Beechcraft 220 Denali

For a very long time, about three decades, Pilatus has had a near monopoly with the PC-12 single turboprop utility aircraft. There was no other similar aircraft, until Textron Aviation announced the Denali in 2015. At first is was to be the Cessna model 220, but later Textron decided to market the aircraft as a Beechcraft. The Beechcraft Denali has a single turboprop engine in the nose like the PC-12. There is some space between the prop spinner and the intake below it. Exhausts are on both sides of the nose. Also like the Pilates, the Beech 220 is equipped with a large cargo door in the left aft fuselage, and has a T-tail, but with a small dorsal fin and without the typical PC-12 bullet fairing. Also distinctively different are the large oval cabin windows, the rudder ending above the tail cone and the lack of small triangular cockpit side window on the left side.

The separated air intake below the spinner is a key feature of the Beechcraft Denali, but not a definitive one. The cockpit side window is though.

The Denali has a tail without large bullet fairing, a short dorsal fin and a rudder that ends above the tail cone.

Similar aircraft

Some airplanes look so similar to the Beech Denali that you may confuse them. Below you can read how to distinguish them.

Beech Denali & Pilatus PC-12

The air intake, cockpit windows and nose gear of Beechcraft Denali and PC-12 are a bit different, but it is easier to look at the tail area. The PC-12 has a longer dorsal fin than the Denali, a rudder that extends to the bottom of the rear fuselage, longer ventral fins and a typical bullet fairing in front of the horizontal stabiliser. Additionally, the PC-12 has rectangular or race track shaped cabin windows.