All genuine car fans get goosebumps when they hear the name Goodwood! What Oshkosh is to aviation fans, the Goodwood Festival of Speed is to car enthusiasts – the ultimate Mecca for car fans from Europe and the world over. Pilatus will once again be joining the fun this year, with our aircraft on display.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed is a motorsports event held every June since 1993 in the grounds of Goodwood House in Westhampnett near Chichester, in the south of England. The festival attracts some 180,000 international visitors every year. Goodwood is not only the home of the Duke of Richmond, but also of Rolls-Royce, the world-famous car manufacturer. The cars parked in the grounds can be admired up close and there are virtually no barriers, apart from the race track.
The History
It all started with a private hill climb in the summer of 1936, organised by Freddie March, the ninth Duke of Richmond. The Duke held the race in the grounds of Goodwood House for the Lancia Car Club. Many years later, the Duke’s grandson, the present Earl of March, hosted his own hill climb and brought Goodwood back into the racing circuit. Lord March hosted the very first Goodwood Festival of Speed in 1993, in the grounds of the Goodwood Estate, a location rich in British motor racing history. Every year, automobile enthusiasts from all over the world arrive with their own racing cars, from F1 machines to NASCAR race cars to motorbikes, to take part in numerous events enjoyed by big crowds.
The Super Versatile Jet – An Absolute Eye-Catcher
At last year’s Festival of Speed, Pilatus wanted to show that besides helicopters and light aircraft, a PC-12 NGX or even a PC-24 will also get you to Goodwood! Visitors who arrived aboard their own or a chartered helicopter were all agog when they saw a private jet standing on the lawn next to the shuttle cars. Obviously fascinated by the technology, many were curious to find out how it had been done.
However, we were not the only ones to bring Swiss craftsmanship to the hallowed meadows of Goodwood. A number of PC-12 customers also arrived and stopped at the PC-24 on their way to the shuttle. Perhaps one or the other PC-12 owner now wants a PC-24 for Christmas.
The Highlight
The highlight of the week, however, was the arrival at the Festival of Speed of the first customer in their own PC-24! The day before, the customer’s pilots completed a few circuits with Theodor Spichtig, a Pilatus factory pilot, to complete their “Unpaved Introduction” sign-off as required by European Union Aviation Safety Agency. By Saturday, everything was ready. All the preparations and previous visits to the Festival of Speed proved useful. And so we are delighted to report that the first customer PC-24 landed safely and softly at Goodwood!