Honeywell Primus is a range of Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) glass cockpits manufactured by Honeywell Aerospace . Each system is composed of multiple display units used as primary flight display and multi-function display .
67-455: The Pilatus PC-12 is a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft that incorporates a large aft cargo door in addition to the main passenger door. Due to its efficient, high-utility design, the PC-12 is used by a large variety of operators. The main use for the aircraft
134-406: A constant-speed propeller increase their pitch as aircraft speed increases. Another benefit of this type of propeller is that it can also be used to generate reverse thrust to reduce stopping distance on the runway. Additionally, in the event of an engine failure, the propeller can be feathered , thus minimizing the drag of the non-functioning propeller. While the power turbine may be integral with
201-467: A factor that has reportedly been decisive to some prospective operators. To counteract stall and spin conditions, dual angle-of-attack sensors near the wingtips force the stick forwards in advance of a potential stall. For greater redundancy, the PC-12 NG has a complete split-bus dual electrical system similar to modern jet aircraft, in addition to two separate batteries and a third emergency battery. The type
268-416: A large amount of air by a small degree than a small amount of air by a large degree, a low disc loading (thrust per unit disc area) increases the aircraft's energy efficiency , and this reduces the fuel use. Propellers work well until the flight speed of the aircraft is high enough that the airflow past the blade tips reaches the speed of sound. Beyond that speed, the proportion of the power that drives
335-479: A passenger transport and private aircraft, the PC-12 can be configured as a multimission platform, such as an air ambulance or for conducting surveillance aircraft missions. In the latter role, a retractable electro-optical / infrared sensor may be installed into the aircraft's tail and an operator's console, containing two display monitors, a digital video recorder, communications panel, and expansion bays to accommodate various radios and datalinks , can be fitted in
402-465: A series of overseas distributors to market and sell the PC-12 within designated regions. AMAC Aerospace is the exclusive sales agent for the type within the Middle East. In August 2014, Californian airline Surf Air placed an order for 15 PC-12 NGs and 50 options, one of the largest contract for the type. PlaneSense , a New Hampshire -based fractional ownership company, manages the largest fleet of
469-575: A test-bed not intended for production. It first flew on 20 September 1945. From their experience with the Trent, Rolls-Royce developed the Rolls-Royce Clyde , the first turboprop engine to receive a type certificate for military and civil use, and the Dart , which became one of the most reliable turboprop engines ever built. Dart production continued for more than fifty years. The Dart-powered Vickers Viscount
536-526: Is corporate transportation , but it is also used by fractional and small regional airlines, air-ambulance operators, and many government agencies, such as police departments and armed forces. The 2,000th PC-12 was delivered in May 2023. In October 1989, Pilatus announced the development of the PC-12 at the annual convention of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). Prior to
603-429: Is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller . A turboprop consists of an intake , reduction gearbox , compressor , combustor , turbine , and a propelling nozzle . Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel is then added to the compressed air in the combustor, where the fuel-air mixture then combusts . The hot combustion gases expand through the turbine stages, generating power at
670-461: Is also present. The cockpit's layout is optimized for ergonomic and aesthetic appeal, providing similar comfort levels for the flight crew as to the passengers. An engine-condition monitoring system is present on the PC-12 NG, automatically monitoring engine parameters and producing relevant warnings, easing preventive maintenance efforts. In October 2021, Blackhawk Aerospace announced plans to offer an “XP67P+” upgrade that will be available for many of
737-462: Is an aging and expensive aircraft that requires specialized equipment and training to maintain; it will however continue to provide ISR for operations like search and rescue and humanitarian relief after the Sky Warden is delivered. The Finnish Air Force selected the PC-12 NG in 2009 to replace the service's Piper Chieftains and Valmet L-90 Redigos in a liaison role. The aircraft were handed over to
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#1733085582762804-478: Is certified for flight into known ice conditions; as per standard fit, pneumatic deicing systems are installed in the wings and empennage , while electrical deicing measures are integrated into the windshield, and exhaust heat is used for engine intake deicing. In 2014, Aviation Week described the PC-12 as possessing "...comparatively slow take-off and landing speeds, excellent short-field performance, and easy handling characteristics." In addition to its uses as
