The Pilatus PC-24 is a light business jet produced by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. Following the success of the PC-12 single engine turboprop, work on the twin engine jet began in 2007 for greater range and speed, keeping the rugged airfield capability. The aircraft was introduced on 21 May 2013 and rolled out on 1 August 2014, with the maiden flight on 11 May 2015. The PC-24 received EASA and FAA type certification on 7 December 2017 and the first customer delivery was on 7 February 2018. Powered by two Williams FJ44 turbofans, it competes with the Embraer Phenom 300 and the Cessna Citation CJ4.
The PC-24 is the company’s first jet-powered aircraft. Several competing business aircraft were identified early on, including Embraer’s Phenom 300 and Cessna’s Citation CJ4.
It is a low-wing cantilever cabin monoplane powered by two Williams FJ44-4A turbofans, each mounted in a nacelle on the side of the rear fuselage. It has a T-tail and a retractable tricycle landing gear. The aircraft is designed to operate from short and rough airstrips and incorporates an advanced wing design, with a large double-slotted flap system to achieve the necessary performance, having a stall speed of only 81 knots at the maximum landing weight. The long-stroke trailing link landing gear smooths out uneven surfaces, the dual-wheel main wheels have 70 psi (4.8 bar) of pressure to prevent sinking in soft surfaces, and the wing flaps have a replaceable, abradable surface and shields the high mounted engines from loose debris.
The cabin has room for eight passengers and two pilots. The cabin has three exits, a passenger door on the left-hand side near the front, overwing emergency exits on each side of the aircraft, and a cargo door on the left-hand side at the rear. Pilatus claims the PC-24 is the first business jet to be fitted with this standard pallet-sized cargo door.
The interior color schemes of the PC-24 have been designed by BMW Designworks; interiors for the Americas are to be completed at a facility in Broomfield, Colorado, which will be expanded by 50% to cope with the extra demand.
Pilatus and Honeywell cooperatively designed the Advanced Cockpit Environment for the type. This is intended to reduce pilot workload and allows the PC-24 to be single-pilot certified. The avionics system is based on Honeywell Primus Epic 2.
At 45,000 ft (14,000 m) and 7,260 kg (16,010 lb), total fuel flow is 850 lb (390 kg) per hour at M0.65 long range cruise or 372 kn (689 km/h), raising to 970 lb (440 kg)/h at its M0.74 high-speed cruise.
In July 2021, the design was updated with a number of refinements for new-build aircraft that can also be retro-fitted to earlier production aircraft. These updates included newly designed, lighter and more comfortable, quick release cabin seats; an optional galley to replace the forward coat closet; touchscreen-controlled avionics; tactile feedback in pitch and roll, plus limit protection; pilot-defined visual approaches and automated audible callouts. Also approved were True Blue Power lithium ion battery sets which are 84 lb (38 kg) lighter and less expensive to maintain.
ORDERS AND DELIVERIESAt the May 2014 EBACE, Pilatus sold the initial production run of 84 units 36 hours after orders opened. This first batch of orders is to be delivered until early 2020. Orders were to reopen after publishing the aircraft’s final performance data and assessing operators’ feedback. Throughout its 40-year lifecycle, Pilatus plan to produce 4,000 units. A PC-24 was ordered to transport the Swiss Federal Council. When it was certified in December 2017, it was priced at US$8.9M.
On 26 November 2018, the first of five was delivered to the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia, supplementing its 35 PC-12s single turboprops. Unpaved and short 856 m (2,810 ft) runways should be allowed next, and it should enter service in early 2019 as an air ambulance with three beds and an electric stretcher loader. They feature individual oxygen, vacuum and power systems for patient monitoring and support installed under a supplemental type certificate by aircraft medical interiors specialist Aerolite AG, for $13 million complete each. It will replace a midsize Hawker 800XP operated in Western Australia since 2009, a gravel kit will be available by the end of the year, and Pilatus is working on operating on narrow runways, from 23 to 18 m (75 to 59 ft).
By May 2019, Pilatus had sold 30 units and reopened the PC-24 orderbook at the EBACE show, with about 80 delivery positions made available at a price of $10.7 million each, for late 2020 and 2021 deliveries. Of these new positions half were sold within days. The PC-24 had been granted European and US steep approach certification, including for London City airport’s 5.5° approach and short runway, plus dirt and gravel runway operations. Rough-field certification was approved for grass, wet earth and snow operations in late January 2020.
The 50th was delivered by October 2019, and the 100th by January 2021. In 2022, its equipped price was $11.9M. (Resource Wiki)
