Extolling winged virtues

A New Zealand manufactured turbine-powered bush plane, the P750 XSTOL is being promoted in Alaska by a Californian dealer who says the aircraft rivals the traditional Cessna turbine aircraft for travel in the American state. Ray Ferrell, a demonstration pilot with Utility Aircraft USA, which is the distributor for Hamilton-based Pacific Aerospace Ltd., said the XSTOL would work well on rural Alaska’s short runways, and it has the capacity of carry heavy loads. The aircraft is a basic nine-place, low-wing, single turbine plane powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6. It can haul a combined 4,428 pounds of cargo and passengers, and is designed as an alternative to the Cessna Caravan. Local pilot Lars Gleitsman flew the XSTOL and said the visibility from the cockpit was excellent. “It is much like a helicopter canopy below your legs, which gives the pilot good view of the ground, even at high angles of attack,” Gleitsman said. “And it is much more roomy than the Cessna 208 cockpit.”