If you’re like me, you probably hate cleaning but love having a clean workplace, home, and airplane. There is nothing better than the feeling of being organized, tidy, and having everything shining.
Later in this issue, we focus our attention on the importance of keeping your aircraft clean and ways to stay tidy and organized in aviation life. It’s fitting, then, that the marketplace mirrors our spring-cleaning efforts. In this issue of the Pulse, we touch on how the marketplace cleans itself up in the spring, just like we do in our personal lives.
If you follow the Pulse or the marketplace in general, you likely have a basic understanding of how the market ebbs and flows. There were 52 PC-12s sold in the fourth quarter last year. Considering the marketplace averages 85–90 airplanes for sale at any given moment, selling 52 aircraft in a single quarter represents a rather large chunk of the available inventory. Most years tell a similar story, leading to a natural cleaning of the marketplace in Q1.
Currently, 20% of the aircraft on the market have been listed for less than 30 days, and 70% have been listed for less than 180 days. Compare this to the start of Q4 2025, when only 14% of the market had been listed for less than 30 days, and only 42% had been listed for less than six months. This data illustrates how the market replenishes itself early in the year and then sells off toward year-end.
We advise our clients that spring is an excellent time to begin the buying process. As the data above suggests, the market has refreshed itself with new inventory, and fewer buyers are actively seeking purchase opportunities, creating conditions that favor buyers. Now, this does not mean a buyer will find a unicorn hiding under a rock for $200,000 below market value; that simply isn’t the Pilatus market. Perceived bargains don’t exist here. If they did, the value of your PC-12 wouldn’t be what it is today (shameless plug for the PAR–we’re happy to tell you what your aircraft is worth).
Pilatus buyers don’t purchase the PC-12 because they want a “deal.” You can find a deal down the road in Wichita. Just call your salesperson near the end of a quarter and see what discount they’ll offer. Stable values, boutique production, and manufacturer-enforced pricing are the backbone of the Pilatus program. Those factors are exactly what have created one of the most consistent and resilient resale markets in aviation.
If you normally stop reading the Pulse after the introduction, I encourage you to continue reading.
Our team sat down with Mark Patey of Best Aviation Products. Mark is a true aviator and entrepreneur who built products that greatly benefit the Pilatus community. We also headed to the hangar to interview our very own Kevin Ratcliffe, the master of his detailing domain. Having recently assisted him on a detailing project, I can personally attest that no one in this industry is more in tune with what it takes to keep your aircraft in pristine cosmetic condition than Kevin.
Enjoy, and happy spring cleaning.
Fly Safe,
Scott Glenn