Last Friday, Swiss National Day, and in front of an audience of 25,000, Pilatus Aircraft presented its PC-24 prototype at the little Stans Airport.
The roll-out was preceded by a fly-by of all the aircraft which have ever reached series production in the company's 75-year history. Over 120 performers and more than 160 children of company employees made the roll-out an unforgettable event for high-ranking guests, customers and fans of Pilatus.
Three development aircraft will be produced for the PC-24 test flight programme. The maiden flight of this first prototype will go ahead in spring 2015. Final certification and start of deliveries to customers are planned from 2017.
The PC-24 is the company's first pure jet and will compete with Embraer's Phenom 300 and Cessna's Citation CJ4. The 10-seat aircraft is priced at around US$9m with an 85-strong order book. It comes equipped as standard with a cargo door, and a performance specification that allows it to operate in and out of very short runways or even unmade strips. www.pilatus.com
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