Pilatus PC-6 Porter by Roden
1/48 scale
Kit No. 440
Retail: $43.00
Decals: Three versions – all Air America (one fictional)
Comments: Engraved panel lines, detailed cabin, optional position cabin doors, individually mounted propeller blades
History
The Pilatus PC-6 is a light aircraft recognized for its ruggedness, short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities, and ability to operate from rough fields at high altitudes. It has been equipped with both piston and turboprop engines and was also produced in the Fairchild Hiller in the United States and in China, both under license. First flown in 1959, the PC-6 was initially manufactured at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans, Switzerland. After 604 deliveries in 63 years, Pilatus ended production in 2022.
The first model of the PC-6, equipped with 254 kW piston engines, took its maiden flight on May 4, 1959. In 1961, the first Turbo Porter, powered by a Turbomeca Astazou II turboprop engine, flew for the first time. Some operators such as Air America (an American passenger and cargo airline established in 1946 and covertly owned and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1950 to 1976, which supplied and supported covert operations in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, including providing support for drug smuggling in Laos) chose to retrofit their Astazou II-powered PC-6s with the TPE 331 engine. The PC-6 proved to be a very versatile aircraft capable of a variety of missions, including transport, parachute drop, aerial photography, surveillance, air medical services and search and rescue operations.
The Pilatus came into its own in Southeast Asia, where Air America operated the type with some intensity during the latter years of the Vietnam War. It was able to take off and land in small areas such as jungle clearings, due in part to its rugged undercarriage. The PC-6 was the ideal aircraft for such operations, as it was specifically built for short take-off and landing distances, and was perfectly at home making repeated hard landings. It was reportedly flown more frequently than any other single engine type in the Air America inventory.
Complaints about the reliability of the Astazou II engine and its high fuel consumption led to the addition of the Garret Air Research TPE 331 engine in 1967, and later the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A in 1996, rated at 507 kW (680 shp). With a range of 925 kilometers (574 miles) and a cruising speed of 213 km/h (132 mph), its ability to take off within 640 feet (195 m) and land in 427 feet (130 m), carrying a payload of 1,200 kg (2,645 lbs.), made it popular for operating in remote and unique areas where previously only helicopters could access. In fact, Pilatus offered rotary-wing companies the PC-6 as an option for their fleets.
The PC-6 could also operate on uneven, unprepared runways, in cold and hot climates and at high altitudes (which is why it is widely used in the Himalayas). The landing gear employed provides large clearances between the wings and propellers, making the PC-6 less susceptible to damage than aircraft with tricycle landing gear. For added versatility, several different types of landing gear could be installed to allow it to operate in diverse terrain conditions, such as floats for water and skis for snow. Its large sliding doors facilitate the loading of cargo or transporting up to ten passengers.
The Pilatus PC-6 broke the high-altitude landing and takeoff record when it operated at an altitude of more than 5,750 meters (18,864 feet) on the Dhaulagiri glacier in Nepal. Its airframe is of robust, low-maintenance construction, built to be easily accessible and interchangeable. The wings, fuselage and empennage are manufactured using conventional semi-monocoque construction techniques, with the main structure composed of aluminum, retaining critical strength to withstand landings on rough, unprepared runways. It has optional features such as low-pressure tires, dual-caliper disc brakes and a highly energy-absorbing landing gear that allow the aircraft to operate from difficult or challenging terrain.
Pilatus in U.S. Service
The Porter was also manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. Approximately 100 of these aircraft would be completed, being purchased primarily by civilian operators within the US. Several Fairchild Hiller-built PC-6s were also acquired for military operations during the Vietnam War, with the designation AU-23A Peacemaker for service with the U.S. Air Force. The Peacemaker was equipped with a 20mm side-firing XM-197 Gatling gun, four wing pylons allowing it to carry a variety of munitions, including forward-firing gun pods, 500- and 250-pound (230 and 110 kg) bombs, napalm units, cluster bomb units, flares, rockets, smoke grenades and airborne leaflet propaganda dispensers.
After 603 Pilatus PC-6 built, including those made by Fairchild Hiller, Pilatus Aircraft announced in August 2017 that it would close the production line of the versatile aircraft that brought worldwide fame to this Swiss manufacturer due to its reputation as a rugged all-round transport and bush aircraft able to operate from the remotest of airfields. The last aircraft was due for delivery in 2020, but the pandemic delayed plans. The last example, serial number 1019, will be received by a company from Indonesia: Indonesian Smart Aviation which will carry the registration PK-SNK.
The Kit
Roden’s Pilatus PC-6 is injection molded in grey plastic and consists of 188 parts, including 15 clear parts for the windshield, cabin windows, and navigation lights. Construction is unusual in that the instructions start off directing modelers to drill a dozen holes, each one millimeter in width, into the cabin floor to accommodate locator pins for the aircrew and passenger seats.
The cabin is nicely detailed with dual control yokes and rudder pedals for the pilot and co-pilot, seats, and four additional folding passenger seats (six parts each). The four cabin doors are individually mounted and can be cemented open or closed, two smaller doors for the aircrew, and just aft of these, two larger doors on either side of the fuselage for the passengers which double as cargo doors.
The kit features separately mounted control surfaces for the squared off wings and tail as well as a separately mounted rudder. The separate ailerons are quite detailed with individual actuator parts. There are apparently two different sizes of wheels for the main landing gear although the instructions only acknowledge one. The airscrew consists of seven parts, including a spinner and three individually mounted propeller blades, and is cemented to a separate nose section which includes a rather large exhaust on the port side.
Markings
The kit decals provide for three different versions of Air America aircraft. The first, No. 238 in Air America livery, is a fictional aircraft that appeared in the 1990 movie “Air America” that had little to do with reality. The second version, registration number N365F, is for a Pilatus Porter officially operating out of Udorn, Thailand from the period August 1971 to May 1974, but during this same period was actually based at various airfields in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
The third version, registration number N3612R, is for a Pilatus Porter operating from Vietnam, Laos and Thailand from June 1971 to July 1974. All aircraft are painted light grey overall, with markings provided for the large blue flash on the fuselage, the blue rudder, and the alternately blue or black anti-glare panel on the nose.
Conclusion
This is a detailed yet straightforward kit that could almost be called a weekend build but for the sheer number of parts. The instructions are well laid out and easy to understand. A beautiful kit of an important light transport that saw widespread use as a bush aircraft as well as a plane that supported covert activities in remote parts of the world. Highly recommended.
References
- Kit instructions
- https://www.aviacionline.com/
- www.pilatus-aircraft.com
- www.wikipedia.org
A Swiss Pilatus Porter coming in for a landing on what is likely an unprepared field. Source: https://schmidinet.ch