Pilatus Pc-6 Porter
Single Turboprop
The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a Swiss-built STOL utility aircraft renowned for its exceptional short-field performance and rugged versatility. First flown in 1959, the Porter was designed for operations in the Alps and other challenging terrain, capable of landing and taking off from unprepared strips as short as 600 feet. Its high-wing configuration, fixed landing gear, and powerful turboprop engine (PT6A-27 in the PT80 variant) enable steep climb rates and slow-speed handling that few aircraft can match. The PC-6 has served in roles ranging from skydiving and cargo hauling to humanitarian missions and military liaison work across six continents. Over 600 Porters have been built, with many still flying after decades of service in bush operations, mountain resorts, and remote airstrips where conventional aircraft cannot venture. The type's legendary reliability and STOL capability have made it a favorite among operators who need to reach places other aircraft simply cannot. SkyMeter has tracked 1 flights across 1 airframes and 1 operators, covering routes.
Safety in context
The incident rate counts flights with ANY safety event detected by SkyMeter — go-arounds (a routine response, not a failure), unstable-approach gate flags (advisory thresholds), rejected takeoffs (the system working as designed), and runway events. It is NOT an accident rate or fatality rate. For accident statistics, refer to the NTSB Aviation Accident Database (USA) or the Aviation Safety Network. See methodology for what each event type measures.
Performance
Speed envelope & approach
Dimensions
Airframe geometry
Weight & identification
Operating limits
Top operators
By fleet size · last 7 days
No operator data available.
Safety profile
Flagged flights · last 7 days
Family
Related variants
No related variants.
Recent incidents
Flagged flights of PT80
Recent flights
Real flights of PT80 · airborne ≥ 20 min
