Pilatus PC-12

The PC-12 is the aircraft that made single-engine turboprop charter mainstream. Swiss-built by Pilatus, it pairs a big, comfortable cabin with the ability to use short and even unpaved strips — which is why the same airframe hauls executives one day and freight or medevac the next. Thousands are flying, and its safety and dispatch record is a large part of why operators trust a single engine.

For a Southern California trip, the PC-12 is the value play: a wide cabin for its class, a huge rear cargo door that swallows luggage, golf bags, and skis, and per-hour economics no jet matches. On a hop to Vegas, the desert, or the Sierra, the speed you give up against a light jet often amounts to minutes.