Pilatus PC-24

Updated: October 2026 – A compact business jet with two engines at the tail stands on the apron, and while the passengers step out at the front, a door swings open at the rear left that a pallet fits through. And when you also spot the dual wheels on the main landing gear, it is clear: this is a Pilatus PC-24. The Swiss jet was built to land where other business jets have to turn around – on short runways of gravel, grass or snow. Here you will learn how to identify it with confidence, who flies it and how to improve your chances.

What is the Pilatus PC-24?

The PC-24 is a light twin-engine business jet from Pilatus in Stans in the canton of Nidwalden. Behind the project is simple customer feedback: those who appreciated the single-engine Pilatus PC-12 wanted more range and speed but did not want to give up the ruggedness for short, rough runways. Pilatus started development in 2007 and financed it from its own funds. You can learn more about the company on the page about Pilatus Aircraft.

The jet was publicly unveiled on May 21, 2013 at the business aviation trade show EBACE in Geneva. The first prototype rolled out of the hangar in August 2014, and on May 11, 2015 it took off in Buochs for its 55-minute first flight. After a test campaign of a good two years with three prototypes, certification by Europe’s EASA and America’s FAA followed on December 7, 2017. The first customer aircraft went to PlaneSense, a US provider of fractional aircraft ownership, on February 7, 2018.

Even the advance interest was remarkable: when Pilatus opened orders at EBACE in May 2014, the first production tranche of 84 aircraft was sold out after about 36 hours. The 50th aircraft was delivered in autumn 2019, the 100th in January 2021. For early 2024, reference works list a good 210 aircraft built – compared with large business jet families, the PC-24 thus remains a rather rare guest.

The “Super Versatile Jet”: built for grass runways

Pilatus markets the PC-24 as the Super Versatile Jet, meaning an especially versatile jet. The catchphrase has a technical core: the aircraft is not approved only for paved runways. In the fourth quarter of 2018, clearance came for dry sand and gravel, and in early 2020, after several years of testing, for grass, wet soil and snow. For a jet of this size, that is unusual.

Several design details make this possible – and exactly these details help you recognize it:

In addition there is approval for steep approaches, including the 5.5-degree approach at London City Airport, which, because of its short runway, may only be used by specially approved types. If you are interested in extreme short runways in the mountains, the article on Courchevel and the altiports provides background on why such airfields demand special aircraft and pilots.

Design and cabin

Externally, the PC-24 follows the classic layout of light business jets: low wing, engines at the tail, T-tail. The horizontal stabilizer sits at the very top of the fin, and the wings are only slightly swept. At about 16.8 meters long and 17 meters in wingspan, the jet is about as long as it is wide.

According to Pilatus, the cabin measures 7.01 meters in length, 1.69 meters in width and 1.55 meters in height, followed by the baggage compartment. Pilatus offers, among other things, an executive seating layout with six seats, a double-club variant with eight seats, versions with a divan, a commuter layout with ten seats and an air ambulance configuration.

From the outside you see several doors and exits: the passenger door at the front left, emergency exits over the wings on both sides and the cargo door at the rear left. The cockpit, called the “Advanced Cockpit Environment” by Pilatus, is based on avionics from Honeywell Aerospace and is approved for operation with a single pilot.

For engines, Pilatus relies on the Williams FJ44-4A with about 3,400 lbf takeoff thrust per side. The variant carries the addition QPM for “Quiet Power Mode”: on the ground, one engine can supply electricity and air conditioning, taking over the role of an auxiliary power unit.

Feature	Value
Length / wingspan	about 16.8 m / 17.0 m
Max. takeoff weight	8,500 kg
Max. payload	1,406 kg
Cruise speed	up to 440 knots (815 km/h)
Range	2,000 NM with 6, 2,040 NM with 4 passengers
Ceiling	45,000 feet
Rate of climb	3,960 feet per minute

At 8.5 tonnes takeoff weight, the PC-24 is above the 7-tonne limit up to which ICAO assigns aircraft to the light wake turbulence category – so it counts as medium category. What that means for spacing on approach is explained in the article on wake turbulence and separation.

