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 |
| First flight | Porter - 4 May 1959 Turbo-Porter - 1961. |
| Primary users | Civil aviation United States Air Force United States Army |
The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a civilian utility aircraft built by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland.
Design and development
The first prototype made its maiden flight on 4 May 1959 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).
In the United States, the Porter was manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller. In service with the U.S. Air Force, it received the designation AU-23A Peacemaker. In U.S. Army use, it was designated UV-20 Chiricahua.
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 3,300 lbs (1,500 kg) (The length of a soccer field is enough, Pilatus test pilots were able to land on not much more than 164 feet (50 m) of space). 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 Porter
- Initial production version, powered by a 254-kW (340-hp) Avco Lycoming GSO-480-B1A6 flat-six piston engine.
- PC-6/350
- Improved version of the PC-6, powered by a 261-kW (350-hp) Avco Lycoming IGO-540-A1A piston engine.
- PC-6/A Turbo-Porter
- Initial turboprop powered version, fitted with a 320-kW (523-shp) Turbomeca Astazou IIE or IIG turboprop engine.
- 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-6B2-H2 Turbo-Porter
- Fitted with a 507-kW (680-shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 turboprop engine.
- 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-8 Twin Porter
- Twin-engined version flown in 1967, but not subsequently developed.
Operators
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- Later transferred to South African Air Force
Bolivia
Burma (Myanmar)
Law Enforcement operators
Civil operators
- Associated Mission Aviation
- JAARS Aviation
- Satuan Udara Pertanian
- Mission Aviation Fellowship
- Adventist Aviation Indonesia
- Yajasi Aviation
- Susi Air
Specifications (PC-6 B2 Turbo-Porter)
General characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot
- Capacity: up to ten passengers
Performance
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Quest Kodiak
- PAC 750XL
- Antonov An-2
- de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
- de Havilland DHC-2 MK3 Turbo Beaver
- Cessna 208
- Altas Kudu C4M
- Atlas Angel C4M
References
External links
