The Swiss-made Pilatus
PC-24 twinjet—which began deliveries earlier this year and is priced at $8.9
million— combines the best attributes of a sports utility vehicle with a
private jet.
Pilatus, a company long-renowned
for its line of turboprops, calls the PC-24 a SVJ—a Super-Versatile Jet.
It can land on unpaved
runways—including grass—shorter than 3,000 feet. That opens up 20,000 more
airports to users worldwide, according to Pilatus. The PC-24 allows for nonstop
2,035 nautical miles at speeds up to 440 knots at a maximum altitude of 45,000
feet, where the smooth air is. The twinjet can climb to this altitude in fewer
than 30 minutes. The PC-24’s advanced avionics system also allows it to be
flown single-pilot.
The jet offers a much
larger cabin than its like-priced competitors, such as the Embraer Phenom 300
or Cessna Citation CJ4.
It’s fast. At
440 knots, the PC24 is the fastest in the segment.
It’s Swiss. Why
does that matter? Well, ask people who buy Swiss watches, famous for their
craftsmanship and reliability. The PC12 would not be the big seller it has been
without it being a great product. The fact that it’s a status symbol too,
doesn’t hurt a bit.
It’s rugged. The
reason that Pilatus calls the PC24 the Super Versatile Jet is because it can
take off and land on non-paved surfaces. With beefy trailing link landing gear
and high, rear-fuselage-mounted engines, the plane is ready to take on some
gravel. Plus, it’s got that famous giant cargo loading door, just like the PC24.
It’s slow. I
know we said that it’s fast, and it is, but it’s also slow, with a stall speed
of just 81 knots at max landing weight. Along with its high-lift flap system,
the PC24 has a balanced field length of 3,130 feet, giving it the capability of
utilizing many airports that previously were suitable only for some turboprops.
It’s got range. With
a maximum range of 2,035 nm, the PC24 can stretch it out. And with its spacious
cabin, it won’t seem like a hardship to the passengers.
Although he will also face competition from the Cessna Citation M2 and even a smaller aircraft like HondaJet, according to business aviation analyst Rolland Vincent believes that the PC-24 will be a great success. "Pilatus seems to have found a secret sauce that incorporates smart design, precision engineering and a philosophy of doing one thing at a time and doing it exceptionally well," he says. "As an OEM and relatively small private company, they are able to channel their available resources to take advantage of the market opportunities they seem to be best placed to seize."
Pilatus' product strategy
has been wise, says Vincent. "They have seen an opportunity to provide an
accelerated path for delighted PC-12 customers and broaden the brand's appeal
to a broader base of prospects by embracing those with different requirements,
such as longer or more demanding. or a larger budget, "he says. "It
has been more than 20 years since the PC-12 was certified, and the aircraft has
been continuously improved in a cautious manner without doubt, without being
bothered by the PC-24, which occupies a different market place. "
