ightglobal.com 5-11 June 2018 | Flight International | 33

SINGLE-ENGINE TURBINES

DAVID LEARMOUNT LONDON

Modern turbine singles can make attractive vehicles for passenger transport businesses,

but operators have so far been slow to take advantage of new opportunities in Europe

Ready, SET, go...?

I

n much of the world, all-weather commer-

cial air transport operations using single-

engined turbine aircraft such as the Pilatus

PC-12, Daher TBM series or Cessna

Caravan have been permitted for years.

The notable exception was Europe. Then,

some 18 months ago, the European Aviation

Safety Agency looked ready to approve a

painstakingly devised set of provisions for

allowing commercial single-engined turbine

passenger operations in instrument meteoro-

logical conditions (SET-IMC).

At that time, manufacturers of fast turbine

singles could have been forgiven for predict-

ing a sales bonanza. And, true to its word, on

1 March 2017 EASA supplied the expected

approvals to usher in SET-IMC operations.

But uptake by operators of this much-

heralded opportunity has been slow and that

sales surge remains unrealised. Why? Turbine

singles have gone on selling at a healthy rate

even in Europe, but most of them go to private

buyers who do not require a commercial air

operator certificate (AOC).

Asked whether EASA’s SET-IMC permis-

sion has changed the marketplace for its

PC-12, Pilatus has this to say: “We have been

approached by many existing commercial op-

erators after EASA’s approval of commercial

SET-IMC operations. In addition, we were

also contacted by new operators which have

to get their AOC first. There is also interest by

some private owners who see an opportunity

to charter out their aeroplane. The new rules

are definitively positive for the Pilatus PC-12.

They are certainly a contributing factor to our

solid backlog in Europe.”

Cessna technically has a pressurised single

turboprop in the race – its Caravan is rather

slow and is not pressurised, but its in-devel-

opment Denali has performance that ap-

proaches that of the TBM series.

Preparing it for the European marketplace,

Cessna says the Denali and GE Aviation Cata-

lyst engine are being designed to comply with

the EASA SET-IMC requirements: “We are

Pilatus says the suitability of its PC-12 for

commercial passenger transport

operations has helped boost backlog

Pilatus