Hendell Aviation of Finland and Fly 7 of Switzerland agreed to begin working together back in 2015, and their efforts to promote PC-12 services are gathering momentum. Now Hendell has identified the UK as ripe for a commercial SET operations base within the next six months, and chairman Matti

Auterinen reports that the UK CAA has no issue with the plans: “Our aim is to create a bridge between Switzerland, France and the UK.” Auterinen combines his role at Hendell with flying the Airbus A350 for Finnair, but creating a new industry with single engine turboprops is his great passion. He first met with Fly 7's CEO Yves Roch in Lausanne while taking type rating and ground course training on the PC-12. From that point on, they agreed to look for opportunities to pool resources to offer management and operations expertise to PC-12 owners. Since last year, Hendell's CEO Mikael Lees has been based in Lausanne and runs operations and CAMO services for Fly 7.

Fly 7, as well as having a fleet of seven PC-12s, runs a large PC-12 training centre in Europe, accredited by the US FAA, EASA and JAA. It offers qualifications including CPL, ATPL and IR and all its instructors fly as commercial executive pilots. Hendell and Fly 7 insist that good flight training on single-engine aircraft is going to be the most crucial element of this sector's success, as more and more aircraft come under commercial operator AOCs.

Auterinen advocates the use of a shared simulator with visual flight displays for PC-12 pilots in Europe, because EASA demands that a single engine turboprop pilot must achieve more than the minimum number of hours a commercial pilot must attain (700 hours plus).

With years of operating experience gained since flying humanitarian PC-12 operations in East Africa over a decade ago, Auterinen was able to help EASA define the challenges of SET-IMC and how best to overcome them. For example, in SET ops IMC he will insist on two pilots. “Striving to adopt the best standards set for the airline industry is another key objective for us,” he says.

“We have studied the EASA CAT SET ops and the document is very solid, enabling a good operating framework and terrific opportunities for operators,” he says.

Hendell Aviation and Fly 7 are seeing more enquiries about managing PC-12 aircraft as well as a general upswing in charter demand. “More charter brokers are getting familiar with these aircraft and the new destinations they are opening up.”

Fly 7 CEO Yves Roch adds: “The PC-12 can access 2,000 airfields in Europe that are not accessible by jet and at a much more affordable cost. We are confident that with the new EASA rulings we are going to see a new base of customers who had previously dismissed private air charter because of the cost. We are doing all we can to educate people, especially the savvy entrepreneur millennials.

“At Fly 7 we are doing our bit by getting this message out loud and clear with an engaging interactive website and a strong pro-active social media presence.”

The heightened collaboration between these two operators was apparent last winter when Hendell based a PC-12 in Saanen, Switzerland. This summer it is broadening its charter offerings from St Tropez, Lausanne and Geneva as well as other airports around Europe. The two companies also intend to further explore new markets in medevac, cargo and aerial survey in a nod to the PC-12's versatility. “Regional hospitals have a need to transport patients at a reasonable price when local helicopters and heavy jets are not so suitable,” adds Roch.

Hendell Aviation is also willing to assist other operators just as it helped GI Aviation with securing its GCAA AOC. Abu Dhabi Al Bateen Executive Airport-based GI Aviation is now operational and will introduce a second PC-12NG in June.