Pilatus P-4

The Pilatus P- 4 was a development project of the Swiss company Pilatus Flugzeugwerke AG. The P -4 was not specifically designed as a passenger plane, but as a working aircraft with different application possibilities. The aim was to build a robust aircraft, which had good-natured flight characteristics at low speeds, could start on short runways and landing and was undemanding in maintenance. On March 22, 1948, the P-4 started with the registration HB- AET on its maiden flight. Capacity constraints, however, prevented at the time mass production.

Attention was paid to the P-4 on the 18th Paris Air Show in 1949, where he was shown a wide international audience. It was intended to equip the P-4 with floats or a combined Rad-/Skifahrwerk. Project management was also inserts in the agricultural aviation.

On October 13, 1957, the P-4 crashed during a training exercise with the Air Rescue Service in Susten area and suffered total loss. Up to this point, the P-4 had always been Flugzeugwerke AG in possession of Pilate.

Comparing the P- 4 with the eleven years later constructed PC-6 can be seen that the P-4 is a precursor to the mature end product, the Pilatus Porter PC-6. Mass production did not materialize due to the utilization of Pilate works by the P-2 production, the robust aircraft should also be seen as a predecessor of the successful model Pilatus PC -6 Porter.