Pilatus’s first business jet, the PC-24, made its maiden sortie on Monday, two years after the seven-seat twin – dubbed a “super versatile jet” by the Swiss manufacturer because of its proposed short-runway performance and its ability to land on rough landing strips – was unveiled.
The first prototype, P01, registration HB-VXA –– took off at 10 a.m. local time from Buochs airport, in Stans. Piloted by Paul Mulcahy, the PC-24 flew for 55 min. across central Switzerland. “The flight went exactly as planned with no problems whatsoever,” says Pilatus, manufacturer of the PC family of civil aircraft and military trainers.
“The PC-24 is capable of exceptional performance,” it continued. “This maiden flight was a first opportunity to showcase some impressive credentials: the twin-engined business jet took off from runway 07 in just under 600 meters and climbed to 10,000 feet in around three minutes, where the two pilots completed a series of meticulously planned tests.”
For the complete story by Kate Sarsfield of Flightglobal, click here.
Photo by Pilatus
