Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter
Turboprop single engine • High Wing • Fixed gear
Range Map
• nm at current load
• click map to move • two fingers to move map
Payload vs. Range
Configure weights
Default: 190 lbs
Default: 30 lbs
gal
Fuel on board
lbs
Extra weight
nm
Range
Mission Profile
- High-Performance
Estimated Ownership Costs
About the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter
Type certificated 1959
Overview
The Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter is a single-engine STOL utility turboprop built in Switzerland from 1959 until 2022, one of the longest production runs of any aircraft. Famous as a “flying Swiss Army knife,” the turbine PC-6/B2-H4 pairs a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 with rugged fixed gear and an oversized wing to take off and land in a few hundred feet, hauling up to ten passengers or freight from places no comparable aircraft can reach.
For the GA buyer the PC-6 is the definitive bush and utility hauler: unmatched short-field performance, a large square cabin, and legendary ruggedness for skydiving, cargo, survey and backcountry work. It is out of production, so values turn on airframe condition, engine status and the increasingly collectible nature of the type, and it is slow – this is a load-lifting STOL platform, not a traveling machine. Choose the PC-6 Turbo Porter when short, rough, high or remote operations matter more than speed.
Key Features for GA Buyers
- Extreme STOL. Takes off over a 50 ft obstacle in roughly 1,450 ft and lands from 50 ft in about 1,030 ft, with a 52 KCAS landing stall – it works strips closed to almost everything else.
- Load and cabin. A roughly 3,100 lb useful load and a large, square, flat-floor cabin carry up to ten people or bulky freight; it is a standard mount for skydiving and cargo.
- PT6A reliability. The 550 SHP PT6A-27 brings turbine dispatch reliability and Jet-A availability to remote backcountry operations.
- Proven worldwide. Six decades of military, humanitarian and bush operation on every continent underpin one of the most respected utility reputations in aviation.
Trade-offs
- Slow. At about 120 KTAS cruise the PC-6 is among the slowest turboprops flying; it trades speed for lift and field performance.
- Out of production. Pilatus ended the PC-6 in 2022; new parts are limited and support depends on the specialist and type-club network.
- Unpressurized. The unpressurized cabin and 20,500 ft service ceiling keep it working low and slow rather than high and fast.
- Tailwheel and mission skill. Conventional gear and rough-field operation reward a current, well-trained pilot; this is a working aircraft, not a docile cruiser.
See Also
- Pacific Aerospace P-750 XSTOL – a newer single-turboprop STOL hauler with more speed and payload. Compare
- Daher Kodiak 100 – a modern STOL utility turboprop with a larger cabin and glass flight deck. Compare
- Cessna 208 Caravan – the benchmark utility turboprop single, faster and larger but less of an extreme-STOL specialist. Compare
Technical Specifications
Dimensions & Weights
- Height
- 10.5 ft
- Length
- 35.76 ft
- Parking area (ft2)
- 2529.97 ft2
- Max Takeoff Weight
- Source: manufacturer figure 6,173 lbs
- Max Landing Weight
- 5,863 lbs
- Useful Load
- Source: manufacturer figure 3,098 lbs
- Fuel Capacity
- 170 gal
Performance
- Cruise Speed
- 120 KTAS
- Never-Exceed (VNE)
- Source: manufacturer figure 151 KIAS
- Max Structural Cruise (VNO)
- Source: manufacturer figure 119 KIAS
- Stall, Clean (VS1)
- Source: manufacturer figure 58 KIAS
- Range
- 500 NM
- Service Ceiling
- 20,500 ft
- Rate of Climb
- 1010 fpm
Sources
Where the figures on this page come from. Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter specifications are traced to published references; estimated values are flagged inline next to the figure.
Similar to the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter
Similar TurbopropsBeechcraft Denali
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX
Pilatus PC-12
See how the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter stacks up against similar aircraft
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