| PC-6 Porter/Turbo-Porter | |
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| Type | STOL Passenger and utility aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Pilatus Aircraft |
| Maiden 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.
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Design and development
The first prototype made its maiden flight on 4 May 1959 powered by a 254 kW 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. 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 195 metres (640 ft) and land within a distance of 130 metres (427 ft) 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 50 metres (164 ft) of space). Thanks to its STOL performance, the PC-6 holds the world record for highest landing by a fixed wing aircraft, at 5,750 metres (18,865 ft), 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.
- 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
Law Enforcement operators
Civil operators
Specifications (PC-6 B2 Turbo Porter)
General characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot
- Capacity: up to ten passengers
- Payload: 1530 kg (3,366 lb)
- Length: 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan: 15.9 m (52 ft)
- Height: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 28.8 m² (310 ft²)
- Empty weight: 1270 kg (2,800 lb)
- Loaded weight: 2800 kg (6,173 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 2,770 kg (6,108 lb)
- Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 turboprop, 410 kW (550 shp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 244 km/h (153 mph)
- Cruise speed: 125 kts (232 km/h (TAS))
- Stall speed: 58 kts (52 kts flaps extended)
- Range: 1,612 km (870 nm)
- Service ceiling 8,197 m (25,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 331 m/min (1,010 ft/min)
External links
Related content
Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
- Pilatus:
- US military U series:
- US military V series:
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| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
