Alaska Bush flying - Walk around the Pilatus Porter PC-6 : 2023

Join me as I follow an Alaska Bush Pilot on the pre-flight walk around of The Pilatus Porter PC-6 bush plane.
Philipp flies in the Alaska back country of the Alaska region.
He also teaches in this porter, as well as use it for utility work, serving the community around McCarthy.
From his summer time lodge, the FlyAlaska Lodge, inside the Wrangel-St.Elias National park, he operates this Porter onto the glaciers and high elevation mountain terrain, around the McCarthy area.
This Alaska bush plane, is very capable machine, and carries a lot of weight.
The Pilatus Porter PC-6 saw production from 1959 - 2022.
Book your summer flying adventure at his lodge, and come and fly the Porter yourself:
FlyAlaska Lodge : FlyAlaskaLodge.com
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0:00 Introduction
0:52 FlyAlaska Lodge
3:41 Pilatus Porter PC-6 Walk around at the lodge
5:10 Turbine Conversion - Pratt & Witney PT-6
6:24 North Atlantic Ferry from Europe to Alaska
8:11 Landing gear 35" bushwheels and 10" wheel from Berringer
9:25 Cargo conversion
11:55 The Porter Trap Door
15:25 The Cockpit
15:55 Avionics
17:22 Manual Flaps and trip
20:27 Ski pump
20:45 Maintenance and Pilatus factory support and spare parts
21:55 Backcountry Alaska communities and air support

[@kennethperian4370]

Great job showing and telling about the bush plane nice one it is take good care of it EX care cause its nice. Well thanks for showing and sharing your video of your bush plane and life. In ALASKA, take care have a great one and will see ya next time see ya bye.

[@JeremyJoubert]

So although Pilatus aren’t making them anymore, you can order one in kit form if you just order all the parts in the catalogue!

[@johndavidwolf4239]

I have never seen a Swiss machine that was not perfectly made,

[@fredblogs]

I skydived out of one several times in Spain at 13000 ft free fall to 2.500 ft and the Pilatus was landing below us. It was on the ground before we could get down. Great aircraft.

[@ringingears251]

I fell in love with this plane after watching Never cry wolf when I was a kid.

[@PeterNGloor]

in the movie it looked like it was very expensive - too much to replace the old Beaver...

[@larrynoe6162]

I am a pilot and can appreciate this magnificent machine. Oh and I own a Rolex and several nice Tissots.

[@Harpoika]

Pc6 is my all time favourite aircraft

[@brandonjerue1205]

Not just the Porter but anything PILATUS ❤️🇨🇭🛩️ The PC-24 is the only private jet worthy of ALASKA BUSH FLYING

[@grant209]

The Australian Army operated Pilatus PC-6B Turbo Porter from the late 60's till the mid 1990's when they were retired from service. An awesome STAL aircraft to watch, so versatile

[@bernhardeigenhuis3522]

Lekker Deon, daai aksent sal ek orals herken !!! Groete van Wes van Lanseria SA

[@danielmarcou2040]

this guy is living the dream!!!

[@michealfaulk5149]

Last flew on a Porter in Vietnam. Was there Sept 65- Dec 67. Air America gave me rides back to base frequently. Thanks to Bill Pratt. They can do everything they did in the movie. Thank you, Mel Gibson.

[@flyer5769]

My dad started with air America in 1967. I got there 1968 at 10 years old. He flew porters's, DC-3's, C-46's, I don't know if you flew the Volpar. Also he flew in Vientiane, Laos.

[@pclayton5063]

I was thinking that looks what Air America was flying when I was in Vietnam.

[@michealfaulk5149]

@@pclayton5063 They had a slew of unusual aircraft. Dornier, a twin, was what Bill Pratt normally flew. C46s, the Porter, aero commander twins. Helio Couriers, also a good performing STOL.

[@10gsplus]

As much as neccessary and as little as possible ... beautiful.

[@davybloggs1564]

Excellent video, very informative and interesting. Thanks for posting.

[@56thSPSk970]

Yes, I too was first introduced to the Porter in Vietnam/Thailand in 70'. Twice sence then, for me its the ok only aircraft in the sky..... A terrific airplane!

[@alexgeorge2993]

Great video and in my humble opinion it is the ultimate bush plane!

