chestercfi

Does anyone have actual numbers regarding the operating costs of a Pilatus? Looking for fuel burn, other associated costs, more or less what you budget for the plane to operate per hour. We are looking to buy one and operate Part 91. I am going to fly it single pilot for the owner, so also what is the insurance company going to require of me having 1850 TT 350 multi 0 turbine? Also is anyone else out there flying a PC12 single pilot, what are the numbers for pay?

Thanks for any info you have.

J-Mar

Looking at the Pro Pilot salary study, a PC12 Chief pilot in 2008 had an average salary of 63K. Low of 49K and high of 81K.

Captain pay on PC12 in 2008 was average 57K, low 46K and high of 73K.

dn_wisconsin

I'd expect insurance to be very, very high. Since you have no turbine time espically no time with a PT-6. Not to mention you don't have anytime in type and you would have to go to flight safety or something like that to get qualified. Do you have an ATP? You could get it at flight safety with your checkride but still I'd imagine with 1800 TT and no turbine insurance would be around 80,000-100,000 a year depending on what coverage the owner wants.

Geronimo4497

I would say your info is way off, dn. Many owner flown PC-12s are flown by pilots upgrading from single engine piston aircraft (not that I agree with that, but that is a different subject).

Flight Safety does not have a PC-12 sim, but Simcom does. Depending on the series you are looking at (-9, -10, /47, /NG) will depend on which location you go for sim training. An insurance company will probably not release you to single pilot flying without some sort of mentoring period; perhaps 50+ hours with a highly qualified PC-12 dirver. Simcom would be able to fill you in on those details and associated costs. My experince is that the sim flys nothing like the airplane. It is a good cockpit trainer IMO, but that is about it. After the emergency training period, you may be better off flying the actual airplane for training.

Although I never got into the actual operating costs directly, I can tell you that round figures from 2006 were just under $700 per hour for a large fractional program (25+ PC-12s). We always operated at 500 PPH below 10K to conserve fuel. Fuel burn at 30K could be as low as 300 PPH and would increase the lower you go, obviously. Speed up at 30K could be as low as 225 TAS depending on weight and temperature. The airplane is happiest in the high teens (16,500/17,500 were my favorite altitudes) where you could see speeds anywhere from 245-270 KTAS depending on the day and weight. Obviosoulsy range would suffer at those altitudes with a burn of about 450 PPH.

It is a great aircraft, but like any turbine aircraft, it is not cheap to operate. Would this be the principals first airplane? Any idea of what year/model you are looking at?

BoilerUP

Insurance shouldn't be prohibitively expensive...definitely not anywhere NEAR $80k. The airplane insurance market is VERY soft these days (unless you fly a Cirrus, but that's another story) and lots of companies are fighting for business, covering risks and making allowances they wouldn't have even entertained a few years ago. Our insurance agent is VERY good (a former corporate pilot and current SWA pilot) and I can hook you up with him to get some no-strings-attached info if you'd like.

With your TT, expect to fly 25-100 hours with a mentor pilot prior to being cut loose on your own and annual recurrent at Simcom (if not every 6 months for the first year or two until your time in type gets built up).

N118NW

I agree with the previous 2 posts.. operational costs should be around 700/hr, it's about the same as what a King Air 200 really costs to operate.. only it burns less than the King Air.

Insurance company will want you to get some time with a mentor or factory training if Pilatus offers it, only because you don't have any time in type or turbine time, as already mentioned.

chestercfi

I expect SIMCOM and annual recurrent training. We are looking at 1999 PILATUS PC-12/45 For Sale At Controller.com

Right now we operate a Columbia 350, but need something for a 1470nm trip. This range should be no issue for the Pilatus, correct? It will be just myself and the owner, 90% of the time. And furthermore, can any other turboprop make that flight (It is from CT to CO, so the winds are always a factor, at least one way.), ie. Conquest II???

Geronimo4497

You are not going to be able to do CT to CO non stop. Even in the best of wind conditions. I have done the trip east bound, but you will need to have VFR conditions at the time of arrival.

That's a nice looking series 9 machine. You don't see many 2 tube EFIS setups with dual AHRS, so that is a nice benefit. I'm also glad to see they did the 10 year inspection already (wing pull is the big item there).

The step up to turbine operating costs and maintenance cost is on the order of magnitudes; please make sure the boss is well aware of the potential pitfalls and realistic costs of operation. It will be a steep learning curve for the both of you. I have a friend that manages and flies several PC-12s on a contract basis and he could probably help out with the initial teething process. He is based in MA if you are interested.

BoilerUP

1470nm is most DEFINITELY a one-stop trip in a PC12...even a CJ2+ can't consistently make the wesbound to Colorado nonstop against even summer winds.

Ewfflyer

I thought if supposedly in the PC12 it had 2000nm long range cruise? Ha, figured marketing on that one.

BTW, love the Prof Grundman quote! There are many of those out there.