placed an order for twenty-six P-2.05 training aircraft following successful trials on the second prototype. Between December 1949 and September 1950, the Swiss Air Force received another twenty-five P-2.06s. The Swiss Air Force operated the P-2 until 1981.
POWERFUL PILATUS PORTER
The Pilatus Porter PC-6 was the true game changer for them in 1959. Pilatus combined its years of experience and insights and made a name for themselves. The PC-6 is an extraordinarily durable aircraft that stands out for its flexibility and superb STOL (Short Take-off and Landing) capabilities. Sales growth on the worldwide aviation market has been rapid, and believe it or not, the PC-6 is still in high demand to this day.
YETI TELLS THE WORLD ABOUT THE POWER OF PILATUS
In May 1960, the Swiss expedition hired the fabled “Yeti” Porter to aid them in reaching the peak of Dhaulagiri (8,167 m). Max Eiselin, a pioneering climber from Lucerne, led the expedition to climb Dhaulagiri — at the time the world’s highest unconquered peak. The PC-6 was used to transport climbers and equipment to the base camp, which is located at an elevation of about 5,700 m. The PC-6 “Yeti’s” outstanding Himalayan performance established a previously unbroken altitude record for glacier landings and guaranteed that the name Pilatus was spread throughout the world for years to come. No other fixed-wing aircraft has ever performed better than that awe-inspiring feat.The Porter is still in production 58 years after the first PC-6 made its first flight. The piston engine was replaced with a turbine engine, and the aircraft continues to provide reliable performance at high altitudes for clients worldwide. Still to this day, Yeti remains the World Record Holder for the only plane that landed and took-off at an altitude of 5700 m.
PILATUS ACQUIRES BRITTEN-NORMAN
Pilatus purchased Britten-Norman in 1979, the manufacturer of the Britten-Norman Islander and Britten-Norman Defender aircraft. It produced the PC-9, an enhanced variant of the PC-7, in the 1980s.
TWIN-ENGINE PILATUS?
Pilatus continued to design and then build single-engine piston/turbine trainers, transporters, and gliders for civilian and military use for the next 46 years. Throughout this same time period, the growing need for twin-engine utility aircraft encouraged Pilatus to examine the possibility of manufacturing a twin-engine Porter. To keep development costs down, the new design on the PC-8 makes extensive use of components from the single-engine PC-6. Flight testing continued for almost a year, but the findings were inconclusive, and the project was shelved due to their inconclusive findings as well as poor single-engine performance which prohibited certification under FAR 23.
NUMBER ONE SELLING SINGLE ENGINE TURBOPROP
In 1987, Pilatus announced work on the PC12’s development began. Pilatus expanded into the civilian market in the 1990s with the introduction of the PC-12, a single-engine turboprop aircraft that took its first flight on 31 May 1991. Over four years later, the Pilatus PC-12 finally received all type certifications on 15 June 1994. Pilatus has produced over 1,750 units as of May 2020, which makes the PC-12 the industry’s best-selling pressurized aircraft for the previous four years.
A NEW ERA OF TRAINERS
Pilatus flew a modified PC-7 Mk.II in November of 1997 to evaluate modifications to a potential next generation turboprop trainer. In November 1998, as a direct consequence of the results, Pilatus opted to fund the design of an innovative training system; officially started in January 1999, identified as the PC-21. The PC-21 would be built and certified as an entirely new training system, designed to achieve the requirements in terms of capability and life-cycle costs of future military clients over the next three decades.
WOLRDS FIRST SUPER VERSATILE JET
The most recent groundbreaking and record setting aircraft to be added to their fleet of impressive STOL (short-takeoff and landing) aircraft, is the Pilatus PC-24. The PC-24 is truly one-of-a-kind. It is the only aircraft that combines the mobility of a turboprop with the cabin size and performance of a medium-light jet. It is a plane that does not fit neatly into any of the standard business jet classifications. That is they were forced to create a new, suitable category: the Super Versatile Jet (SVJ). The PC-24 was designed from the start to be “off-road” capable. Its exceptional short-field performance – including on dirt runways – enables an unprecedented level of mobility.Pilatus delivered the first PC-24 in February 2018, and the fleet’s current size of over 100 aircraft have logged over 33,500 hours worldwide. Pilatus Aircraft recently delivered its hundredth business jet PC-24 on January 7th, 2021 to Jetfly Aviation, Europe’s largest fractional operator of Pilatus PC-12 and PC-24 aircraft.
KEEP PILATUS AIRCRAFT LTD. IN YOUR SIGHTS
Pilatus aircraft entered a niche market to fill a specific set of requirements. They were, still are, and will continue to be the market leader in their specialized field of STOL aircraft (Short take-off, short landing). Innovation, imagination, and superior engineering will continue to fuel our prosperity. Moving through the twenty-first century, Pilatus’ principal business is to develop and release new, superior aircraft. Pilatus aircraft are loved by many through the industry of ownership and charter due to the industry leading technology, innovation, performance, and safety. Pilatus aircraft have the lowest incident rate out of any other aircraft on the market. We are very excited to see what they surprise us with next! Charter Jets, Inc. features the newest and highest safety rated Pilatus PC-12 NGXs available. Price out your flight today.We are available 24/7 to assist.