No doubt my flight planning more than makes up for the difference in a faster airplane. But imagine marrying my flight planning and the extra 35 knots!!!

Speed sells airplanes. If the Denali is 35 knots faster than the PC12 it will be hard to sell a PC12.

Totally agree but that didn't keep all the mini jet manufacturers from selling mini jets. People see that 425 knot speed on the Honda Jet and all logic goes out the window. I have 2 friends that regret that purchase.

You have to think about the speed from a "what is the maximum headwind I'll face" point of view. I was ready to shoot myself in the head on trips back from the East Coast in the KA when I was seeing 180KTS.... (I'd call anything under 200kts my "suicide speed"). I know that everyone thinks Turbo props can duck under the winds but I never saw a circumstance where that really ever paid off.

I think the whole very light jet thing has played out.

Cirrus has their niche carved out, but everyone else in the very light, or very, very, very light jet game has exited, prior to entering in most cases. Piper was relatively far along and quit. Cessna stopped making the Mustang, after I'm sure the Textron bean counters counted that there were no more beans to market them to. Eclipse - I have no idea. Phenom 100 has tapered down to under 20 per year.

Other than Cirrus, all single engine very (very) light jets were stillborn.

The VLJ twin engine range is still with us, but it is settling out at the M2/Phenom 300 as the floor, rather than the Mustang/P100. And let's face it, that's what people who want to ride around in a thing called a jet are interested in at the very, very bottom: a very mini personal airliner. Two engines, leather seats, wifi and a potty, even if it is an RV potty. Oh and some of those people in white shirts and bars on their shoulders to drive it.

The SETP market is the step up from pistons and it is more or less the top of the heap for owner-flown aircraft, with a few climbing the highest steeples of flying SP-certified jets.

The Denali doesn't seem to hit any magic pain points in the market, unless you just don't like the Swiss, or the French, or Vero Beachians. I have doubts they're going to find 35kts that Pilatus left on the table, especially after all the iterations of the PC12 at this point. I doubt that Textron is going to be any less-bureaucratic than Pilatus or TBM to work with on parts and support. That hasn't been my experience owning one of their "orphans".

So what do you get in the Denali? Well, there's always the all new engine from GE.....

Yup. All true for me too.

However, I have many times flown Atlanta to Denver non stop at 6500' in the winter and stayed below the headwinds and sometimes have a tail wind. Refuel then climb to the ski resorts. Saved me an hour compared to flying higher with the 100 knot headwind.

This is my primary opposition to turboprops, I often fly under/around the convective stuff (20nm distance when able) and occasionally for wind, if I were in a turboprop I would be stuck up in the middle of it, or that's my assumption

Never happened to me. Of course I've vectored for storms..... usually the same exact storms Delta is vectoring around. I can't count the number of 1000+nm flights I've done non stop. Hundreds!

These guys that claim to "be above the weather all the time" are full of it. Sometimes? yes. Every time? no.

This is my primary opposition to turboprops, I often fly under/around the convective stuff (20nm distance when able) and occasionally for wind, if I were in a turboprop I would be stuck up in the middle of it, or that's my assumption

In the TBM I will take the headwinds and stay at FL270/280.
It never works to stay low in the turbulence and burn a ton of fuel.





Yup. All true for me too.

However, I have many times flown Atlanta to Denver non stop at 6500' in the winter and stayed below the headwinds and sometimes have a tail wind. Refuel then climb to the ski resorts. Saved me an hour compared to flying higher with the 100 knot headwind.

It works for me as I've already stated.

Probably because the PC12 is 50 kts slower than the TBM 850 and you like flying VFR.



It works for me as I've already stated.

I don't like flying VFR.... I love it. You can fly IFR at 6k'.

100 knot headwind at FL260 or a 12 knot tail wind at 6500'. I had this exact scenario last ski season. It's not rocket science.

If I was in a CJ3 I'd go to FL450. I use the tools that are available to me.

Hence the desire for a PC12 that's 50 knots faster.

Hence the desire for a PC12 that's 50 knots faster.

Totally agree but that didn't keep all the mini jet manufacturers from selling mini jets. People see that 425 knot speed on the Honda Jet and all logic goes out the window. I have 2 friends that regret that purchase.