The second PC-24 prototype is airborne!

The second PC-24 prototype (P02) took off from Buochs Airport recently on its maiden flight. The ‘Super Versatile Jet’ with call sign HB-VXB flew across Central Switzerland for a total of 82 minutes. Following on from the maiden flight of the first PC-24 prototype (P01) in May of this year, this first flight by P02 marks another major step forward in the Pilatus PC-24 development programme.

P02 is the second PC-24 to join the test flight programme comprising a total of around 2,300 hours in the air. After completing initial test flights in Switzerland, P02 will be deployed mainly in the USA and in Canada, where it will undergo various systems tests and certification flights in partnership with the systems suppliers. Special scrutiny will be accorded to the avionics systems and the autopilot, but the programme will also include cold weather trials and icing tests.

Capable of flying in and out of very short runways and unmade strips, the PC-24 is the world’s first ever business jet to come equipped with a cargo door as standard. The jet also features an extremely spacious cabin whose interior can be tailored to the customer’s personal requirements. All that makes it a ‘Super Versatile Jet’, an aircraft that is designed for a wide variety of missions in line with individual needs. Certification and delivery of the first series production aircraft to customers is planned from the third quarter of 2017.