Originally Posted by
Bill Lumberg
A bunch of NG questions:
How many NGs do you guys have and how many will you get going forward? Is the plan to eventually replace all older versions with NGs by a set date? Do certain bases operate more NGs than others (i.e., PDK vs. PSM)? Also, are all pilots cross-trained on both the NG and the regular version (can you fly both during a typical tour)?
For those who fly the NG, what do you think of it? What are the pros/cons? Beyond the cockpit changes, any notable performance improvements? I have heard great things about the Pilatus in general although I have not seen an NG up close...
7 NG's now. Looking at hopefully 3 deliveries next year. They come on property as the older core aircraft are sold. PSM generally sees more NGs just because that is the main base but PDK will have one or two from time to time. New hires are only trained in the Legacy. They pick out guys for NG training randomly from time to time.
It used to be that you'd take an airplane on the road and stay with it for 7 days. With the new 8 and 6 I have no clue how it'd work.
Personally, I like the NG's. They still have that new airplane feel and are still pretty tight. The avionics are nice...depending on who you ask. They do sometimes have some funky things going on but I think MTX has evolved enough with them that the dispatch rate is still pretty good.
They definitely have that big airplane avionics feel. VNAV, WAAS approaches, cross hair FDs, and a similar FGC you'd see in a biz jet or regional airliner.
Pilatus makes a nice airplane. Some may think the avionics are overkill for a big single. The one pitfall I see is the higher price to acquire one with all the fancy bells and whistles.