Pilatus Aircraft is a Stans, Switzerland-based aircraft manufacturer known for developing some unique aircraft, specifically short takeoff and landing (STOL), piston trainers, turboprop planes, and even a jet. The company first made a name for itself in the 1930s and 1940s, when it began by conducting maintenance and repairing planes owned by the Swiss Air Force. Pilatus also worked on other ventures, such as assembling aircraft from spare parts and performing overhaul work on various types of planes.