Pilatus Aircraft is a Swiss manufacturer based in Stans. Established on 16 December 1939, it began with maintenance work for the Swiss Air Force before developing its own aeroplanes. Its products include military trainers, short-field utility aircraft, single-engine business turboprops and the PC-24 business jet.[1]
From trainers to utility aircraft
Pilatus developed the P-3 during the 1950s for military training and began the PC-6 Porter project in 1957. The Porter first flew in 1959 and established a utility-aircraft line for short take-off and landing operations. Turboprop training became another major field: the PC-7 entered series production during the 1970s, followed by the PC-9, which first flew in 1984. The development of these aircraft built on the company's earlier experience with piston-engine trainers while introducing substantially different propulsion and training capabilities.[1]
Business aviation
The first PC-12 prototype flew in 1991, extending Pilatus's work into the single-engine turboprop business-aircraft market. The company subsequently developed the twin-engine PC-24 jet, which first flew in May 2015 and received European and American type certification in December 2017. The first customer delivery followed in February 2018. Its applications include executive travel, cargo and medical evacuation. A completion centre opened at Broomfield, Colorado, in 2018 to prepare PC-12s and PC-24s for American customers.[1]
Integrated military training
Pilatus supplies training systems that extend beyond the aircraft itself. The PC-21 system supports basic, advanced and jet-pilot training through a combination of airborne instruction and ground preparation. Simulators, computer-based lessons, manuals, mission-planning tools and debriefing software form part of the broader offering. Pilatus develops aircraft-related simulation software in Stans and integrates hardware and other components supplied by specialist firms. This allows training equipment to reproduce aircraft systems and operational procedures before students encounter them in flight, with packages adapted to individual air-force requirements.[2][3]