PC-12 N207ST, built in 1994, at Frederick, Maryland, in February 2022. · Photo: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Pilatus · Turboprop
PC-12 (original and /41)
First of five PC-12 generations; the 1994–1996 aircraft that launched Pilatus's big single-engine turboprop.
A PC-12 is still the most useful cabin you can buy for about $2–3M, but the earliest ones were built to a low weight limit. Buy one that has already been converted to /45 weights, or plan to convert it.
Buy it if
You want a big, flexible cabin, one pilot and access to short or gravel strips, your trips are mostly under 800 nm, and the aircraft has already been converted to the heavier /45 weight.
Skip it if
You regularly fly five or more people beyond 700 nm, want jet speed or a modern cockpit without paying for an upgrade, or would rather avoid the records history of a 30-year-old airframe.
Biggest compromise
As built, the 9,039 lb takeoff limit means a typically equipped example carries only a pilot and one or two passengers with full tanks. Pilatus's approved conversion to /45 weights adds 882 lb and fixes most of this, and most early aircraft have had it, but you must confirm it in the records.
The numbers that matter
Purchase price
$2M–$3M
guide value (Aircraft Bluebook, as reported by Aviation Week (2023))
What it costs per year
$505K
at 300 hrs · one professional pilot
How far it flies
1,650 nm
About 750–1,150 nm with 4 passengers; about 1,250 nm once converted
How fast
269 kt
high-speed cruise
Seats
6
6 executive (up to 9 passengers)
Pilots needed
1
Certified for one pilot; most private owners fly it single-pilot.
Price
What one costs to buy
Guide value
$2M–$3M
Other sites
Priced vs call
with a price / call for price
One 1994–1996 PC-12 was advertised with a price in September 2026, near $2.6M; published guide values for the oldest PC-12s run $2–3M.
Price vs its family and alternatives
Scroll to explore · select a jet for details
PC-12 (original and /41) · This aircraft
$2M–$3M guide
Guide value, not a listed asking price.
Sits between the TBM 700B and the King Air C90B / C90SE.
For sale now
None listed right now
Cost to own
What it costs per year to run
300hours / year
Per year
Per flight hour
Estimate — your operator will quote actual numbers.
Fuel, airframe maintenance (scheduled and unscheduled), engine reserve or eagle service plan and propeller reserve rise as you fly more. Pilot salary (one professional pilot), recurrent training, hangar, insurance (hull and liability) and maintenance tracking and databases stay the same however much you fly.
Where the money goes
- Pilot salary (one professional pilot)$127,50025%
- Recurrent training$11,6382%
- Hangar$28,4966%
- Insurance (hull and liability)$21,8614%
- Maintenance tracking and databases$8,5252%
- Fuel$138,34827%
- Airframe maintenance (scheduled and unscheduled)$97,65019%
- Engine reserve or Eagle Service Plan$68,55014%
- Propeller reserve$2,7001%
Fuel is the biggest single cost at 27% of the total.
The JetGrade
74 out of 100 — Slightly above its class
Peer group: Pilatus PC-12/45, Daher TBM 700A, Daher TBM 700B, Beechcraft King Air C90B / C90SE, Piper Meridian (PA-46-500TP)
Seven categories at a glance
- - - 70 = typical— This aircraft
Strongest on airport access, weakest on range & payload.
Grades are editorial opinions about the model, not any specific aircraft. Sponsors and affiliates have no input. Reviewed 2026-09-30.
Where it flies
Sample trips and reach
Typical trips on a map
Nonstop
Depends on weight or weather
Fuel stop likely
1 of 6 sample trips are comfortable nonstops.
Sample flight times
- 1.2 hr
Carlsbad → Las Vegas
205 nm · Short hop; easy with four passengers aboard
- 2.9 hr
Carlsbad → Aspen
625 nm · Mountain arrival; depends on weight and weather
- 3.4 hr
Santa Ana → San José del Cabo
765 nm · Four passengers possible on lighter aircraft only
- 4.0 hr
Teterboro → West Palm Beach
900 nm · Nonstop only with light loads or tailwind
- 5.3 hr
Dallas → Teterboro
1,190 nm · Needs one stop, typically mid-route
- 9.0 hr
Carlsbad → Teterboro
2,100 nm · Needs two stops across the country
Lineage
What came before and after
1994–1996
PC-12 (original and /41)
First production PC-12, certified at 8,820 lb, then 9,039 lb.
