I have to admit to being a PC-12 fan, and although I agree with all statements made by Carrier, I also have concern at the number of fatalities and serious injuries of the years, due to assymetric operations after an engine out (many while training).
There are pro's and cons for all designs.
Centreline thrust works well - Cessna 337. Maybe we should only fly in jets with 2 or more engines at the rear... obviously Dassault have that equation right!
At the end of the day, it's horses for courses... I love flying fixed and rotary wing, but as far as safety goes, I would prefer in order of preference, single engine turbine, twin engine turbine rotary, single turbine rotary, twin piston fixed, single piston rotary, single piston fixed (unless ballistic shute fitted, then it's probably up the front!)
I specialise in risk management, and at the end of the day, its a risk assessment that we all make, as a pilot, and as a passenger, depending on where we are in our career or what we can afford!
I am sure if there was no such thing as economics, we would be flying around in 4 engined aircraft that stalled at 20kts!
bobk
Thanks Panama Jack for supplying link to Canadian Forum thread.
I read through the thread, and although there was much critisism by those "boys" not flying the aircraft, the pilots that were, had nothing but praise for the aircraft, and the stats speak for themselves - out of all the engine-outs, there have been no Pilatus fatalities, and they seem to float well!
