The Pilatus Porter PC 6 first flew on 4 May 1959 and remained in production in 2005. Once marketed as the “Heli Porter” by Fairchild in the US, this name more accurately describes the type’s abilities, although its true success came only after the turboprop engine was introduced to the design from May 1961 onward.
After the first of five prototypes flew on 4 May 1959, a pre-series of twenty aircraft was completed by mid-1961. A second series of twenty had been delivered by mid-1963. One was delivered to the Colombian Air Force.
The PC-6 was available with the 340 hp geared and super-charged GSO-480-B1A6 or the 350 hp geared TGO-540-B1A engines.
The Turbo-Porter development first flew on 2 May 1961, powered by a Astazou IIE turbo-prop.
Entering production in 1961, the Turbo-Porter light STOL utility transport, derived from the piston-engined Porter, has been built in substantial numbers for both civil and military applications. Identical to the earlier PC-6, except the engine, the PC-6A Turbo-Porter is equipped with a Turbomeca Astazou II 530 shp engine in place of the Lycoming GSO-480 of 340 hp. Cruise is 170 mph carrying eight passengers or an 1160 lb payload. Take-off distance is 425 ft and it can be equipped low-pressure tires for grass fields, skies or floats.
Production later changed to the improved Astazou IIG engine.
Fairchild possessed a US manufacturing licence for the Turbo-Porter, and in early 1964 was offering the type, re-engined with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-6 turboprop. Two Astarzou-powered Turbo Porters were evaluated by the US Army during February-March 1964.
Operated by the US Army as the UV-20A Chiricahua.
In production since 1985, the 1987 production version of the Turbo-Porter was the PC-6/B2-H4, which has an increased payload. This was achieved by improving the aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft by fitting new wing-tip fairings and an enlarged dorsal fin for increased weights, and is normally fitted with six quickly-removable seats in the main cabin. All PC-6s built since mid-1985 are of the H4 variant. Earlier PC-6/B1-H2s and /B2-H2s can be retrofitted to H4 standard if equipped with an electrical longitudinal trimming system. By mid-1986 456 PC-6s of all models had been delivered to civil and military operators, including those built under licence by Fairchild, as the AU-24 Peacemaker, in the USA.
The Credible Chase programme, an off shoot of Pave Coin, in which a number of aircraft were evaluated by the USAAF at Eglin AFB in order to come up with a new light-strike attack aircraft for the South Vietnamese Air Force, resulted in a 15 each order for the Helio Stallion and Fairchild Peacemaker. These aircraft, carrying the designa¬tions AU 24 and AU 23 respectively, are militarised versions of their commercial counterparts, but have increased gross weights, underwing and fuselage hardpoints and Gatling guns firing from the cabin doors.
Fairchild production of Pilatus Turbo-Porters begun June 1966; 15 of COIN version delivered to USAF as AU-23A Peacemaker, transferred to Royal Thai Air Force.
The PC-6/B1-H2 and B2-H4 were certified under Switzerland Federal Office for Civil Aviation FOCA F 56-10.
More than 480 PC-6s had been delivered by 1990.
As the certification of the PC-24 Super Versatile Jet got closer, in July 2017 Pilatus announced it was discontinuing the PC-6 Porter. The Porter has seen one of the longest continuous production runs of any airplane model since it first rolled off the line in Switzerland in 1959.
While the production line has been running for nearly six decades, the number of airplanes produced is nowhere near mass-produced. The Swiss manufacturer has delivered a little more than 500 of the multi-mission high-wing airplane and approximately another 100 Porters were produced in the United States under license.
Pilatus said orders have dropped in recent years. Pilatus will continue to take orders for the airplane until mid 2018 and will cease production in early 2019. Pilatus has also committed to supporting the existing fleet for at least the next 20 years. There will be no layoffs of employees as a result of the production termination. Instead, workers from the PC-6 product line will transfer to the PC-24.
PC-6 Porter
Engine: Lycoming GSO 480, 340 hp
Wingspan: 49 ft 10.5 in
Length: 33 ft 5.5 in
Height: 10 ft 6 in
Wing area: 306.8 sq.ft
Empty wight: 2360 lb
Loaded weight: 4320 lb
Max speed: 143 mph
Max cruise: 135 mph
Econ cruise: 125 mph
ROC: 1025 fpm
Service ceiling: 23,950 ft
Max range: 750 mi
PC-6 Turbo-Porter
Engine: 1 x P&WAC PT6A, 410 kW.