Size and cabin
How big it is, inside and out
Outside
Silhouette · scaled to length
Length
Wingspan
Height
Inside the cabin
Cabin length
Width
Height
Compare
How it stacks up
This aircraft
PC-12 (original and /41)
- JetGrade
- 74
- Price
- $2M–$3M guide
- Cost per year
- $505K
- Range
- 1,650 nm
- Speed
- 269 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 16′ 9″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 1994–1996
After →
- JetGrade
- 77
- Price
- $2.9M
- Cost per year
- $515K
- Range
- 1,500 nm
- Speed
- 265 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 16′ 11″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 1996–2005
Alternative
- JetGrade
- 69
- Price
- $1.29M
- Cost per year
- $457K
- Range
- 1,550 nm
- Speed
- 300 kt
- Seats
- 4
- Cabin length
- 13′ 3″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 1999–2002
Alternative
- JetGrade
- 70
- Price
- $2.52M
- Cost per year
- $605K
- Range
- 1,049 nm
- Speed
- 246 kt
- Seats
- 6
- Cabin length
- 12′ 8″
- Pilots
- 1
- Years built
- 1992–2005
- Pilatus PC-12/45 instead: The same airframe built at 9,921 lb from the factory, with more examples to choose from and generally newer, lower-time aircraft.
- Daher TBM 700B instead: Noticeably faster for a similar budget, but a much smaller cabin, less room for bags and no large cargo door.
- Beechcraft King Air C90B instead: Two engines for buyers who want twin-engine redundancy, at the cost of higher fuel and engine bills and a shorter cabin.
Gold marks the best figure in each row.
Owning one
What to know before you buy
Engines & inspections
1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67B · 1,200 shp each
No APUEngine hours until overhaul
- 300-hour or annual inspection · 300 hr
- Flap actuator inspection · 600 hr
- Engine hot section inspection · 1,750 hr
- Engine overhaul · 3,500 hr
- Propeller overhaul · 4,000 hr
- Pitch trim actuator overhaul · 5,000 hr
- Structural (10-year) inspection every 120 months
Pratt & Whitney's hourly Eagle Service Plan is available and transfers on sale; check enrollment and engine times before you buy.
Known issues
Low takeoff weight before conversion
Unconverted aircraft carry little with full tanks; the approved /45 conversion adds 882 lb and most early aircraft have it.
Fuel icing in cold weather
Fuel needs an anti-ice additive below freezing; skipping it caused a fatal PC-12 accident in 2009.
Wing-attach fitting damage
Early airframes need records of wing-attach fitting inspections; damage beyond limits requires a Pilatus-approved repair.
Pre-buy checklist
0 of 10 checked
Pilatus lists 24 authorized US service centers that work on the PC-12, and structural inspections must be done at one of them. Engine support comes from Pratt & Whitney Canada and independent PT6 shops.
Review
The full review
Strengths
- Flat-floor cabin 16 ft 9 in long and 5 ft wide, plus a 53 by 52 in cargo door.
- Clears a 50 ft obstacle in about 1,820 ft on takeoff and is approved for gravel and grass.
- One engine and one pilot keep costs near $505,000 a year at 300 hours with a professional pilot.
Limitations
- As built, full tanks leave only about 740 lb for pilot, passengers and bags on a light example.
- Cruises at about 269 kt, so trips beyond 600 nm take noticeably longer than in faster peers.
- The original Bendix/King cockpit is dated; Garmin upgrades run $150,000 or more.
The Pilatus PC-12 arrived in 1994 with a new idea: a single-engine turboprop with a cabin big enough for six executives, a cargo door big enough for freight, and the ability to use short, rough strips. The aircraft covered here are the first production examples, built from 1994 to 1996 before the heavier PC-12/45 took over. They started a family that is still built today as the PC-12 NGX, and from the outside they look almost the same.
Pilot's take
From the left seat the PC-12 feels like a big, stable airplane that happens to have one engine. It is docile on short and gravel strips, and the automatic start and single-pilot layout keep the workload reasonable. On early aircraft we would watch weight and balance closely on every full-fuel departure, respect the fuel-additive rule in cold weather, and keep an eye on the age of the original cockpit. With a modern panel and the /45 conversion, it flies much like any later legacy PC-12.
Who this is for
An owner-pilot or small company flying 150 to 400 hours a year on 200 to 800 nm trips with a mix of people, pets and gear, often from short or unpaved strips, who wants PC-12 utility at the lowest entry price.
Ask about this aircraft
Answers come only from our research file on the PC-12 (original / Series 9, '/41').
Your earlier questionsOwners
Private to verified ownersOwn a Pilatus PC-12 (original and /41)? Verify with its FAA registration to join the owners' thread and the real-cost poll.