Pilatus PC-6 Turbo-Porter
The Pilatus PC-6 Turbo-Porter is a single-engine STOL utility aircraft that replaced the original piston PC-6's 340-hp engine with a turboprop, first flying in that form in 1961 before settling mainly on the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A. Capable of operating from strips as short as 60 meters, it has served aerial survey, agricultural and parachute-jump roles alongside military liaison and special-operations duties worldwide. Production, including US-built Fairchild-Hiller examples under license, continued for over six decades until the final delivery in 2022.
Did you know?
The Turbo-Porter needs strips as short as 60 meters, making it the go-to single-engine workhorse for remote fields and special-operations units.
Specifications
| Length | 10.9 m (36 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 15.9 m (52 ft) |
| Height | 3.2 m (10 ft) |
| Maximum passengers | 10 |
| Persons on board | 11 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 2.8 t |
| Range | 460 NM (852 km) |
| Maximum speed | 148 kt (274 km/h) |
| Stall speed | 52 kt (96 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 30,000 ft (9,144 m) |
| Optimum ceiling | 17,000 ft (5,182 m) |
| Rate of climb | 1,010 ft/min (5.1 m/s) |
| Take-off distance | 440 m (1,444 ft) |
| Landing distance | 315 m (1,033 ft) |
| Fuel capacity | 644 l |
| Engines | Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Pilatus PC-6 Turbo-Porter starts as a Rare catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Pilatus, the PC-6 Turbo-Porter family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.
Browse all aircraft types, or learn to tell Airbus from Boeing.