Pilatus PC-12 Aircraft Meet European Noise Regs with 7-Blade Prop

MT-Propeller designed its Silent 7 prop for the Pilatus PC-12. [Courtesy: MT-Propeller]

MT-Propeller said it has installed its Silent 7 propeller on 75 Pilatus PC-12 aircraft in Europe and the U.S. The German manufacturer said the supplemental type certificate, (STC) for the installation “meets the highest noise regulations in European countries for unrestricted airport operations.”

The company said the new propeller has a number of advantages over the five-blade designs used on many turboprop aircraft. The PC-12’s certified takeoff performance improved by 20 percent with the Silent 7. The seven-blade design runs smoothly and reduces noise outside and in the cabin, MT said.

MT-Propeller offers 30 certified propeller models ranging from two to seven blades with hydraulically controlled variable pitch designs for engines generating up to 5,000 horsepower, and two- to four-blade models with electric pitch control for engines of up to 350 horsepower.

MT’s propellers can be used on piston and turboprop airplanes, airships, hovercraft, and in wind tunnels. They are available for airplanes from motor gliders to regional airliners, MT said. The company holds more than 220 STCs worldwide and is an OEM supplier for more than 90 percent of the European aircraft industry and 30 percent of the U.S. aircraft industry.

Composite MT-Propeller Pilatus PC-12 piston Silent 7 turboprop

Jonathan WelshAuthor

Jonathan Welsh is a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4