What do airline recruitment departments think of single engine turbine IFR in an aircraft like a PC12? Probably haven't thought about it much at all yet. Possibly in the same category as glider and ultralight experience!
Why?
We have all heard "This airline does not hire SO's/FO's, we hire future captains....." They are not saying this to give you or themselves a hard-on, they have to hire people that fit the bill.
The bill is the minimum experience requirements in 82.3 and 82.5.
Why hire a 'problem' person that will need three hundred hours of ICUS when they do their command upgrade when there are plenty of other warm bodies who could possibly do it in only 50 as per the regs min?!?!?
Ansett and other jet operators had to let go some otherwise fine pilots-in-training with good reps from Kendells, etc, because they could not meet line-check standard within the allocated hours.
How do you think things would go if they regularly hired people that required SIX times more input from a training captain. The process would add months. The rostering and crew planning people would love that, would they not!
The short answer for the PC12 pilot with an eye on the airlines is to have a look at the current requirements in CAO 82 and make sure you have them. Then you can 'sell' your PC12 time as time in a high performance turbine, requiring good skills, etc etc etc
As the supply of available ex duchess/baron/402/navajo/kingair etc drivers dries up when this ancient machinery starts being permanently parked, then maybe the airlines MIGHT ask the regulator to look at CAO 82.
Then again, it might just tip the recruitment scales in favour of the cadetship method.
A former management pilot (until sept 13th) of a major airline that sat on the interview panel said to me once -- cadetships have a lot to offer an airline -- there are certain risks in an airline taking on someone who has been operating out there in GA for years, what is so wrong about taking a guy/girl with aptitude through a disciplined environment right from the word 'go' and training them your way?
He was playing devils advocate, but you can imagine that there are some significant forces at work here, esp if the beancounters get in on it.