Pilatus PC-6 Porter
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(Redirected from Pilatus Porter)
| PC-6 Porter/Turbo-Porter | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| A PC-6 Turbo-Porter, B2-H4 PT6A-34 variant, used for skydiving in Spain | |
| Role | STOL Passenger and utility aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Pilatus Aircraft |
| Built by | Fairchild Aircraft |
| First flight | Porter - 4 May 1959 Turbo-Porter - 2 May 1961. |
| Status | Active service, in production |
| Primary users | Civil aviation Austrian Air Force, Myanmar Air Force, Swiss Air Force |
| Produced | 1959-present |
| Number built | 581 (As of August 2014)[1] |
| Variants | Fairchild AU-23 Peacemaker |
The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a single-engined Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) utility aircraft designed by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. First flown in 1959, the PC-6 continues in production at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans, Switzerland. It has been built in both piston engine and turboprop powered versions and was produced for a time by Fairchild Hiller in the United States.
Contents
Design and development
The first prototype made its maiden flight on 4 May 1959[2] powered by a 254 kW (340 shp) piston engine. The first Turbo Porter, powered by a turboprop, flew in 1961. The Turbo Porter received an engine upgrade in 1963, which increased its power to its present value of 410 kW (550 shp).
The Porter was also manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States during the early 1970s for operations during the Vietnam War. It received the designation AU-23A Peacemaker for service with the U.S. Air Force and UV-20 Chiricahua for service with the U.S. Army. The Peacemaker was fitted with a side-firing 20mm XM-197 Gatling cannon, four wing pylons and a centre fuselage station for external ordnance, but proved to be troublesome in service; all aircraft were returned to the U.S. for storage after one year of operations.
Operational history
The PC-6 is noted for its Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) performance on almost any type of terrain - it can take off within a distance of 640 feet (195 m) and land within a distance of 427 feet (130 m) 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 18,865 feet (5,750 m), on the Dhaulagiri glacier in Nepal.
Due to these characteristics, they are frequently used to access short grass mountaintop airstrips in the highlands of Papua Province (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea.
Variants
- PC-6/340 Porter
- Initial production version, powered by a 254-kW (340-hp) Lycoming GSO-480-B1A6 flat-six piston engine. Max take-off weight 1,960 kg (4,320 lb).[2]
- PC-6/350 Porter
- As PC-6/340, but powered by a 261 kW (350 hp) Lycoming IGO-540-A1A piston engine.[2]
- PC-6/A Turbo-Porter
- Initial turboprop powered version, fitted with a 390 kW (523 shp) Turbomeca Astazou IIE or IIG turboprop engine.[2]
- PC-6/A1 Turbo-Porter
- This 1968 version was powered by a 427-kW (573-shp) Turbomeca Astazou XII turboprop engine.
- PC-6/A2 Turbo-Porter
- This 1971 version was powered by a 427-kW (573-shp) Turbomeca Astazou XIVE turboprop engine.
- PC-6/B Turbo-Porter
- This version was powered by a 410-kW (550-shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-6A turboprop engine.
- PC-6/B1 Turbo-Porter
- Similar to the PC-6/B, but fitted with a 410-kW (550-shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 turboprop engine.
- PC-6/B2-H2 Turbo-Porter
- Fitted with a 507-kW (680-shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 turboprop engine.
- PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo-Porter
- The B2-H4 has improved airframe structuring and extended, upturned wingtips.
- PC-6/C Turbo-Porter
- One prototype built by Fairchild Industries in the USA, powered by a 429-kW (575-shp) Garrett TPE331-25D turboprop engine.
- PC-6/C1 Turbo-Porter
- Similar to the PC-6/C, but fitted with a 429-kW (575-shp) Garrett TPE 331-1-100 turboprop engine.
- PC-6/C2-H2 Porter
- Developed by Fairchild Industries in the USA. It was powered by a 485-ekW (650-ehp) Garrett TPE 331-101F turboprop engine.
- PC-6/D-H3 Porter
- One prototype, fitted with a 373-kW (500-hp) avco Lycoming turbocharged piston engine.
- AU-23A Peacemaker
- Armed gunship, counter-insurgency, utility transport version for the U.S. Air Force. It was used during the Vietnam War in the early 1970s. 35 were built under licence in the USA by Fairchild Industries. All aircraft were sold to Royal Thai Air Force.
- OV-12
- Designation for U.S. version, cancelled 1979.
