An interesting option for outdoorsmen.
It’s well understood by most that one of the advantages to flying private over commercial is access to more runways. The practical benefit is that you can land closer to your destination, be that for a business meeting or some fly fishing. Your landing options increase significantly more if you choose a turbo-prop over a jet for your fractional ownership.Fractional jet provider PlaneSense has built their business around the Pilatus PC-12. These turbo-props can land on some 8,000 of the 14,000 airstrips out there. That’s because they only need 3,000 feet of runway, versus the 5,000 feet most private jets require. Check out PlaneSense’s cool interactive tool that demonstrates how many runways they can touch down on versus private jets. (Click on PC-12 Runway Access on the left-hand side of this page. ) For instance, within a 200 mile radius of Chicago, the turbo-prop can land at 330 airports versus 123 for private jets.
What’s more, is that with the PlaneSense’s fractional fleet, you can land on grass or gravel runways as well. For fellow outdoorsmen, such as myself, this is a big advantage, allowing one to land much closer to the field or stream where you intend to hunt, fish and camp. (Or, if you’re a land owner, perhaps on your own country estate!) And there’s even more to ponder with this option: These turbo-props have relatively large cargo holds, ideal for storing your trade show booth or, better still, your fishing gear.
