Pilatus PC-6

Pilatus PC-6 Porter / Turbo-Porter
A Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter starts to drop parachutists
Type:	STOL multipurpose aircraft
Design country:	Switzerland
Manufacturer:	Pilatus Aircraft
First flight:	May 4, 1959 (Porter) May 2, 1961 (Turbo-Porter)
Production time:	1959 to 2019
Number of pieces:	595 total 502 at Pilatus 92 Fairchild-Hiller PC-6 and Au-23

Pilatus PC-6 is the name of a single-engine STOL aircraft made by the Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft . With the Pilatus Porter (PC-6 with piston engine) and the Pilatus Turbo-Porter (PC-6 / A to PC-6 / C with propeller turbine ) there are two differently powered versions. As an alternative to the wheel chassis , skids or floats can also be installed in the universally applicable work plane . The wide range of possible uses is supplemented by the fact that it can be easily converted from passenger to freight transport. The PC-6 is used in various roles as an ambulance aircraft (with two stretchers and five seats, including the crew ), as a survey aircraft or for aerial photography , for dropping supplies, for dropping parachutists and for spraying operations in agriculture.

history

porter

The PC-6 Porter emerged from a private initiative by Pilatus Flugzeugwerke as a work aircraft with short take-off properties ( STOL ). The basis for the design was the Pilatus P-4 , which flew as a prototype in 1948 and already had a very similar design to the PC-6. Development work for the Porter began in 1957.

On May 4, 1959, the first of five prototypes of the Porter (civil license: HB-FAN, flown by Rolf Böhm) completed its maiden flight. In August 1959, the Federal Aviation Office granted Swiss air certification. In December 1959, the well-known glacier pilot Hermann Geiger took over the third prototype HB-FAP as a representative of the Aero Club of Switzerland's Valais section. From then on, the Porter was used on countless supply and rescue flights in the mountains. Air America operated PC-6 and PC-6C aircraft in Burma , Cambodia , Thailand and Laos .

Turbo porter

Despite the success it was clear that the Porter with the Lycoming piston engines of 250 kW (340 hp) was at the performance limit. The best propeller turbine available on the market at the time was the French Turboméca Astazou II with 385 kW (523 hp). Equipped with this, the PC-6 / A Turbo-Porter took off on its maiden flight on May 2, 1961. Apart from the engine, another propeller and enlarged tanks, the Turbo-Porter is largely identical to the piston engine version.

The Turbo-Porter achieved its real breakthrough in 1964 when the more reliable Canadian Pratt & Whitney PT6 engine was installed in the version named PC-6 / B. In the same year a license was granted for the Porter to the American company Fairchild-Hiller Corporation. This made Porter the first Swiss aircraft to be manufactured under license abroad.

In August 2017, Pilatus Aircraft announced that it would cease production of the PC-6 2019. Limited aircraft could still be ordered until mid-2018. The company intends to offer customers 20 years of support.

License production in the USA

On a delivery flight to Alaska in December 1962, two Pilatus Porters made an unplanned stopover in Hagerstown (Maryland) . Mechanics from the Fairchild Co., based there, were supposed to carry out repairs. The subsequent test flight was used by the pilot to demonstrate the STOL properties of the aircraft to the Fairchild leadership. Impressed by the capabilities of the machine, Fairchild rented a porter and began negotiations for resale and as a licensee. A corresponding contract was concluded on December 16, 1964.

Fairchild had already recognized the weakness of the aircraft powered by an Astazou II turbine: the electrical adjustment mechanism of the three-blade propeller. A Pratt & Whitney PT6 turbine with a capacity of 404 kW (550 PS) was therefore installed in the Fairchild AU-23 machine N187H, and the aircraft took off on its maiden flight on May 1, 1964. It was named PC-6 / B. The PC-6 / C version with a TPE-331-1 engine from Garrett AiResearch followed later .

Work aviation

From the early 1970s, working aviation was of great importance. For many years, the Ciba -Pilatus Aerial Spraying Co. used 18 spray-equipped turbo porters in addition to other types of aircraft. Zimex Aviation has a large share in Swiss working aviation abroad . In addition to the Twin Otter, she relied on the Turbo-Porter and had around 30 different PC-6s in her schedule to date. Your area of ​​operation is predominantly in the Third World, often in desert areas. In addition to supply flights for the oil industry, their porters are also frequently on humanitarian missions for the Red Cross, the UN and other organizations.

