When Pilatus unveiled the PC-12 turboprop single at the 1989 NBAA Convention in Atlanta, the Swiss company envisioned it as a utility airplane geared for small-package express deliveries, and the corporate and special-use markets. In other words, it saw it as being in direct competition with Cessna’s Caravan.
Pilatus was also at that NBAA show on the lookout for an American company as a potential manufacturing and/or marketing partner. The company predicted that as much as 60 percent of the anticipated production would be sold in the U.S., with about half going to package carriers and the remainder divided among corporate and utility operators. Pilatus’ PC-12 has a 16.9-ft-long cabin (for a volume of 330 cu ft), a 1.6-ton payload and a combination of aerodynamics and power that produces respectable speeds. And to Pilatus’ delight a surprising number were ordered at a pre-production price of $1.48 million.
