Pilatus PC-6 Porter, Turbo-Porter

Al Murdock, e-mail, 20.03.2011 01:06 As an observer, I flew in the PC-6 with the Berlin (Germany) Aviation Detachment during the 80s. It's 25 years later and they're still in use elsewhere! reply

Rudy Paucker, e-mail, 07.03.2011 21:52 I worked the control tower Korat, Thailand, 1969. Had a AA Porter on short final with 4 105's coming down the chute behind him. He landed and immediately stopped & exited at the approach end taxiway....I was impressed! Quite an airplane! reply

ROB REZANKA, e-mail, 17.10.2010 22:23 Had a pc-6 w /pt-6 up in Alaska.flew on and off gravel bars.It was the most fun a guy could have with a hunk of aluminum that appeared to have been built in your basement. In a 25 kt headwind it took off without rotating the wheels. WOW !!! what fun reply

Jay Friedman, e-mail, 22.09.2010 17:20 In the mid-1970s I was working for the United Nations in Nepal, where several Pilatus PC-6 Porters were in use. On one trip I was at Namche Bazaar, a village in the Everest area, whose 1 kilometer long airstrip at 11,000+ feet ends in a drop-off. Flying back to Kathmandu on the UN's Pilatus, the pilot, a Swiss guy, revved the engine as fast as it would go, the plane picked up just enough speed at that altitude to take off but he had to put the nose down at the drop off get it up to flying speed. Scared the heck out of me, but he said that was the normal way to do it. Great plane! reply

Kerry, e-mail, 05.08.2010 18:33 Got to make a few skydives out of these. Very short takeoff roll, climbs like a bandit, we built an 8 way in freefall and I looked over and the Pilatus was nose down staying with us. Great aircraft. What is the difference between a Porter and a Helio Courier? reply

Daniel Bohren, e-mail, 02.06.2010 22:02 hallo zusammen ich suche für die homepage www.pilatusporter.ch bilder, texte, etc. vielen dank im voraus. daniel.bohren@pilatusporter.ch reply

Marco, e-mail, 31.08.2010 12:26 I like the Pilatus PC-6 to bad is here the Pilatus PC-8 Twinporter missing, the PC-8 was a 2 engined Version , a sol prototyp was build, but the proiect was stopt when the PC-6 get the Turboprop engin. later was also the Project PC-10 a 2 engin Turbopropversion of the PC-6T but never made it over the dravingboard. reply

George Schwab, e-mail, 08.02.2010 00:16 I flew a PC-6 with the Garrett TP-331 and it was an efficient skydive lift device, and a whole lot of fun. Three loads to 15,000ft /hr was not unusual. A number of skydivers would opt to ride the plane down with me, as it was an experience that had to be experienced. Next to my F-16 time, this is the most fun I've had in an airplane. reply

Willie Utterback, e-mail, 26.12.2009 00:42 I first flew Porters with Air America in S.E. Asia. By 1967 AAM had converted all their Porter engines from Astazous to Garrett TPE-331s. This engine was a geared turbine unlike the P&W PT6 free turbine. I personally believe that the TPE-331 was better than the PT6 for critical STOL ops as the response from idle was quicker. Regardless of what engine, the Porter is a great airplane. reply

leo rudnicki, e-mail, 28.04.2009 19:10 I read a novel in which a Turbo-Porter with 5 terrorists and a nuclear device flew trans-Atlantic to D.C. At least Santa Claus is real. Shoulda used a Junkers 390. reply

Joe King, e-mail, 08.06.2008 00:41 I flew the PC-6 as a U.S. Army airplane in Berlin Germany. The flt detachment had two of them. We flew them on missions over the wall... Great for gaining and losing altitude very fast. reply

J.W.Hazen, e-mail, 04.04.2008 00:54 I first flew a PORTER (N185X) in Bangkok, Thailand on 5 December 1964. It had an Astazou engine at that time. reply

3VI, e-mail, 11.11.2007 11:03 We had a PC-6 in Thiene airstrip for skydiving. What a powerful lifter! With 9 skydivers + pilot the PC-6 gains 4200 meters in 12 min. Wonderful. And smell of kerosene in the cabin... reply