Who flies the PC-24?

The operator list is as versatile as the jet. Roughly, four groups can be distinguished:

• Fractional ownership and charter: launch customer PlaneSense uses the PC-24 in the US in a fractional ownership model. In Europe it is flown by charter and management companies such as FlyingGroup from Belgium and Platoon Aviation, among others.
• Air rescue: Australia’s Royal Flying Doctor Service took delivery of its first of five PC-24s on November 26, 2018, and thus complements its large PC-12 fleet. Svenskt Ambulansflyg in Sweden and the Canadian ambulance service Ornge also rely on the type.
• Military: the Qatar air force flies the PC-24, French naval aviation received its first leased aircraft in 2026, and Spain selected the type in spring 2026 for its air force and navy. The Swiss Air Force had one PC-24 for a time, which has since been sold.
• Government agencies: police forces and regional governments, for example in Canada, use it as a transport and mission aircraft.

Because there are no fixed scheduled flights with the PC-24, your chance depends heavily on where these operators are flying. A look at the registration helps with classification: Swiss aircraft carry HB-, German D-, US aircraft N-. How to read the prefixes is explained in Swiss HB registrations, Understanding aircraft registrations and country codes.

PC-24 or another light jet?

There are quite a few small business jets with tail-mounted engines and a T-tail. The finder helps you narrow it down with three observations.

The most common look-alikes on European aprons are the Embraer Phenom 300, the Cessna Citation CJ4 and the Learjet 75. They are in a similar size class but have no pallet-sized cargo door. Clear cases are the HondaJet with engines above the wings and the single-engine Cirrus Vision Jet. You will find a detailed overview of tails, windows and engines of the business jet families in the guide Telling business jet types apart.

Where to find the PC-24

The PC-24 is a business aviation aircraft. It does not appear on arrivals boards but where companies, charter customers and ambulance services take off and land. In Switzerland and the rest of the German-speaking region, that mainly means airports with heavy business traffic and regional airfields.

At Zurich Airport, observation deck B gives you a good view of the apron and taxiways; for landings, Butzenbüel is suitable. Geneva Airport is considered one of Europe’s business aviation centers; the observation deck shows you movements on the main runway. Tips for further locations are collected in the guides to plane spotting in Zurich and plane spotting in Geneva. The smaller Bern Airport also lives to a good extent from business and private flights.

Around Stans and Buochs in central Switzerland, where Pilatus builds and flight-tests the aircraft, new aircraft on test flights and ferry flights are a familiar sight.

Place	Chance of a sighting	Why
Stans/Buochs area	high	Manufacturer’s site with test and delivery flights
Geneva and Zurich	medium	Heavy business aviation traffic
Regional airfields with business traffic	medium	Charter, corporate and ambulance flights
Large hubs without a GA focus	low	Little general aviation

How to follow such flights live is explained in the guide on flight tracking with ADS-B; you can find a specific aircraft with the article Tracking an aircraft by registration. General strategies for business traffic are in Spotting business jets.

Spotting in practice and photo tips

The PC-24 is small, often taxis to remote GA aprons and usually arrives without warning. With a bit of preparation, it still becomes a plannable subject.

The landing direction decides whether the jet passes close to you – more on this in Understanding the runway direction in use at an airport. Whether your location is legally fine is covered in Is plane spotting allowed?, and for military aircraft the advice in Photographing military airfields applies in addition. If you are looking for more rarities, you will find inspiration under spotting rare aircraft.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

Conclusion

The PC-24 is the jet for places where jets actually have no business. It shares tail-mounted engines and a T-tail with many light jets – the combination of a cargo door at the rear left and dual wheels on the landing gear it shares with none. Because it flies rarely and without a schedule, every sighting is a small success; with a tracking filter for PC24 and a position near business aviation, you turn that into a plan.