P C - 12 N GX
all executive seats are attached to
the seat rails with quick-release
connections, so a pilot can easily
add or remove seats depending on
the cargo and passenger requirements
of each flight.”
Pilatus worked with the same seat
manufacturer as before, and Bretscher says
the seat is about the same weight.
Each seat position now features double cup-holders
with deeper recesses, and soft-touch dimmable light
controls. “From the initial flights we’ve conducted with
customers and dealers, the consistent feedback has been
that the whole passenger experience is much greater than
the sum of the individual improvements,” says Aniello.
READY TO FLY
The aircraft is already certified and deliveries are
scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2020.
“No single item really stands out as having been the most
PC-24 UPDATES
Over the past year, Pilatus has
gathered feedback on how the
first PC-24 customers are making
use of the interior. The company
unveiled a version at NBAA-BACE
in October 2019 that features a
forward galley designed to provide
additional storage space for coffee,
ice, beverages and catering.
Like other furniture and seats in
the PC-24, the galley will be modular
businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
040 JANUARY 2020
and interchangeable with the
currently available coat closet.
Pilatus is also working on a retrofit
option allowing the lavatory to be
placed in the rear of the cabin. More
than a few operators have expressed
an interest in this. Like the PC-12,
the PC-24 was designed as standard
with a forward lavatory to ensure
maximum flexibility for cargo in
each cabin configuration.
challenging aspect to certify, other than the fact that
certification requirements increase in cost, time and
complexity each year,” says Aniello. “New requirements
for material burn testing have driven us to develop better
processes to be able to more quickly accommodate
customers’ desires for non-standard materials without
impacting the delivery schedule.”
Bretscher notes that the key challenges for engineering
teams are usually the schedule, pulling all the pieces
together at the right time.
HAND IN HAND
Aniello emphasises that many problems can be
prevented by considering production methods from
the start. “Design and production work hand in hand,”
he says. “Trying to adapt a design to a specific production
method will only lead to poor quality and high costs.”
It’s also vital to consider how customers will actually
use the aircraft. “Things can look beautiful on the
sketching board but in real life, a poor understanding
of the actual problems might make a product fail
completely,” says Aniello.
ADDED VALUE
One detail that Aniello says many people have praised
is the seatback storage pocket. “To enable quick-release
functionality with the executive seats, we had to remove
the small storage drawer from underneath the seat,” he
explains. “Our design solution to gain back this valuable
space was to come up with an integral seatback storage
pocket with even more volume and easier accessibility.
It’s a perfect example of design and production working
together to deliver something that works very well and
adds value for passengers.”
For his part, Bretscher is very proud of the PC-12’s
longevity. “When the aircraft had its first flight in 1991,
some people said, ‘This will be a disaster; you will sell
no more than five’,” he recalls. “Well, we’re still here and
we continue to move along.”
ABOVE LEFT: THE AIRCRAFT NOW
HAS CONTINUOUS AIR FLOW
ABOVE: THE NEW SEAT, INSPIRED BY
THOSE ON THE PC-24, CAN SWIVEL
180° AND TRACK INBOARD
The timebetween
overhaul
period has also
been increased
from 4,000 to
5,000 hours
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