Garmin G3000-Based ACE Assists Pilot From Switzerland To Australia

Pilatus Aircraft announced that it has handed over its very first Pilatus PC-12 PRO to its owner, Dion Weisler, the former CEO of HP Inc., and he just had to personally fly it home to Australia from the factory in Switzerland.

This is the Australian-born Weisler’s fourth PC-12, having previously owned a PC-12 NG and two PC-12 NGXs prior to this one, so he’s had confidence in the aircraft for many years. He was accompanied by a Pilatus factory pilot so he could get cross-trained in the new Garmin cockpit environment.

The Pilatus Advanced Cockpit Environment, or ACE is the foundation of the new PC-12 PRO. It is based on the Garmin G3000 Prime avionics in a cockpit that’s been totally redesigned with five high-resolution touchscreen displays integrated with state-of-the-art technology and new safety features including Safety Autoland. Pilatus calls it The Most Advanced Single.

Weisler could not pass up the opportunity to fly his new PC-12 PRO back home. They departed Switzerland and flew via Crete, Egypt, Oman, India, Malaysia, Bali, and Darwin, before arriving in Adelaide in South Australia. The trip took 41 flight hours over six days.

Weisler said, “To me as a pilot, you rely on two things in particular: there’s the airplane, and then there’s the pilot. And if something happens to the pilot, what are your options? In the PC-12 PRO, you’ve got the new ‘Safety Autoland’ function – which I think is absolutely invaluable. It keeps my family, my friends and anyone else on board safe. If something happens to me, this system automatically takes control to get the aircraft back on the ground at the nearest airport. You can’t put a price on that additional peace of mind.”

FMI:  www.pilatus-aircraft.com/