hi all
i'm sure that the PC-9s rivals were considered, especially over a few scoops in Rio or Wichita.The best all-round package( not just the aircraft alone) won in the end.The Texan is the same, in theory,as a Swiss PC-9 but quite different, engineering-wise, and is designed as a lead-in aircraft, as well as a pure trainer. As for "exceeding" expectations, ask the people who have to keep resetting the flight computers about "exceedances"...
regards
GttC