[@bruwalter8141]

One of the best Airlines. 🤩👍 Greetings from Switzetland 🇨🇭 The birdplace of PC6 Porter Be blessed in the LORD 😉

[@murdocks8242]

Awesome bird!

[@Renato.Stiefenhofer.747driver]

Thank's for the video, Deon. "Jausen-Brettli" ... sounds more like Austrian/Bavarian German. That is, of course, totally not important. I used to fly the Pilatus Porter a couple of times. It's a helicopter without the danger of too many moving parts. Regards from Far East, flying the four engined pocket knife from Seattle..😉 .. sometimes over Mount St. Elias. Absolutely gorgeous up there. The longest glacier I know of. Still growing. Don't tell Greta...

[@capt.robertodegioannis9954]

Fantastic aircraft ! 👍

[@RobotoForgoto]

I would love to see this bird and a turbo beaver flying around together in a video. I love them both! 🇨🇦

[@DeonMitton]

Working on that ...

[@redbearrc6706]

I love this walkaround. Pilatus stopped the production, but I will continue although mine are rc models. I hope that I will fly in a real one someday. Thanks for the nice videos of the Porter.

[@timberskypilot]

I miss flying a Porter!

[@dewiz9596]

Awesome plane!

[@space1commander]

What a beautiful Machine and thanks to every one for making this video possible and what an amazing pilot.

[@volkerjansen3901]

Wonderful video and plane! Looking forward to more videos from Alaska :)

[@DeonMitton]

Thanks a lot!

[@cdalton3169]

Beautiful aircraft!!!!!!

[@Thepuffingyank]

back in the 90's. i worked in cordova for great pacific as a dock hand and forklift driver. a colleague of mine would drive out to the bridge and watch the childes calve into the copper oh such memories. my hopes of riding to the bridge we dashed by my misunderstanding of glacial silt aqnd it's roil in ending all movement in the crank thank you sealed bearing crankshaft you performed exactly ass adverLIED it as.. i made it 7 miles. i think the bridge is 50.maybe? i would love to see more ! i need to go back. i love it there

[@CapitaineNautilus]

Hop Suisse !

[@villagelightsmith4375]

I knew I should have bought one of those things. Pilatus Porter.

[@hendo7798]

Really interesting and well presented video , very enjoyable thank you 🙏

[@chartphred1]

I could own any aircraft in the world, this would be it.

[@weallmakechoices7456]

Used to fly one. Never felt happier than in it, great aeroplane. Yes the jausen brettli I used to call the 'tea shelf'. Great for the mug of tea & sandwiches, pens, hat, gloves etc.

[@skypilot249]

Thanks a lot, especially on a rainy day here in Switzerland when I can't fly my "Red Bull" Pilatus Porter, a beautiful scale model of course, wingspan 52", electric powered. I just love Pilatus Porters, besides Beavers, Twin Otters and other bush planes 😊 Can't wait until the skydive season starts and I can go for a ride along with the skydivers but me, I prefer to enjoy the pretty fast steep dive back to the airfield 😄

[@steveb1739]

Very lekker boet! Thank you for the walk around, Danke schoen Hr. Phillipe, eine Schöne flugzeug!

[@stantissue2065]

Eddie Uhl (Fairchild CEO) used to wake me up every summer morning with a relatively low pass over the house on his way from Fairchild in Hagerstown, MD, to Fairchild in Germantown, MD. The Porter was his commuter vehicle. He landed it right in front of the building in Germantown, on about 300’ of landing strip that ran parallel to I270. He also used the FH1100 helicopter occasionally, but did not fly it. His pilot lived across the street from us.

[@robertanderson-yx8mo]

Engineering excellence

[@Tom-or2bm]

Sehr sympathisch ! "Jausen-Brettli" :-)) herrlich, wonderful ! Vielen Dank - thank you !

[@voornaam3191]

Then hurry! What the BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP are you waiting for? Just asking, one is never too old to change one's mind. Ten years from now, you prolly say thanks, no, thanks. Better do ten years of great flying.

[@Tom-or2bm]

@@voornaam3191 ?? hä ?? I think you misunderstood what I said... Btw: I flew gliders for years.

[@robertmannel4446]

I'm a newbie wannabe. In love with the DH-2 Beaver. And in love with this airframe, now. Just love how important these planes service the Puget Sound and North thru Alaska. I love this!

