Country of origin:

Switzerland

Description:

Light utility aircraft

Power Plant:

One 389 kw (522 eshp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 turboprop

Specifications:

History:

Designed by the Pilatus Aircraft Works Ltd of Stans, Switzerland, the Turbo Porter was the culmination of a series of aircraft developed for utility use. The first of the series, the Porter, was flown for the first time in May 1959 powered by a 254 kw (340 hp) Lycoming GSO-480 piston engine. One of these aircraft was imported to this region, being mainly used as a utility transport in New Guinea. The turbine-powered version was eventually developed. The first was fitted with a Turbomeca Astazou engine, and a number of models were offered. The first Astazou-powered machine was flown in May 1961, and the first aircraft with a Pratt & Whitney PT6 was flown in May 1963. It is interesting to note that in 2015 the type was still in production.

The Turbo Porter was a single-engine, strut-braced, high-wing monoplane of all-metal construction with a tailwheel undercarriage. The fuselage was of semi-monocoque construction and rectangular cross-section. Double loading doors with an overall width of 1.58 m (5 ft 2 in) were fitted on the starboard side as standard, but a door on the opposite side could also be fitted. Accommodation was provided for seven passengers and a pilot, although up to eleven passengers could be carried. The seats were on rails to permit removal for utility work, such as carrying stretchers, survey cameras, etc, and tie-down points were provided. The wing was fabricated in two sections, which were attached to a central section integral with the fuselage.  Slotted flaps were mechanically operated.  Due to the lighter weight of the turbine compared with the piston engine, the nose had to be lengthened to obtain the required weight distribution.

A number of engines were offered to interested purchasers, including the 373 kw (500 hp) Lycoming TIO-720-C1A eight-cylinder in the Model PC-6D-H3; the 522 kw (700 eshp) Turbomeca Astazou XII in the Model PC6A1-H2; the 389 kw (522 eshp) PT6A-20 in the PC-6B1-H2; and the 451 kw (605 eshp) Garrett AiResearch TPE-331-25D in the PC-6C1-H2.

Quite a number of Turbo Porters have been imported and have seen service in this region over the years. The first two (VH-SMA³ – c/n 656 – ex HB-FDC; and VH-SMB² – c/n 657 – ex HB-FDD) were operated by the Snowy Mountains Authority while that organisation was working on the hydro-electric scheme. VH-SMB was lost when it struck a radio mast and crashed in fog at Polo Flat, NSW on 20 May 1976; and VH-SMA was sold in Noumea in October 1973, becoming F-OCQV.

Others examples have included VH-FSB (c/n 628 – ex HB-FCO) and VH-FZB (c/n 634 – ex LN-VIJ, HB-FCU), both imported by the Australian distributors, Forrester Stephen, and these operated under contract to the ANARE in the Antarctic.  VH-FSB was exported to New Zealand in May 1971 where, for a short period, it became ZK-DFJ but returned to Australia in July 1971.  It was written off after being damaged in a storm in the Antarctic on 23 January 1975.

VH-FZB was a PC-6B-1/H2 and was registered in October 1975, being exported to New Zealand in October 1981 as ZK-FZB. Others have operated with American registrations, and a number have been seen in New Guinea.  The type was also used by Papuan Airlines, including VH-PNF (c/n 580 – ex HB-FBW) which crashed on 14 December 1965 at Terapo; VH-PNG (c/n 584 – ex HB-FBZ) which later became P2-PNG; and P2-PNH (c/n 615 – ex HB-FCH) which crashed landing at Kanabea on 9 March 1974.

In New Zealand a small fleet of Turbo Porters has been operated by Mt Cook Airlines on tourist flights to the Mt Cook Glacier. These were all PC-6/B2-H4s, including ZK-MCN (c/n 824), ZK-MCK (c/n 809), and ZK-MCT (c/n 841). These aircraft are used in the tourist industry and are fitted with skis for landing on the Tasman glacier.

In addition, 19 examples were supplied to the Australian Army.  Twelve were ordered in May 1967, a further three in August that year, and four in August 1968.  They received serials in the A14 block, the serials (A14-652 to A14-693) being the last three digits of the machine’s construction number or airframe number. The last four (c/ns 725 to 731) were delivered in 1971 and were originally serialled A14-725 to A14-731 but these were later changed to A14-701 to A14-705 and thus did not coincide with their construction numbers.

The Army aircraft were based at the Army Aviation Base at Oakey, QLD and were attached to the 1st Aviation Regiment and various flights, such as 171 Air Cavalry Flight at Holsworthy, NSW; 183 Independent Recce Flight at Lae, PNG; and No 173 General Support Squadron at Oakey, these aircraft being used for photographic survey work in Irian Jaya.  On 8 August 1983 A14-701 set a world distance record for its class, flying from Carnarvon, WA to Amberley, QLD in a time of 14 hrs 18 mins, a distance of 3,893.56 km (2,419 miles) at a speed of 275 km/h (171 mph).

A few saw service with the Australian Army in the Vietnam conflict with No 161 Independent Recce Flight. A few Army Turbo Porters were lost in service: A14-686 was shot down near Nui Dat in South Vietnam on 3 December 1969; A14-680 crashed at Weipa in New Guinea and ended its days on the fire dump at RAN Naval Station at Nowra, NSW; A14-681 crashed at Oakey, QLD on 28 November 1980; A14-683 crashed at Jaspers Brush near Berry, NSW on 12 November 1991; A14-692 crashed at Buckambool, NSW on 23 March 1977; A14-702 crashed at Point Cook, VIC on 7 December 1983; A14-705 was damaged in an accident but was rebuilt; and A14-725 crashed at Point Cook, on 7 December 1983.  The last two Australian Army aircraft were withdrawn from service in December 1992 after 24 years of service, having served in the outback of Australia to the jungles of Vietnam, most aircraft being sold overseas. At this time, as a final gesture, a flight of PC-6s on 15 November 1992 flew under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

A few stayed, a couple as private aircraft and a couple with parachute clubs. A14-689 became VH-MKT; A14-693 became VH-REL; A14-705 became VH-ZCZ; and A14-652 became VH-OWB. A14-690 is held by the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, ACT and has been placed in storage at the Treloar Centre. A14-652 is retained by the Museum of Army Aviation & Flying at Oakey, in an airworthy condition; and A14-704, after it crashed in 1990, has been restored to static display at the Oakey museum.

Two others found their way to New Zealand to Mercer Aircraft Leasing Ltd of Newmarket, A14-653 (ex HB-FDL) becoming ZK-JML and another (ex N101CP) becoming ZK-JMP (c/n 693) with Skydive Auckland Ltd.  A14-701 was exported to the United States where it became N111FX, but crashed and was destroyed at Raeford, North Carolina on 9 July 1994.

Another example operated with Highland Air for a period in New Zealand. This aircraft commenced life as a piston-engined variant and became ZK-PCI (c/n 523) but was re-engined with a turboprop and eventually went to Thailand to the Thai Army.

In mid-2017 Pilatus in Switzerland announced it would be discontinuing production of the PC-6 series in early 2019 and it would support established customers of the type for a further 20 or more years.