An Cosantóir

23 Pilatus PC-12 Statistics Aircraft Type - Pilatus PC-12/47E Role(s) - Logistics, Air Ambulance, Military Transport, Intelligence, Surveillance and Resonnaisance Crew - 2 Pilots and up to 9 Passengers Powerplant - 1 x Pratt and Whitney PT6A-67P Wing Span - 53.4 ft Height - 14.0 ft Length - 47.3 ft Entered Service - 2020 Pilatus PC-12 Performance Max T/O Weight - 4700kh (10450 lbs) Service Ceiling - 30,000 feet Cruise Speed - 270 knots/500 kph Maximum Speed – 280 knots/518 kph Endurance - 4 hours Range - 1500 Nautical Miles / 2778 km approximately 13 days from when the decision was made to buy the aircraft to when it landed in Ireland! At the time there was a PC-12 training aircraft with a Pilatus company pilot, training the AC pilots from the end of February right up to the middle of March, so by the time the 3 new aircraft landed it didn't take long for the sqn to become operational. The additional PC-12 (280) is actually white, due to a different customer's cancelled order of the aircraft. Due to COVID-19 the standardisation of the aircraft towards the other 3 hasn't happened yet, as the sqn want to keep the aircraft operationally ready at all times. Even though the 4 aircraft are now in situ, the project isn't over yet. One of the less obvious differences between the PC-12 and the CESSNA is that it now takes 2 pilots to fly the aircraft. The crew in the rear need to be trained and upskilled, the aircraft technicians need to do training on the engine and the airframe and the avionics technicians also need to upskill and retrain for the PC-12, not to forget the maintainers who look after the mission system in the aircraft who also have to be retained. It's a huge team effort to get the aircraft up and flying, and as Mick says "As pilots we probably get far too much credit for the work that we do". CIS also have a part to play in the PC-12, as the aircraft becomes more modern and there is more software integration, it requires the upkeep of the software; and that's where CIS fill that void, to make sure we get the most out of the equipment. A question that Capt Clancy asked was 'what is the aircraft like to fly?' to which Mick answered "It's an absolutely fantastic aircraft. Fundamentally, with regards to the physical characteristics of flying it, for the size of the aircraft it's actually quite agile, it can travel at a nice speed, so from that perspective it's quite nice to fly. I remember when I started to learn how to fly the aircraft - something that I was a bit intimidated by initially - was just how modern the cockpit was and the avionics, it was the first time ever sitting in a cockpit where we had a mouse ball and a clicker….." The PC-12 gives the pilot a huge amount of situational awareness: it can give you information on where you are at the time, where you're going to be in the next 20 mins of the flight and information on what options you have with that information. With the operational versatility of the aircraft, the PC-12 promises to be one of the best planes that the Air Corps have ever flown. The podcast episode can be accessed via the Irish Defence Forces Podcast on Spotify, S2EP9 - SPECTRE PC-12 SPECTRE

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