[@josephcooksley3219]

Amazing

[@EmaaCharlie]

Only I can say it's just like Abig eagle dancing over the poles❤

[@Plumsouffle]

What a beautifully happy man. Life is too short for some…

[@TinkerToby]

Even these little planes are over a million.

[@brianmelanson5124]

That’s awesome, we’re on the other side of the park, in HAines Junction Yukon. Real cool bird

[@trudeauphobicmooseater7263]

Awesome tour of your PC-6! Lots of well designed features that out do the DHC 2Turbo Beaver, which went out of production in ‘67… I operate CFOED, TB # 9 with a 4 blade MT out front…thinks you might like it; we sure do. MT has the STC…

[@P-CROZIER]

Wonderful to see this and see the flying, we had these in Papua New Guinea, the original PT6 was upgraded from the Dash 20,to the Dash 27 and finally to the Dash 34... We flew 3 of them at Sky Dive Dubai... And a friend of mine flew 1 in Jordan for parachutists...

[@rubenhenson131]

Awesome

[@WillemLuntungan]

Pc 6 ❤

[@reto4214]

Great video!

[@michaelguerin56]

Thank you Deon and Philippe for an excellent video. I have subscribed.

[@daveblevins3322]

I seem to remember something like this from my visits to Thailand and South Vietnam. 1972 &/3. Air America I believe.

[@AlaskasFlyingCowboy]

Nice job Deon!

[@DeonMitton]

Thanks Gary! Looking forward to next time! Will send you stills from the photo flight soon

[@swim2kill]

This was my favorite pc6 walkaround. You can really tell he loves that plane. Are you scottish or south african? Some words sound Scottish and some south african. Cool accent

[@Wobbler619]

Great for skydiving too!

[@diegoerazo5453]

on my wish list.

[@ebazerkhairetdinov1089]

Amazing airplane 👍🏻

[@HMVIERA]

Great Video! I’m also a big Pilatus Porter Fan😊

[@DeonMitton]

Great ! Thanks for the feedback - it's a very capable platform

[@PeterNGloor]

two skydiver-safety features: the guard on the horizontal stab AND a guard in front of the tailwheel. But it looks easier to drop from the floor hatch.

[@flykazan8846]

Thank you very much for the video. I also have experience flying the PC-6. It's an amazing aircraft. I flew in Africa and encountered high crosswinds several times. Landing this plane in a crosswind is challenging. I have a question: I hold an ICAO license. Can I work with this type of aircraft in Alaska, for example?

[@CoolStyleSir]

So Nice

[@PeterNGloor]

it was made to replace the Beaver, and it can do it well. Especially when it got a turbine engine.

[@liammcinnis8750]

Awesome video, would love to watch some of your experiences with Tropic Ocean Airways if you have some footage

[@stonecreek94]

Tolles Flugzeug

[@sski]

Wanted one all my life.

[@nomad8994]

Actually work in Aircraft maintenance out in Lake Hood Anchorage. See a PC-6 across the street every once and while its red and white. One of those planes that’s cool and weird looking at the same time.

[@maxthechief6456]

I know that aircraft, worked on that from 82 to ˋ05 on S/N 856 in the Austran Airforce👍

[@glennoropeza3545]

If anybody wonders what a Pilatus Porter is capable of doing just watch the movie Air America with Mel Gibson and Robert Downey jr! I was amazed at the planes ability to land on a very short dirt runway on a mountain! I'm sure it was done by a Hollywood stuntman but these planes can do what others can't! Yes the plane maybe easy to fly like a Supercub but make no mistake the porter is a big bird!

[@uwepaulinehefele8952]

eigentlich müsste es das "Znünibrättli" heissen in original Schwiitzer Dütsch. Die Jause stammt bekanntlich aus Österreich

[@ackack612]

A very good presentation. My only quibble would be not asking how a German pilot ends up as an Alaskan bush pilot...gotta be a good story.

[@aaronteuscher2303]

He is Swiss....

[@ackack612]

@@aaronteuscher2303 ...and speaks german, (albeit swiss german?) as his first language.

[@lancesay]

during the secret war from 1960 to 1975, in laos, #air #america #airamerica, flew these #pilatus #porter pc-6 is known by locals by not understanding english or know how fully pronouncing the word porter, they called it Pocter. these Pocters were like dragon flies flying high in the sky of laos going from lima sites to lima sites. what a memory. maybe one of these days, i would love to see one of these Pocters flying again in laos, that would be so cool going from lima sites to lima sites.