871-833: Is marketed in the United States as the PC-12 Spectre paramilitary special-missions platform. On 18 December 2012, Pilatus officially opened its Chinese headquarters in Chongqing Liangjiang and announced future manufacturing of the PC-12 for Asia-Pacific customers on the production line at this site. In September 2014, it was announced that the production for various aerostructures for the PC-12 NG would be performed by Tata Aircraft Systems in India from 2016 onwards, these parts having previously been manufactured by PZL-Świdnik in Poland. At
938-482: Is normally a constant-speed (variable pitch) propeller type similar to that used with larger aircraft reciprocating engines , except that the propeller-control requirements are very different. Due to the turbine engine's slow response to power inputs, particularly at low speeds, the propeller has a greater range of selected travel in order to make rapid thrust changes, notably for taxi, reverse, and other ground operations. The propeller has 2 modes, Alpha and Beta. Alpha
1005-505: Is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67 engine; early models being powered by the PT6A-67B, while the later PC-12 NG variant uses the more powerful PT6A-67P, which is flat rated at only 70% of its maximum power. According to Pilatus, the PC-12 NG has exceptional versatility and is capable of operating within the most rugged environments, such as the Australian outback ; it is one of
1072-494: Is sacrificed in favor of shaft power, which is obtained by extracting additional power (beyond that necessary to drive the compressor) from turbine expansion. Owing to the additional expansion in the turbine system, the residual energy in the exhaust jet is low. Consequently, the exhaust jet produces about 10% of the total thrust. A higher proportion of the thrust comes from the propeller at low speeds and less at higher speeds. Turboprops have bypass ratios of 50–100, although
1139-404: Is the mode for all flight operations including takeoff. Beta, a mode typically consisting of zero to negative thrust, is used for all ground operations aside from takeoff. The Beta mode is further broken down into 2 additional modes, Beta for taxi and Beta plus power. Beta for taxi as the name implies is used for taxi operations and consists of all pitch ranges from the lowest alpha range pitch, all
1206-616: The P-3 Orion , and the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft. The first turbine-powered, shaft-driven helicopter was the Kaman K-225 , a development of Charles Kaman 's K-125 synchropter , which used a Boeing T50 turboshaft engine to power it on 11 December 1951. December 1963 saw the first delivery of Pratt & Whitney Canada's PT6 turboprop engine for the then Beechcraft 87, soon to become Beechcraft King Air . 1964 saw
1273-830: The Piper Meridian , Socata TBM , Pilatus PC-12 , Piaggio P.180 Avanti , Beechcraft King Air and Super King Air . In April 2017, there were 14,311 business turboprops in the worldwide fleet. Between 2012 and 2016, the ATSB observed 417 events with turboprop aircraft, 83 per year, over 1.4 million flight hours: 2.2 per 10,000 hours. Three were "high risk" involving engine malfunction and unplanned landing in single‑engine Cessna 208 Caravans , four "medium risk" and 96% "low risk". Two occurrences resulted in minor injuries due to engine malfunction and terrain collision in agricultural aircraft and five accidents involved aerial work: four in agriculture and one in an air ambulance . Jane's All
1340-590: The Tupolev Tu-114 can reach 470 kn (870 km/h; 540 mph). Large military aircraft , like the Tupolev Tu-95 , and civil aircraft , such as the Lockheed L-188 Electra , were also turboprop powered. The Airbus A400M is powered by four Europrop TP400 engines, which are the second most powerful turboprop engines ever produced, after the 11 MW (15,000 hp) Kuznetsov NK-12 . In 2017,
1407-482: The 1989 announcement, the PC-12 project had been worked on for some time under high levels of secrecy; by the time of the announcement, assembly of the first prototype had already commenced. Pilatus believed that the PC-12 would fit a new market not served by existing aircraft and that the type would be the first single-engined aircraft with a large cabin that would be capable of flying at high speeds across long distances. The two prototypes were completed on 1 May 1991, with
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#17330855827621474-422: The 630 PC-12 NG since its introduction in 2008. In May 2018, with the fleet having logged over 6.8 million hours, the maintenance interval was raised from 100/150 hours to 300 and a new maintenance plan reduced labor by 20% to 40% to lower direct operating costs. By 2017, a nine-year-old PC-12 was worth $ 2.5-2.8 million and 15- to 16-year-old models had a $ 1.8 million value. Owner-operators account for 20% to 30% of
1541-637: The Air Force in 2010. Six PC-12s are in service with the Finnish Air Force. As of May 2023, 2,000 PC-12s have been delivered. The Aviation Safety Network Wikibase reports 136 accidents and incidents between 3 February 1998 and 15 December 2023. This includes 106 fatalities which gives an average of 0.79 fatalities per accident. Data from Pilatus General characteristics Performance Avionics Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Turboprop A turboprop