Incidents

In October 2013, a PC-6 lost a wing near Namur after the pilot flown a roll; all eleven inmates died.

construction

The PC-6 is a stripped shoulder wing aircraft in all-metal construction with a NACA-64-514 wing profile. The single-spar wing has a constant depth of 1.90 m, but neither air brakes nor trim surfaces and also no de-icing device . The fuselage is designed in a half-shell construction. The tail wheel landing gear is not retractable. Pilatus bikes / skis or Wipline 6100, EDO 39-4000 or 58-5480 floats can also be installed. An 800 liter tank for fire fighting can be built into the cabin as an option. Vertical and angled cameras for photo flights can be installed. A tow bag on a winch with a 1500 m rope can be used to represent the target. Skis can be mounted for snow landings. For longer flights it is possible to attach external tanks (2 × 243.5 liters). The transport capacity is 11 people or 2 stretchers and 2 people or loads up to 1200 kg (1080 kg with maximum possible fuel).

variants

Three-sided tear

porter

PC-6 "Porter"

Base model with a 254 kW (340 hp) Avco Lycoming piston engine

PC-6/340

Basic model with a 250 kW Lycoming engine. FAA type approval on November 9, 1961.

PC-6/350

with 257 kW Lycoming engine. FAA type approval on September 12, 1962.

Turbo porter

PC-6 / A

Basic model with 385 kW, Turboméca-Astazou IIE or IIG. FAA type approval on November 27, 1962.

PC-6 / A1

PC-6 / A2

PC-6 / AX-H2

with 463 kW, Turboméca Astazou X turboprop.

PC-6 / B

with 404 kW, Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 turbine

PC-6 / B1

with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 turbine

PC-6B2-H2

with 507 kW Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 turbine

PC-6B2-H4

with 650 SHP Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 turbine

Pilatus PC-6 B2-H4 S / N 869 built in 1990 in flight

PC-6 / C

Prototype from Fairchild with 423 kW, Garrett TPE-331-25D turbine

PC-6 / C1

with 429 kW Garrett TPE 331-1-100 turbine

PC-6 / C2-H2

with 485-ekW Garrett TPE 331-101F turbine

AU-23A Peacemaker

armed rifle aircraft (license build)

→ Main article : Fairchild AU-23

UV-20A Chiricahua

unarmed connection variant for the US Army in Berlin

PC-6 / D-H3 Porter

Prototype with 373 kW Lycoming turbo piston engine

NCPC-6

Modernized version for the Swiss Air Force from 2018. With glass cockpit including electronic map, new radios, new GPS devices, new cabling, civil transponder and a collision warning system.

use

Current usage

A frequent use today: parachutists get into a turbo porter for a drop-off flight.

In 2017, of the 595 aircraft built so far, at least 267 aircraft, mostly in the PC-6 / B version, were flown in 63 countries. While 38 are still flying in Switzerland, this is 18 in Germany. Production of the PC-6 was discontinued in 2019.

Inserts to be highlighted

On March 12, 1960, the first prototype set off on a trip to Nepal . Christened with the name “Yeti”, he worked with pilots Ernst Saxer and Emil Wick for the Swiss Dhaulagiri expedition in the Himalayas. The Porter flew numerous material and passenger transports with full payload up to an altitude of 5700 m above sea level and received an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the highest landing ever made by a fixed-wing aircraft. This prompted the Nepalese government to order two porters. The International Committee of the Red Cross ordered two more , also for use in Nepal.

The first Turbo-Porters were handed over to French Air Alpes, a Swiss customer, as well as Wien Alaska Airlines and Northern Consolidated Airlines in 1962 (the two competitors then merged in 1968). Air Alpes set up a short-haul service in the high mountains with the turbo porters. Places such as La Plagne (1900 m), Tignes (2100 m), Val-d'Isère (2700 m) and Courchevel (2000 m) were approached. Altiports of around 200 to 300 meters in length and a gradient of up to 36 percent served as landing sites.

The British Antarctic Survey used the aircraft from 1966 to 1968 for reconnaissance flights in Antarctica . Therefore, the UK Antarctic Place-Names Committee named Porter Peak in Graham Land after them in 2016 .

The task of the planes of the CIA-operated airline Air America was to supply forward US units in Laos, for example radar stations to direct the bombing of North Vietnam .

Another important task was the transport of weapons and supplies to US-friendly guerrillas. Return freight was often heroin or its precursors. As the Pathet Lao front moved closer to the US bases, the task profile changed to directly supplying the trenches with ammunition and food. The PC-6 pilots made 50 flights between base and drop points per day.

According to the pilots who flew the PC-6, the first deliveries of the Turbo-Porter were fraught with problems. The PC-6 / A-H2 with Turboméca Astazou II was prone to major turbine damage under the climatic conditions of Laos and Vietnam.

