THE PORTER is boxy, ungainly, and dispro- portional when viewed from most angles. But when you see it from the front-the way the air sees it-the airplane is surprisingly symmetrical. The Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 makes for a long snout, and smooth power. NO DRAG SHORTAGE My introduction to the Porter came in Central Florida where Gitchenko was preparing the airplane and its newly installed floats for its upcoming ferry flight to South America. The towering airplane's flawless yellow and green paint scheme in the pattern of the Brazilian flag would have been fitting for that country's Smoke Squadron aerobatic team of Embraer Tucanos. But the Porter's crude, slab-sided shape shows it's no aerobat, and exposed rivet heads of many sizes resembled a bad case of acne. The Porter's impossibly long and pointy snout contains a 620-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 engine, and the airplane's conical nose contrasts with a boxy fuselage and sliding doors (on both sides) that could have come off a aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 53http://www.aopa.org/pilot