1608-513: The Air Force officially approved the use of the name 'Draco' for the aircraft. In August 2022, U.S. Special Operations Command announced it had selected the AT-802U Sky Warden for its Armed Overwatch program. The intent is for them to perform ISR and strike missions in uncontested airspace while operating from austere airfields. The Sky Warden will take over combat missions from the U-28A, as it
1675-583: The FAA should happen second quarter 2023 with EASA certification not long after. Early sales of the PC-12 principally went to utility operators, because Pilatus was reportedly uncertain of the sales potential for business and passenger operators. In 1994, the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia became the launch customer of the PC-12. It operates 32 PC-12s throughout Australia to deliver medical services in remote areas. In 2006, Flying referred to
1742-514: The October 2019 NBAA convention, Pilatus announced the already certified PC-12NGX. Its PT6E-67XP includes a full-authority digital engine control and a low-speed propeller mode to lower cabin noise. It reaches a 290 kn TAS (537 km/h) cruise. Updated Honeywell avionics with autothrottle feature both cursor control device and touchscreen . Adapted from the PC-24 , the cabin windows are 10% larger and
1809-654: The PC-12 NG is equipped with Honeywell 's Primus Apex avionics system, consisting of four 10-inch, high-resolution, liquid crystal display screens, two of which perform as the primary flight displays directly forward of either pilot, the other two being multifunction displays in a central position between the two pilots. The Apex system shares many similarities to the flight decks of other business jets and has been designed to minimize crew workload and provide for improved safety during single-pilot operations. An advanced synthetic vision system, delivering greater situational awareness and safety during visual flight rules (VFR) flight,
1876-688: The PC-12 as "...more economical to operate than any turbine airplane of similar size." In 2007, Flying described the high rate of value retention on used PC-12s as "unbelievable"—attributing this to the popular demand for the type. High oil prices are a prominent factor for increasing sales of turboprops, the PC-12 among them. The bulk of demand comes from North America, and three-quarters of PC-12NG sales are in executive configurations. While its price grew from $ 3.3 million in 2005 to $ 4.7 million in 2015, it retains 80-85% of its selling price after 10 years given average use, better than comparable turboprop or business jets, and it sells 40% faster. Pilatus also uses
1943-399: The PC-12 had been one of the few high-end models to lack flat-panel avionics. The revised cockpit includes automatic pressurization control, as well as cursor controlled inputs to the navigation system. The PC-12 NG winglets have also been modified from the original version. Within two years of launch, over 200 orders reportedly had been placed for the PC-12 NG. In May 2008, the first PC-12 NG
2010-409: The PC-12 sales, while they fly 90% of all SOCATA TBMs . By October 2019, the PC-12 fleet surpassed 1,700 aircraft, with more than seven million total flight hours. By May 2021, 1,800 had been delivered including 82 in 2020, having flown eight million hours. In May 2023 the fleet reached ten million flight hours, including 9.3 million landings. A total of 71 PC-12s had flown over 20,000 hours each, with
2077-606: The PC-12. Pilatus announced the PC-12NG (Next Generation) at the 2006 NBAA meeting in Orlando and officially launched it during the NBAA 2007 in Atlanta. The NG features a more powerful Pratt & Whitney PT6A-67P engine with better climb performance and an increase in maximum cruise speed to 280 knots true airspeed (TAS). The NG also features a Honeywell Primus Apex glass cockpit ; prior to this,
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2144-519: The Soviet Union had the technology to create the airframe for a jet-powered strategic bomber comparable to Boeing's B-52 Stratofortress , they instead produced the Tupolev Tu-95 Bear, powered with four Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprops, mated to eight contra-rotating propellers (two per nacelle) with supersonic tip speeds to achieve maximum cruise speeds in excess of 575 mph, faster than many of
2211-568: The U.S. followed on 15 July 1994. Since entering service, Pilatus developed a large number of improvements and options upon the original PC-12 model; changes include increasing the maximum takeoff weight, using increasingly powerful engines, adopting new avionics, incorporating noise-reduction measures, adding new propellers, speed and range increases, additional interiors, and new inflight entertainment systems. Other aviation firms, such as Finoff Aviation Products, have also produced their own independent products and aftermarket enhancement packages for