All Air America PC-6s were upgraded to Garrett TPE-331-25DF in Tainan. At the same time, Pilatus had responded to the negative assessment by replacing the Astazou II with the Pratt & Whitney PT6, but the CIA stuck with the Garrett turbine: New deliveries from both Fairchild and Stans were made as PC-6C / H-2.

operator

Military operator

•  Algeria , 2 machines
•  Angola , 1 machine
•  Argentina , 10 machines
•  Bolivia , 2 machines
•  Chad , 2 machines
•  Colombia , 7 machines
•  Ecuador ( Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana ), 6 machines
•  France ( Armée de l'air ), 5 machines
•  Iran ( IRIAF ), 15 machines
•  Israel ( Israeli Air Force ), 2 machines
•  Mexico , 4 machines
•  Myanmar (Burma), 7 machines
•  Austria ( Air Force (Bundesheer) ), 13 machines (1 of which crashed)
•  Peru , 13 machines
•  Switzerland ( Swiss Air Force ), 19 machines (15 of which are still in military use + 1 machine from Armasuisse )
•  Thailand ( Royal Thai Air Force ), 58 machines

Former operator

•  Australia ( Australian Army ), 19 machines
•  Sweden ( Flygvapnet ), 1 machine
•  Slovenia ( Slovenian Air Force ), 2 machines
•  United States ( United States Air Force ), 18 machines
•  United States ( Air America ), 18 machines

Technical specifications

-	PC-6 porter	PC-6 / A Turbo Porter	PC-6 / B	PC-6 / B2-H4	PC-6 / C
crew	1
Passengers	7 (normal) 10 (dense seating)
length	10.20 m	11.00 m	11.07 m	10.90	10.90 m
span	15.13 m			15.87 m	15.13 m
height	3.20 m
Wing area	28.80 m²			30.15 m²	28.80 m²
Elongation	7.95			8.35	7.95
Gauge	3.00 m
Empty weight	1070 kg (340) 1110 kg (350)	1020 kg	1060 kg	1250 - 1400 kg	1150 kg
Takeoff weight	1960 kg normal 2200 kg (-H2)		2200 kg	2800 kg	2767 kg
Takeoff route		300 m (over 15 m high obstacle)		440 m
Landing runway		100 m		127 m	?
Cruising speed	210 km / h	250 km / h	220 km / h	232 km / h	?
Top speed	233 km / h	280 km / h	280 km / h	280 km / h	260 km / h
Stall speed	70 km / h	70 km / h	65 km / h	96 km / h 107 km / h flaps up (VS)	65 km / h
Service ceiling	6600 m	8500 m	7435 m	7620 m	8800 m
Range	1200 km 640 km with max. Payload	Max. 1000 km	Max. 915 km	926 km 1611 km with additional tanks	?
Engines	1 × Lycoming GSO-480 -B1A6 air-cooled 6-cylinder boxer engine with (250 kW) starting power. 400 l fuel in two wing integral tanks	1 × Turboméca Astazou IIE or IIG Turboprop (385 kW) | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 (550 PS)	1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 A-27 (404 kW)	1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 A-27 (550 SHP Flat rated)	1 × Garrett TPE331 (423 kW)

Armament

Loads approx. 318 kg at two (AU-23 four) under wing stations

• 1 × XM-197 20 mm revolver cannon (700 rounds / min, trunnion-mounted in door)
• 2 × GAU-2B / A or SUU-11A / A "Minigun" 7.62 mm revolver machine gun (3000 rounds / min, trunnion mounted in door)
• 2 × LAU-32B / A rocket launchers (7 × unguided 70 mm FFAR rockets)
• 2 × wing lower tank (additional tank for 238 liters)

Trivia

• Pierce Brosnan as James Bond escapes in Goldeneye with a Pilatus PC-6.

literature

• Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965-1966 . Ed. by John WR, Taylor, p. 127.
• Walter Wolfrum: Test: Pilatus Turbo-Porter . Flight Revue September 1968, p. 22 ff.
• Christian Müller: Pilatus Porter PC-6. In use around the world. Ringier publishing house, Zurich 1996.
• Christian Müller: The Pilatus PC-6, a plane for all occasions. Zurich 1996.

Web links

Commons : Pilatus PC-6 Porter  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Official website of Pilatus Flugzeugwerke AG
• The Pilatus Porter World (pc-6.com) , private webpage for the Pilatus PC-6 aircraft

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Pilatus PC-6 is no longer built. aeroTELEGRAPH.com, August 28, 2017, accessed August 28, 2017 . 
2. ↑ Belgium: Eleven dead in plane crash - FAZ, October 19, 2013. The report in the print edition of October 21 (p. 9) also reports on a crash of the same machine in Moorsele in March 2000 as well as a crash of one another machine of the same type in 2002 with one fatality.
3. ↑ Magazine Armafolio: Last NCPC-6 of the Air Force passed . Federal Office for Armaments - Armasuisse, June 2018. p. 4.
4. ↑ Example: The practical description of such an operation can be found in the eyewitness report on the establishment of the "Lima Site 85" base .
5. ↑ "It seemed to be fine in flight, but was prone to unpreventable and unpredictable hot starts resulting in the complete destruction of the engines". Air America pilot Jim Pearson, quoted from Joe F. Leeker: The Aircraft Of Air America ( Memento from May 12, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 1.3 MB)
6. ↑ Performance data - Unbeatable STOL capabilities , website of the manufacturer Pilatus