[@danielepatane3841]

Switzerland is a country full of mountains so they built the Pilatus pc6 keeping in mind their territory this is the main reason why it performs so well in the bushes...this is my humble opinion

[@terryterry1655]

pilatus still supporting Porter in terms of spare parts

[@kilcar]

Leave it to the Swiss to build such a piece of art as that aircraft.

[@MattMorris481]

Look at that it even has a mother law seat all the way in the back or if you got one of those Karen passengers that won’t stop complaining.😂

[@kilcar]

I believe that type of aircraft was in a James Bond film. I wonder what the stall speed is?

[@user-ct1nv1yb7n]

ใช่รูปทรงมันได้กว่ามันคิดแล้วก็สร้างเพื่อสิ่งเดียวสั้นที่สุด

[@xforged2021]

Nice plane　Nice view　Nice life.

[@robertneven7563]

hello, i jump more then 400 jumps out off the Pil,

[@neiwtonpereira8807]

Cool! I need to make some flights at this location in Flight Simulator, I need the ICAO code for this aerodrome please

[@KonstantinosSoulis]

I learned about planes from simulators. If I was possible to turn back the time i will just learn good English and study for a pilot.

[@calinutza33]

It’s never too late to becoming a pilot , it’s only very expensive ‘ 😢

[@bernhardecklin7005]

Is it a former Flugwaffe PC-6?

[@dtsh4451]

Just a pity Pilatus stopped building the PC-6😢

[@dougb27]

I hear the pc-48 is gonna be even better.

[@cinemantics231]

@@dougb27 what's the PC-48?

[@user-ct1nv1yb7n]

คลิปนี้เพิ่งปล่อยมาไม่นานเครื่องอยู่ในสภาพใช้งานจ่ายเงินใช้ได้เลยคิดว่าอย่างนั้น

[@Noone-rt6pw]

A turbine as an engine??? Helicopters have them. A previous video showed a long nose Cessna looking plane where it crossed my mind a turbine could be laid in the engine compartment. It crossed my mind with the long nose, a channel through the plane could be intake and exiting thrust of a turbine as the original MIG with a prop as well. I never heard of this combination, however, on a smaller plane, a small turbine could be laid in with a channel through the plane, then a prop in front of the intake, with thrust exiting the rear, where the thrust and prop would need to be synchronized so one doesn't impose drag on the other, but to feed and complement one another. There may need to be modifications to the prop as pitch, diameter (length), cupping and being adjustable as well. But both complementing one another. It wouldn't be efficient I do not suspect at startup and slower speeds, but might give shorter take offs with more thrust, becoming more efficient flying and especially long distance.

[@flyer5769]

So when was the Porter certified for flight in the US?

[@stantissue2065]

I would guess it was around 1963 that the deal was done with Fairchild. I think I have documentation on it but it is packed away at the moment. It was flying in the mid 60’s out of Hagerstown.

[@toddmaley2031]

Is that a helio courier

[@user-ct1nv1yb7n]

ถ้ามีคนถามซื้อต่อคุณเต็มใจที่จะขายไหม

[@user-ct1nv1yb7n]

เขาน่าจะขายแน่นอน 100% ถ้าคุณตกลงราคาได้

[@goatfarmmb]

Pilatus has discontinued the PC-6 this year

[@Moonbahmemories]

Clutch cargo isgo

[@travers114]

Classic neutral Switzerland, where every plane as standard has bomb bay doors haha

[@savagecub]

So I take it the pilot spends less than 30 minutes above 12500’ ???

[@DeonMitton]

except when he's using supplemental O2

[@jasoncrandall]

You gotta be “that guy” huh?🤢

[@warjacare]

Every few seconds a new scene. Disturbing.

[@TroyOttosen-jg7tt]

As a longtime Alaskan, flying with the best AK pilots over the years, I will take a beaver or Cessna 185 anyday!😳

[@wagnergitirana]

If customers from Colombia and Mexico are buying a lot of this specific aircraft… well, then you shouldn’t be so surprised… that drop cargo bay, more likely is the main feature for a more “specific clientele” !

[@jacknisen]

Did you know Rudolf Wiedler?

[@FLY2KO]

Ok Skydiving plane, I dont like its massive structural failure rate....