2278-744: The World's Aircraft . 2005–2006. Honeywell Primus Primus 1000 is used on: Primus 2000 and Primus 2000XP are used on: Primus Elite is an upgrade to older SPZ-8000 series and Primus 1000 and 2000/2000XP flight decks. The upgrade includes replacing the cathode ray tube (CRT) display with new lightweight liquid-crystal displays (LCD). The Primus Elite displays also include enhanced capability of SVS ( Synthetic vision system ), Jeppesen Charts, Enhanced with XM weather, airports, Navaids, TAF, METARs, Geopolitical boundary, Airways, Airspace information, NOTAMs and many more features. The multi-function display will have cursor control device (CCD) to select
2345-417: The compressor intake is at the aft of the engine, and the exhaust is situated forward, reducing the distance between the turbine and the propeller. Unlike the small-diameter fans used in turbofan engines, the propeller has a large diameter that lets it accelerate a large volume of air. This permits a lower airstream velocity for a given amount of thrust. Since it is more efficient at low speeds to accelerate
2412-459: The control system. The turboprop system consists of 3 propeller governors , a governor, and overspeed governor, and a fuel-topping governor. The governor works in much the same way a reciprocating engine propeller governor works, though a turboprop governor may incorporate beta control valve or beta lift rod for beta operation and is typically located in the 12 o'clock position. There are also other governors that are included in addition depending on
2479-593: The early stages of development. The U-28A Draco is the United States Air Force variant of the PC-12 for intratheater support of special operations forces performing the role of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). The U-28A is operated by the 319th Special Operations Squadron , stationed at Hurlburt Field , Florida , at the headquarters of the Air Force Special Operations Command . The 34th Special Operations Squadron
2546-452: The few pressurized turbine-powered aircraft capable of operating from rough landing strips. The cabin can accommodate up to nine passengers and has a refreshment centre, an enclosed lavatory, and a rear baggage area. Other cabin configurations include executive arrangements, seating between six and eight passengers; a four-seat passenger-cargo combi layout; and an air ambulance setup housing two litters and three attending medics. The interior
2613-493: The first jet aircraft and comparable to jet cruising speeds for most missions. The Bear would serve as their most successful long-range combat and surveillance aircraft and symbol of Soviet power projection through to the end of the 20th century. The USA used turboprop engines with contra-rotating propellers, such as the Allison T40 , on some experimental aircraft during the 1950s. The T40-powered Convair R3Y Tradewind flying-boat
2680-546: The first deliveries of the Garrett AiResearch TPE331 , (now owned by Honeywell Aerospace ) on the Mitsubishi MU-2 , making it the fastest turboprop aircraft for that year. In contrast to turbofans , turboprops are most efficient at flight speeds below 725 km/h (450 mph; 390 knots) because the jet velocity of the propeller (and exhaust) is relatively low. Modern turboprop airliners operate at nearly
2747-464: The first flight taking place on 31 May 1991. Swiss certification of the type had been originally planned for mid-1991, but a redesign of the wings (to increase the wingspan and add winglets to ensure performance guarantees were met) delayed progress. On 30 March 1994, the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation issued the type certificate for the PC-12; Federal Aviation Administration approval in
Pilatus PC-12 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2814-558: The gas generator section, many turboprops today feature a free power turbine on a separate coaxial shaft. This enables the propeller to rotate freely, independent of compressor speed. Alan Arnold Griffith had published a paper on compressor design in 1926. Subsequent work at the Royal Aircraft Establishment investigated axial compressor-based designs that would drive a propeller. From 1929, Frank Whittle began work on centrifugal compressor-based designs that would use all
2881-455: The gas power produced by the engine for jet thrust. The world's first turboprop was designed by the Hungarian mechanical engineer György Jendrassik . Jendrassik published a turboprop idea in 1928, and on 12 March 1929 he patented his invention. In 1938, he built a small-scale (100 Hp; 74.6 kW) experimental gas turbine. The larger Jendrassik Cs-1 , with a predicted output of 1,000 bhp,
2948-488: The highest time aircraft over 35,000 hours. On 12 May, the 2,000th was delivered as 80 were built in 2022 and Pilatus held a backlog for 63 units, while 1,889 examples were in service and 31 aircraft in storage. In 2022, Tradewind Aviation marked a major fleet renewal and expansion program with the purchase of 20 new Pilatus PC-12 NGX aircraft in a deal valued at over $ 100 million, with deliveries proceeding at 3-4 per year through 2027. The program cements Tradewind's status as