- UV-20A Chiricahua
- STOL utility transport version for the U.S. Army. Two UV-20As were based in West Berlin during the 1970s and 1980s.
- PC-8D Twin Porter
- Twin-engined version flown in 1967, but not subsequently developed.
Operators
Current military operators
Former Military operators
- Australian Army Aviation - 19 Turbo-Porters were in service with Australian Army from 1968 to 1992.
- 6th Aviation Regiment (Australia)
- No. 161 Independent Reconnaissance Flight
- No. 163 Independent Reconnaissance Flight
- No. 171 Air Cavalry Flight
- School Army Aviation
- Bophuthatswana Air Force - Later transferred to South African Air Force
Law Enforcement operators
Civil operators
- Thai Ministry of Agriculture
Former civil operators
- National Hydrological Service
- National Ambulance Service
Accidents and incidents
- 26 December 1999 A Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo porter registration HB-FKJ[13] crashed near Turin. Because of heavy turbulance a wing broke causing the plane to crash, the 2 people aboard died.
- 30 May 2008 A Pilatus PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo porter registration EC-JXH[14] crashed near Lillo, Spain. After going into a stall, the plane's left wing broke causing the door to open, allowing 9 skydivers to jump out and survive. One skydiver and the pilot died in the crash.
- 25 April 2012: A PC 6 (PK VVQ) 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[15] carrying 10 skydivers (instructors and students) and a pilot, lost height and impacted terrain at Fernelmont some ten minutes after take-off 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 take-off accident at Moorsele (EBMO) on 12 March 2000.[16] The crash has been caused by the loss of a wing because of a wrong manoeuvre made by the pilot.
Specifications (PC-6 B2 Turbo-Porter)
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–1994[17]
General characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot
- Capacity: up to ten passengers
- Payload: 1,130 kg (2,491 lb)
- Length: 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan: 15.87 m (52 ft 0¾ in)
- Height: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 30.15 m² (324.5 sq ft)
- Airfoil: NACA 64-514
- Aspect ratio: 8.4:1
- Empty weight: 1,270 kg (2,800 lb)
- Max. takeoff weight: 2,800 kg (6,173 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 turboprop, 410 kW (550 shp)(downrated from 507 kW (680 shp))
Performance
- Never exceed speed: 280 km/h (151 knots, 174 mph)
- Maximum speed: 232 km/h[18] (125 knots, 144 mph)
- Cruise speed: 213 km/h (115 knots, 132 mph) at 3,050 m (10,000 ft)
- Stall speed: 96 km/h (52 knots, 60 mph) (flaps down, power off)
- Range: 730 km (394 nmi, 453 mi) with maximum payload
- Ferry range: 1,612 km (870 nmi, 1,002 mi) with maximum internal and underwing fuel
- Service ceiling: 8,197 m (25,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 4.8 m/s (941 ft/min)
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
- Antonov An-2
- de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
- Dornier Do 27
- Gippsland GA10
- PAC P-750 XSTOL
References
- ↑ Paper Printout "Rollout PC-24" from Pilatus Flugzeugwerke AG Page 5, handed out on 01.08.2014 do the Rollout celebration of the PC-24 at Stans / Buochs Airport.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Taylor 1965, pp. 126–127.
- ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 32.
- ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 33.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 43.
- ↑ Hoyle Flight International 13–19 December 2011, p. 36.
- ↑ Hoyle Flight International 13–19 December 2011, p. 37.
- ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 40.
- ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 45.
- ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 47.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 49. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "fiwaf11_p49" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 52.
- ↑ Aviation Safety Network #30298
- ↑ Aviation Safety Network #20232
- ↑ Pilatus PC-6 Porter S/N 710 history
- ↑ ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 161542
- ↑ Lambert 1993, pp. 358–359.
- ↑ Taylor 1999, p. 489.
- Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". Flight International, Vol 180 No 5321, 13–19 December 2011. pp. 26–52. ISSN 0015-3710.
- Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". Flight International, Vol 180 No 5517, 8–14 December 2015. pp. 26–53. ISSN 0015-3710.
- Lambert, Mark. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–1994. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Data Division, 1993. ISBN 0-7106-1066-1.
- Taylor, John W. R. Janes's All The World's Aircraft 1965–66. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1965.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000 Edition. London: Brassey's, 1999. ISBN 1-85753-245-7.
- Aircraft-Safety.NET
External links
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