Pilatus PC-6

Infobox Aircraft
name = PC-6 Porter/Turbo-Porter
type = STOL Passenger and utility aircraft
manufacturer = Pilatus Aircraft

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caption =
designer =
first flight = "Porter" - 4 May 1959 "Turbo Porter" - 1961.
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user = Civil aviation
more users = United States Air Force United States Army
produced =
number built =
unit cost =
variants with their own articles =

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 famous in the aviation world for its "Short Take-off and Landing" (STOL) performance on almost any type of terrain - it can take-off within a distance of convert|195|m|ft|0 and land within a distance of convert|130|m|ft|0 while carrying a payload of 1,500 kg (3,300 lb) (The length of a soccer field is enough, Pilatus test pilots were able to land on not much more than convert|50|m|ft|0 of space). Thanks to its STOL performance, the PC-6 holds the world record for highest landing by a fixed wing aircraft, at convert|5750|m|ft|0, on the Dhaulagiri glacier in Nepal.

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 TPE-331-25D 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 aircrafts were sold to Royal Thai Air Force.;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

;DZA;ANG;ARG;AUT
* Austrian Air Force;AUS
* Australian Army;BOL;BIR (Myanmar);CHA;COL;ECU;FRA;IRN;MEX;OMN;PER;SLO;SUI
* Swiss Air Force;THA
* Royal Thai Air Force
* Bureau of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation ;USA
* United States Air Force
* United States Army

Law Enforcement operators

;MYS
*Royal Malaysian Police;RSA
*South African Police Service

Civil operators

;NZL
* Mount Cook Airlines;SLO
* AvioFun klub Koroška;USA
* Air America

pecifications (PC-6 B2 Turbo Porter)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew=one, pilot
capacity= up to ten passengers
payload main=1530 kg
payload alt=3,366 lb
length main= 11.00 m
length alt= convert|36|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on
span main= 15.9 m
span alt= convert|52|ft|m|abbr=on
height main= 3.20 m
height alt= 10 ft 6 in
area main= 28.8 m²
area alt= 310 ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 1270 kg
empty weight alt= 2,800 lb
loaded weight main= 2800 kg
loaded weight alt= 6,173 lb
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 2,770 kg
max takeoff weight alt= 6,108 lb
more general=
engine (prop)= Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27
type of prop= turboprop
number of props=1
power main= 410 kW
power alt= 550 shp
power original=
max speed main= 244 km/h
max speed alt= 153 mph
cruise speed main= 125 knots
cruise speed alt= 232 km/h (TAS)
stall speed main= 58 knots
stall speed alt= 52 knots flaps extended
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 1,612 km
range alt=870 nm
ceiling main= 8,197 m
ceiling alt= 25,000 ft
climb rate main= 331 m/min
climb rate alt= 1,010 ft/min
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
similar aircraft=
* PAC 750XL
sequence=
lists=
see also=

References

External links

* [http://www.pilatus-aircraft.com/html/en/products/index_49.asp?NavL1ID=31&NavL2ID=48&NavL3ID=0&NavL4ID=0&NavL5ID=0&NavL6ID=0&L=2 Pilatus PC-6 Official Website]
* [http://www.pc-6.com The PILATUS PORTER World by Markus Herzig]