I don't think there are any that don't have it at this point. Yes, avionics are impossible without it.

I hated APEX when I first got my PC12. They've really come to the table and gotten it all fixed. It works great now. I'm happy with it.

I don't think there are any that don't have it at this point. Yes, avionics are impossible without it.

I hated APEX when I first got my PC12. They've really come to the table and gotten it all fixed. It works great now. I'm happy with it.

The CCD is nice to have but for sure not required. I had a sim partner that didn't have one and he was pretty quick with the joystick. I've found the joystick is easier to get around when you have a lot of button pushing to do for loading flight plans vs go back and forth from the trackball to keypad. I do use the CCD all the time while in flight.

The other notable item to look for is the Connected Flight Deck which allows for wireless database and chart uploads. It's a big deal unless you want to spend an hour every 2 weeks uploading from an XP laptop. Most of the fleet has been upgraded but I'm sure there are some that didn't take the special 16K offer from Pilatus (which expired the end of last year).

If you are in a hot climate, make sure you find one with the "additional air" VCCS system. (also allows to pre-cool the plane while on GPU). Most of the NGs have it, but not all.

Some serial number milestones
- 1000+ a "NG" or technically a PC-12/47E
- 1330ish and above had synthetic vision (a 95K upgrade if you want it!)
- 1450 and above had the electric gear (vs hydro/electric); this isn't a big deal other than it's very quite.
(The number on the nose gear door is the serial number.)

If you are purchasing a plane initially delivered outside of the US, make sure it has XM weather.

I flew the NG without a CCD for a couple years. We wanted the most recent avionics build as well as connected panel. To get these items we had to install the CCD. It's nice and I use it a lot but it's not a "how did I operate without this item."

Here's a before and after of a recent G600 upgrade we did.

Mike, wow!
I think that was in the shop while mine was there.....

Those avionics guys really do an awesome job... It's crazy how much better panels look after the avionics guys get after them for a few weeks.

Would a straight 47 be the same speed and useful load as an NG?
What is the difference between the last 47 vs the NG besides avionics?
I would think a 47 with G600 / GTN upgrade would be sweet.

And easy peasy to do the data updates in minutes.

A straight 47 would be about 10 kts slower than a NG. The straight 47 still had the -67B which had lower ITT limits. NG has the -67P. 820 cruise ITT limit (most operators use 780).

I'd guess the straight 47 has more useful load as the gross weight is the same as the NG. 10,450. I don't have any real world BOW of a straight 47 but the 45s BOW were around 6000-6100. My NG BOW is 6596 (but with 500# increase in gross weight). My fuel fuel payload is 1150. 2700# of fuel over 6 hours of range.

I agree the straight 47 is the one to have but the problem is there are only about 110 serial numbers so they are hard to find. I heard the U.S. Airforce purchased/owns a lot of the straight 47s.

Most 47s only have 1 battery where all NGs have 2. The electrical systems in the NGs are cleaned up and more symmetrical. The NGs have 2 300amp alternators and legacies have two but you have to do some serious load shedding if you loose the main one. The backup is only around 100 amps from what I remember.

Yeah. That's what I get Summer vs. Winter. You post much slower speeds than 265-275 in the past for some reason.

Yeah. That's what I get Summer vs. Winter. You post much slower speeds than 265-275 in the past for some reason.

I see 277 true in Winter in Fl. It's all cold up high. Just much colder in winter.

Our BOW is as follows your weights may vary

45= 6451
47= 6530
NG= 6651