Pilatus PC-24 sold out through 2019

Two prototypes have flown some 1,000 hours and 600 flights since the program was announced in 2013. A third airplane will join the effort in early 2017. The second prototype, PO2, was scheduled to be on display Nov. 2 at the National Business Aviation Association convention in Orlando, Florida,  its public debut in North America. First delivery is planned for the fourth quarter of 2017 to PlaneSense, a fractional ownership program based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Some 70 percent of the bill of materials for the aircraft are sourced from the United States, according to Andre Zimmermann, vice president of the PC-24 project. The company is also building an all-new facility at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport near Broomfield, Colorado, where it also completes and delivers the PC-12 single-engine turboprops for North America.

The PC-24 includes a large cargo door, similar to the one on the turboprop, and is also designed for rough field operations. Zimmermann said in addition to PC-12 step-up customers, the jet is getting the attention of military services for special ops missions.

The company in 2013 guaranteed key performance data, including a 425-KTAS maximum speed, a maximum of 81-KIAS stall speed, a six-passenger range of 1,800 nautical miles, and a four-passenger range of 1,950 nm. Zimmermann said the airplane will meet or exceed those parameters.

Production of the PC-24, priced at about $8.9 million, is sold out through 2019. Pilatus says it will begin accepting additional orders in 2017 for deliveries after 2019.