PlaneSense is a fractional aircraft ownership program managed by PlaneSense, Inc., headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. The company provides private air transportation primarily within the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, the islands of the Caribbean, and more recently Cuba.
Overview
PlaneSense operates a fleet composed exclusively of Pilatus aircraft. As of July 2025, the company managed a civilian fleet of 64 program aircraft, comprising 46 Pilatus PC-12 turboprops and 18 Pilatus PC-24 jets. The program guarantees departure times as soon as eight hours after a flight request, depending on the size of the aircraft share owned, for domestic flights on non-peak days.
PlaneSense, Inc. is not itself an air charter provider or commercial air carrier. Charter flights can be arranged through its sister company, Cobalt Air.
History
PlaneSense, Inc., formerly named Alpha Flying, Inc., was founded in 1992 by George Antoniadis. The company was originally based in Norwood, Massachusetts, and began as a supplemental program to the Alpha Flying Club, which provided rental and management of high-performance piston and turbine-powered general aviation aircraft.
In 1995, the PlaneSense fractional ownership program was formally established, with the first Pilatus PC-12 delivered on September 9, 1995. The company relocated its facilities several times: to Nashua Airport in 1998, to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in 2000, and finally to a custom-built facility at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 2007. The company name was changed from Alpha Flying, Inc. to PlaneSense, Inc. on February 1, 2012.
The Pilatus PC-24 jet entered service in early 2018, with PlaneSense taking delivery of the first production model. PlaneSense served as the launch customer for the PC-24, with a preliminary order for six jets. Prior to the PC-24, the company had purchased four Nextant 400XTi aircraft, but its jet program is now dedicated exclusively to the PC-24 fleet.
The program has surpassed 440,000 flight hours since its inception.
Fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| Pilatus PC-12 | 46 | 6 |
| Pilatus PC-24 | 18 | 8 |
| Totals | 64 | — |
Accidents and Incidents
On January 6, 2016, a Pilatus PC-12 (registration N978AF) crashed shortly after takeoff from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. The crash followed a misinterpreted torque indication that led the pilots to make a precautionary landing in a nearby field. The landing and subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft. There were no fatalities.
See Also
- Fractional ownership of aircraft
- Pilatus PC-12
- Pilatus PC-24