3015-505: The legacy PC-12s. The upgrade will replace the stock Pratt and Whitney PTA-67B engine with a factory-new PTA-67P, allowing higher ITT limits, 142 shaft horsepower gains, and max torque to FL230. All factors that will improve the performance of the aircraft, with 25% better climb rates, higher cruise speeds, and several other operational benefits. Blackhawk announced several deposits for their upgrade at NBAA -BACE 2022, and that baseline flight testing has been completed. STC approval for
3082-750: The main cabin area; the aircraft may be highly customized to meet customer's specific mission requirements. In the multimission capacity, the type has seen use by various customers, including the Red Cross , the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia , the Royal Canadian Mounted Police , and the United States Air Force . The type features a three-axis autopilot as standard, while weather radar , long-range navigation systems, and radar altimeter are optional. The flight deck of
3149-406: The model, such as an overspeed and fuel topping governor on a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 , and an under-speed governor on a Honeywell TPE331 . The turboprop is also distinguished from other kinds of turbine engine in that the fuel control unit is connected to the governor to help dictate power. To make the engine more compact, reverse airflow can be used. On a reverse-flow turboprop engine,
3216-657: The most widespread turboprop airliners in service were the ATR 42 / 72 (950 aircraft), Bombardier Q400 (506), De Havilland Canada Dash 8 -100/200/300 (374), Beechcraft 1900 (328), de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter (270), Saab 340 (225). Less widespread and older airliners include the BAe Jetstream 31 , Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia , Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner , Dornier 328 , Saab 2000 , Xian MA60 , MA600 and MA700 , Fokker 27 and 50 . Turboprop business aircraft include
3283-404: The operator of one of the world's largest fleets of Pilatus PC-12s, and the largest available for charter. Tradewind has operated all variants of variants of the PC-12, beginning in 2003. The PC-12 is Pilatus' first aircraft directed principally at the civil market. Despite the company historically being a military-oriented supplier, military sales for the type were considered a low priority during
3350-416: The pilot not being able to see out of the rear of the aircraft for backing and the amount of debris reverse stirs up, manufacturers will often limit the speeds beta plus power may be used and restrict its use on unimproved runways. Feathering of these propellers is performed by the propeller control lever. The constant-speed propeller is distinguished from the reciprocating engine constant-speed propeller by
3417-403: The point of exhaust. Some of the power generated by the turbine is used to drive the compressor and electric generator . The gases are then exhausted from the turbine. In contrast to a turbojet or turbofan , the engine's exhaust gases do not provide enough power to create significant thrust, since almost all of the engine's power is used to drive the propeller. Exhaust thrust in a turboprop
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#17330855827623484-494: The propeller that is converted to propeller thrust falls dramatically. For this reason turboprop engines are not commonly used on aircraft that fly faster than 0.6–0.7 Mach , with some exceptions such as the Tupolev Tu-95 . However, propfan engines, which are very similar to turboprop engines, can cruise at flight speeds approaching 0.75 Mach. To maintain propeller efficiency across a wide range of airspeeds, turboprops use constant-speed (variable-pitch) propellers. The blades of
3551-477: The propeller. This allows for propeller strike or similar damage to occur without damaging the gas generator and allowing for only the power section (turbine and gearbox) to be removed and replaced in such an event, and also allows for less stress on the start during engine ground starts. Whereas a fixed shaft has the gearbox and gas generator connected, such as on the Honeywell TPE331 . The propeller itself
3618-446: The propulsion airflow is less clearly defined for propellers than for fans. The propeller is coupled to the turbine through a reduction gear that converts the high RPM /low torque output to low RPM/high torque. This can be of two primary designs, free-turbine and fixed. A free-turbine turboshaft found on the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 , where the gas generator is not connected to
3685-539: The redesigned cabin includes new seats. Scheduled maintenance is extended to 600 flight hours and time between overhaul increases from 4,000 to 5,000 hours. Deliveries should start in the second quarter of 2020 at a US$ 4.39 million base price, up to 5.369 million typically equipped as an executive aircraft. In 2023, its equipped price was $ 6.028M. The PC-12 is a single-engined, turboprop -powered, business aircraft , designed for performing multiple roles and to deliver performance and safety equal to twin-engined aircraft. It