Wing span: 15.87 m / 52.07 ft
Wing area: 30.15 sq.m / 324.54 sq.ft
Overall length: 10.90 m / 35.76 ft
Height: 3.20 m / 10.50 ft
Track: 3.00 m
Empty wt: 1270 kg.
MTOW: 2880 kg
Payload: 960 kg.
Fuel internal: 645 (+490) lt
Capacity: 10 pax.
Design diving speed (VD): 167 kt
Never exceed speed (VNE): 151 kt
Design cruising speed (VC): 119 kt
Max. flap extended speed (VFE): 95 kt
Stall speed (idle power) flaps up (VS): 58 kt
Stall (idle power) flaps dn (VSO): 52 kt
Max. operating altitude: 25,000 ft
Service ceiling (at max. weight): 20,500 ft
Max. rate of climb at sea level: 1,010 ft/min
Max. rate of climb at 5,000 ft: 935 ft/min
Take-off ground roll at sea level: 197 m / 646 ft
Take-off dist to 15 m (50 ft): 475 m / 1,558 ft
Landing ground roll at sea level: 127 m / 417 ft
Landing distance from 15 m (50 ft): 315 m / 1,033 ft
Take-off ground roll at sea level: 197 m / 646 ft
Take-off distance to 15 m (50 ft): 440 m / 1,443 ft
Max. Range at opt. speed, no reserves, at 10,000 ft: 500 nm
Endurance at opt. speed, no reserves: 4 h 20 min
Max range with underwing tanks: 870 nm
Endurance with underwing tanks: 7 h 35 min
Average fuel consumption: 148 litres/h (39 US gal/h)
PC-6A H2
Engine: Turbomeca Astazou IIE turboprop, 523 shp.
Max speed: 170 mph
Normal cruise 80%: 155 mph at 9800 ft
ROC: 1700 fpm
Service ceiling: 28,000 ft
Max range: 620 mi
Endurance: 4 hr 20 min
Empty weight: 2248 lb
MTOW: 4320 lb
Wingspan: 49 ft 10.5 in
Length: 36 ft 1 in
Height: 10 ft 6 in
Wing area: 306.8 sq.ft
PC-6-B1-H2
Engine: P&W PT6A-20, 550 shp.
PC 6 B2 Turbo Porter
Engine : Pratt & Whittney PT A-27
Length: 36.089 ft / 11.0 m
Height : 10.499 ft / 3.2 m
Wingspan : 49.869 ft / 15.2 m
Wing area : 310.003 sq.ft / 28.8 sq.m
Max take off weight : 6107.9 lb / 2770.0 kg
Weight empty : 2932.7 lb / 1330.0 kg
Max. weight carried : 3175.2 lb / 1440.0 kg
Max. speed : 132 kt / 244 km/h
Initial climb rate : 1968.5 ft/min / 10.0 m/s
Service ceiling : 32808 ft / 10000 m
Wing load : 19.68 lb/sq.ft / 96.0 kg/sq.m
Range : 721 nm / 1336 km
Endurance : 6 h
Crew : 1+7
PC-6/B2-H2
Engine: P&WAC PT6A-27, 550 hp / 507kW
Wingspan: 15.87 m / 52 ft 1 in
Length: 10.9 m / 36 ft 9 in
Height: 3.2 m / 11 ft 6 in
Wing area: 30.15 sq.m / 324.53 sq ft
Wing loading: 15.57 lb/sq.ft
Pwr loading: 8.8 lb/hp.
Gross wt: 4850 lb
Empty wt: 2680 lb.
Equipped useful load: 1973 lb
Payload max fuel: 851 lb.
Range max fuel/cruise: 388 nm/2.9 hr
Range max fuel / range: 461 nm/ 3.6 hr.
Service ceiling: 30,000 ft
Max cruise: 135 kt.
Max range cruise: 130 kt
Stall: 44-50 kt.
1.3 Vso: 57 kt
ROC: 1270 fpm.
Min field length: 770 ft
Fuel cap: 1122 lb.
Seats: 11.
PC-6-B2-H4
Engine: PT6A-27, 680 shp (508 kW) flat-rated at 550 shp (410 kW).
Wing area: 29sq.m.
MTOW Std: 4850 lb
MTOW Special cat: 6000 lb
Cruise: 120-135 kt
Stall: 44-50 kt.
TO run: 370 ft
TO 50 ft: 780 ft
Range (@4850 lb): 450 nm
Payload: 2000 lb.
Pax cap: 11
All Aero 