Pilatus PC-6 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.

Design and development

A PC-6/350 Porter

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

A Fairchild AU-23 in a steep climb

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-6/340-H1 Porter
As PC-6/340, but with modified landing gear and increased weight (2,016 kg (4,444 lb)).[2]
PC-6/340-H2 Porter
As for H-2, but with maximum take-off weight increased to 2,200 kg (4,850 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-6/350-H1 Porter
As for /340 H1 but with O-540 engine.[2]
PC-6/350-H2 Porter
As for 340 H2 with O-540 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
PC-6/B2-H4 Turbo-Porter
Pilatus PC-6/ B2-H4 in flight
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.
A Fairchild Porter
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

 Angola
 Argentina
 Austria
 Burma (Myanmar)
 Chad
 Ecuador
 Iran
 Mexico
 Peru
Slovenian Air Force Pilatus PC-6 L6-03 landing at the Murska Sobota Airport
 Slovenia
  Switzerland
 Thailand
 United States

Former Military operators

 Algeria
 Australia
Bophuthatswana
 Bolivia
 Colombia
 France
 Israel
   Nepal
 Oman
 South Africa
 Thailand
 Sudan
 United Arab Emirates
 United States

Law Enforcement operators

 Malaysia
 Oman
 South Africa
 Thailand

Civil operators

Continental Air Services PC-6 Porter in Laos, ca. 1970
 Australia
 Indonesia
 Mongolia
   Nepal
 New Zealand
 Papua New Guinea
 Thailand
 United States

Former civil operators

 Hungary

Accidents and incidents

Specifications (PC-6 B2 Turbo-Porter)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–1994[17]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

  1. ↑ 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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Taylor 1965, pp. 126–127.
  3. ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 32.
  4. ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 33.
  5. 1 2 Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 43.
  6. ↑ Hoyle Flight International 13–19 December 2011, p. 36.
  7. ↑ Hoyle Flight International 13–19 December 2011, p. 37.
  8. ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 40.
  9. ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 45.
  10. ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 47.
  11. 1 2 Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 49.
  12. ↑ Hoyle Flight International 8–14 December 2015, p. 52.
  13. ↑ Aviation Safety Network #30298
  14. ↑ Aviation Safety Network #20232
  15. ↑ Pilatus PC-6 Porter S/N 710 history
  16. ↑ ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 161542
  17. ↑ Lambert 1993, pp. 358–359.
  18. ↑ Taylor 1999, p. 489.

External links

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