3752-585: The same speed as small regional jet airliners but burn two-thirds of the fuel per passenger. Compared to piston engines, their greater power-to-weight ratio (which allows for shorter takeoffs) and reliability can offset their higher initial cost, maintenance and fuel consumption. As jet fuel can be easier to obtain than avgas in remote areas, turboprop-powered aircraft like the Cessna Caravan and Quest Kodiak are used as bush airplanes . Turboprop engines are generally used on small subsonic aircraft, but
3819-521: The type, operating 34 PC-12s as of 2015. In June 2010, Pilatus announced that the 1,000th PC-12 had been delivered. By August 2013, the worldwide PC-12 fleet had accumulated a combined total of 4 million flight hours and 1,200 PC-12s had been delivered to customers. Just over a year after the 1300th, the 1400th PC-12 was delivered in July 2016. As of July 2016, the fleet had accumulated 5.6 million total flight hours since certification and 1 million flight hours for
3886-582: The various above listed options. Primus Apex is based on the Primus Epic and is designed for single-pilot turboprop aircraft and very light jets . It is installed in: Primus Epic and Primus Epic 2 are designed for two-crew business or regional jets . They are used on: While primarily designed for jet aircraft, the Epic cockpit is also used on the AgustaWestland AW139 medium helicopter, which
3953-410: The way down to zero pitch, producing very little to zero-thrust and is typically accessed by moving the power lever to a beta for taxi range. Beta plus power is a reverse range and produces negative thrust, often used for landing on short runways where the aircraft would need to rapidly slow down, as well as backing operations and is accessed by moving the power lever below the beta for taxi range. Due to
4020-404: Was activated on 9 April 2010 as the second U-28A unit at Hurlburt Field. Both squadrons operate as part of the 1st Special Operations Wing / 1st Special Operations Group at Hurlburt Field. The U-28A is also operated by the 318th Special Operations Squadron and the 310th Special Operations Squadron as part of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base , New Mexico . In May 2019
4087-460: Was delivered. The PC-12M (Multipurpose) is based on the PC-12 NG, but equipped with a more powerful electrical generation system that allows installing additional power-consuming equipment. This enables the PC-12M to perform missions such as flight inspection, air ambulance, aerial photography, and aerial surveillance. An optional utility door accommodates parachute drops of people and cargo. This version
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#17330855827624154-419: Was designed in conjunction with BMW 's Designworks division, making extensive use of leather , fine wood veneers, and various textiles to create an environment similar to a luxury road vehicle. An atypically large cargo door is installed to accommodate bulky items, including palletised cargo. The PC-12 incorporates numerous safety measures. The PT6A-67 engine has a reputation for considerable reliability,
4221-504: Was destroyed in a bombing raid. In 1941, the engine was abandoned due to war, and the factory converted to conventional engine production. The first mention of turboprop engines in the general public press was in the February 1944 issue of the British aviation publication Flight , which included a detailed cutaway drawing of what a possible future turboprop engine could look like. The drawing
4288-686: Was operated by the U.S. Navy for a short time. The first American turboprop engine was the General Electric XT31 , first used in the experimental Consolidated Vultee XP-81 . The XP-81 first flew in December 1945, the first aircraft to use a combination of turboprop and turbojet power. The technology of Allison's earlier T38 design evolved into the Allison T56 , used to power the Lockheed Electra airliner, its military maritime patrol derivative
4355-629: Was produced and tested at the Ganz Works in Budapest between 1937 and 1941. It was of axial-flow design with 15 compressor and 7 turbine stages, annular combustion chamber. First run in 1940, combustion problems limited its output to 400 bhp. Two Jendrassik Cs-1s were the engines for the world's first turboprop aircraft – the Varga RMI-1 X/H . This was a Hungarian fighter-bomber of WWII which had one model completed, but before its first flight it
4422-593: Was the first turboprop aircraft of any kind to go into production and sold in large numbers. It was also the first four-engined turboprop. Its first flight was on 16 July 1948. The world's first single engined turboprop aircraft was the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba -powered Boulton Paul Balliol , which first flew on 24 March 1948. The Soviet Union built on German World War II turboprop preliminary design work by Junkers Motorenwerke, while BMW, Heinkel-Hirth and Daimler-Benz also worked on projected designs. While
4489-481: Was very close to what the future Rolls-Royce Trent would look like. The first British turboprop engine was the Rolls-Royce RB.50 Trent , a converted Derwent II fitted with reduction gear and a Rotol 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m) five-bladed propeller. Two Trents were fitted to Gloster Meteor EE227 — the sole "Trent-Meteor" — which thus became the world's first turboprop-powered aircraft to fly, albeit as
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