Fractional ownership provider PlaneSense recently took delivery of its 75th Pilatus PC-12 turboprop single. Registered as N131AF, the aircraft comes some 26 years after the Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based operator acquired its first PC-12, S/N 120—the 20th one to come off the Pilatus assembly line.
That aircraft launched PlaneSense’s fractional program, which now operates throughout North and Central America. PlaneSense has since become the operator of the world’s largest PC-12 fleet.
“The Pilatus PC-12 has been the foundation of the PlaneSense program,” said PlaneSense president and CEO George Antoniadis. “Its reliability, comfort, safety record, and versatility provides PlaneSense share owners with the most intelligent solution for private travel at a responsible price point.”
PlaneSense manages the maintenance of the fleet through its facilities in Portsmouth and in Boulder City, Nevada. It sells off the aircraft after a period of time to keep the fleet younger, with the average age currently at 5.6 years. The PC-12 fleet will number 38 by the end of the year, with six more on order for 2022.
“We have enjoyed being a part of the company’s continued growth and are honored that PlaneSense and its clients value the Pilatus PC-12 and its capabilities,” said Pilatus CEO Markus Bucher. “We look forward to delivering many more PC-12s to PlaneSense for years to come.”
In 2018, PlaneSense added a second Pilatus type—the PC-24—to its product offering and now it has six of these light twinjets in its fleet. A seventh is expected this year, with three more on order for delivery in 2022.