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First landing on unpaved runway for PC-24
The Pilatus PC-24 made its first landing on an unpaved runway as the jet is currently undergoing a program of post-certification tests with special emphasis on unpaved runway operations. Pilatus plans on obtaining “Rough Field” certification in the fourth quarter of 2018.
June 26, 2018 By Wings Staff
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Pilatus spent two weeks at the Woodbridge Airfield locate north east of London, testing the PC-24’s landing and take-off capabilities on the airfield’s unpaved runway. The company explains, from the outset, the PC-24 was designed for short unpaved runways to open up a large degree of flexibility and new opportunities. The PC-24 provides access to almost twice as many airports worldwide, explains Pilatus, compared to other jets currently available on the market.
“What a picture – the PC-24 in the toughest conditions, using an unpaved runway for the first time,” said Oscar Schwenk, Chairman of Pilatus. “This sort of mission would not be conceivable without the PC-24’s rugged landing gear, clever flap systems and special wing design. The PC-24 was designed with exactly this sort of operation in mind – that’s Swiss engineering at its very best.”
Pilatus obtained basic certification for the PC-24 on 7 December 2017. Since that date, five aircraft have been delivered to customers in Europe and the United States. A total of 23 PC-24s are scheduled for delivery in 2018.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) will use the PC-24 for medevac missions in Australia from 2019, which will naturally involve landing on and taking off from short unpaved runways. The PC-24 order book is closed for the time being. Pilatus plans to accept new orders in 2019.