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Going Recreational In A Pilatus

An executive turbine with a fun personality sets out to fulfill a mission in the Grand Canyon

Despite the big size and hauling capabilities of the PC-12, the skinny dirt strip at Whitmore International Airport was no challenge.

While buyers can choose from a plethora of avionics systems, the panel comes standard with a Bendix/King EFS40/50 EFIS, KLN90B GPS, KFC325 autopilot and RDR2000 weather radar system. But dual Garmin 530s and a KMD850 multi-function display are popular options and typically connected to traffic and ground proximity warning systems. If that’s not enough, a GNS-XLS flight management system is also available. With a NEXRAD subscription, the pilot can download real-time weather images, TAFs and METARs. On several occasions, Schneider has even requested IFR diversions from ATC to avoid nasty weather, and he’s heard airline pilots and military pilots follow his lead. “Sometimes, I wonder if I should charge those guys for the service,” he jokes.

The panel may seem daunting at first glance, but, once the systems are ingrained, they greatly simplify the pilot’s workload. The EFIS can be customized based on the pilot’s needs at any given time, displaying more or less information on the screen.

One of the PC-12 underappreciated assets is its large cargo door, which measures four feet and five inches by four feet and four inches. The Swiss made the door in such a way so that it opens easily and closes electrically, allowing quick access to the aircraft’s huge load-carrying capabilities. If space becomes tight, seats can be removed in a matter of minutes. Literally. Schneider, Haenggi and Jordan did exactly that and loaded a factory PC-12 with camping gear, mountain bikes and rock-climbing equipment, and left on a “business trip.” The mission? To see for themselves just how well the Pilatus could go…recreational.

Schneider set down at Whitmore International Airport, a dirt strip on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Despite its isolation, the tiny, sloping runway is far from quiet. Thousands of Colorado river-rafters make their way up by helicopter from the canyon floor for an airplane ride home, and the runway is the first stop for private pilots who arrive for a one-of-a-kind stay at the Bar 10 Ranch.

The Bar 10, a working-cattle-ranch-turned-guest-ranch, is owned and operated by the Heaton family. Heaton patriarchs Tony and Ruby built a lodge in the early 1980s and began offering lunch, dinner and a place to stay for the wet, tired rafters. Little by little, they added their own activities to entice visitors to linger longer. Four thousand to 5,000 guests a year do just that, staying either in the lodge or the cozy Conestoga covered wagons tucked into a grove of trees. While Schneider, Jordan and Haenggi unloaded the PC-12 and established a “base camp” next to its wing, the lure of the Bar 10 was hard to ignore.

The Bar 10 Ranch is reminiscent of the movie City Slickers. While clients may not get to herd cattle, they ride horses, learn to rope, tour the high desert in ATVs, climb rocks, shoot guns, enjoy river-rafting, hike and play billiards, table tennis, horseshoes or volleyball. In the evenings, the ranch hands entertain the guests with jokes, music, singing, roping and a genuine cowboy shootout. Although guests now provide the bulk of the Bar 10’s income, the Heatons and their three sons, Kirk, Kelly and Gavin, still run about 500 head of cattle. The ranch employs seven full-time hands and 15 part-time workers through the summer months.

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