Pilatus PC-9
Encyclopedia
The Pilatus PC-9 is a single-engine, low-wing tandem-seat turboprop
training aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft
of Switzerland
.
. It retains the overall layout of its predecessor but has very little structural commonality with it. Amongst other improvements, the PC-9 features a larger cockpit with stepped ejection seats and also has a ventral airbrake.
The PC-9 programme officially started in 1982. Although some aerodynamic elements were tested on a PC-7 during 1982 and 1983, the first flight of the first PC-9 prototype took place on 7 May 1984. A second prototype flew on 20 July of the same year; this prototype had all the standard electronic flight instrumentation and environmental control systems installed and was thus almost fully representative of the production version.
Certification was achieved in September 1985. By this time, the PC-9 had lost the RAF
trainer competition to the Short Tucano
. However, the marketing links that Pilatus built up with British Aerospace
during the competition stood them in good stead, as it soon led to their first order from Saudi Arabia
.
, more than 250 aircraft of this type have been built.
(RAAF) flew on 19 May 1987, under the Australian designation PC-9/A.
Condor Flugdienst of Germany
uses 10 examples of the target-towing
variant.
PC-9
PC-9/A
PC-9B
PC-9M:
Beech Pilatus PC-9 Mk.2
crashed at RAAF Base East Sale
on 18 May 2011 after suffering engine failure. Both occupants were able to eject prior to the aircraft impacting the ground. The incident resulted in the RAAF suspending all flights of the PC-9/A while it carries out an investigation.
On 12 October 2009 a PC-9M was involved in a fatal crash near Cornamona, in County Galway, which killed both pilots.
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
training aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft
Pilatus Aircraft
Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. is an aircraft manufacturer located in Stans, Switzerland. The company employs more than 1,100 people.-History:The company was established in 1939, but it was not until 1944 that a Pilatus-built aircraft, the SB-2 Pelican, first took to the air...
of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Design and development
The PC-9 is a more powerful evolution of the PC-7Pilatus PC-7
The Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer is a low-wing tandem-seat training aircraft, manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. The aircraft is capable of all basic training functions including aerobatics, instrument, tactical and night flying. It has been selected by more than twenty air forces as...
. It retains the overall layout of its predecessor but has very little structural commonality with it. Amongst other improvements, the PC-9 features a larger cockpit with stepped ejection seats and also has a ventral airbrake.
The PC-9 programme officially started in 1982. Although some aerodynamic elements were tested on a PC-7 during 1982 and 1983, the first flight of the first PC-9 prototype took place on 7 May 1984. A second prototype flew on 20 July of the same year; this prototype had all the standard electronic flight instrumentation and environmental control systems installed and was thus almost fully representative of the production version.
Certification was achieved in September 1985. By this time, the PC-9 had lost the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
trainer competition to the Short Tucano
Short Tucano
|-See also:-External links:*...
. However, the marketing links that Pilatus built up with British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
during the competition stood them in good stead, as it soon led to their first order from Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
.
, more than 250 aircraft of this type have been built.
Operational history
The first production aircraft for the Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) flew on 19 May 1987, under the Australian designation PC-9/A.
Condor Flugdienst of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
uses 10 examples of the target-towing
Target tug
A target tug is an aircraft which tows an unmanned drone, a fabric drogue or other kind of target, for the purposes of gun or missile target practice. Target tugs are often conversions of transport and utility aircraft, as well as obsolescent combat types...
variant.
Variants
- Two-seat basic trainer aircraft.
PC-9/A
- Two-seat basic trainer for the Royal Australian Air Force. Built under licence in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
by Hawker de HavillandDe Havilland AustraliaDe Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd was part of de Havilland, then became a separate company. It was purchased by Boeing and is now Hawker de Havilland Aerospace Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Boeing Australia Ltd-Early Years and WWII:...
. CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
ordered three second-hand examples from the RAAF in 1997.
PC-9B
- Two-seat target-towing aircraft for the German LuftwaffeLuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. This target-towing version has an increased fuel capacity enabling flight for up to 3 hours and 20 minutes as well as two Southwest RM-24 winches under the wings. These winches can reel out a target up to 3.5 kilometres.
PC-9M:
- This version was introduced in 1997 as the new standard model. It has an enlarged dorsal fin in order to improve longitudinal stability, modified wingroot fairings, stall strips on the leading edges as well as new engine and propeller controls. Croatia bought 17 new units in 1997; SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
placed an order for nine (nicknamed Hudournik - "SwiftSwiftThe swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
") in December of the same year; OmanOmanOman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
ordered 12 examples in January 1999; and IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
signed a contract for eight in January 2003. BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
purchased 12 aircraft in 2004. The last order was made by MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, which received at least two in September 2006.
Beech Pilatus PC-9 Mk.2
- In order to compete in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
JPATSJoint Primary Aircraft Training SystemThe Joint Primary Aircraft Training System was an aircraft procurement program of the United States in the 1990s by the United States Air Force and United States Navy, a merger of 1980s era training aircraft programs. The winner was declared in 1995 and entered service a few years later as the...
competition, Pilatus and BeechcraftBeechcraftBeechcraft is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. Previously a division of Raytheon, it has been a brand of Hawker Beechcraft since 2006....
developed an extensively modified version of the PC-9, called the Beech Pilatus PC-9 Mk. II which won out over seven other contenders. It was later renamed the T-6A Texan II and is now built and marketed independently by Beechcraft. Over 700 are to be built for the United States Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
and United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, with Pilatus receiving royalties.
Operators
Military operators
- Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air ForceThe Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
operates 67 aircraft - 2 were supplied directly by Pilatus, 17 were assembled from Pilatus-supplied kits and 48 were built in Australia by Hawker de Havilland. The type is also used by the RoulettesRoulettesThe Roulettes are the Royal Australian Air Force's formation aerobatic display team.They provide about 150 flying displays a year, in Australia and in friendly countries around the South-east Asian region...
aerobatic display team of the RAAF.
- Bulgarian Air ForceBulgarian Air ForceThe Bulgarian Air Force is a branch of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Bulgarian airspace, to provide aerial support and to assist the Land Forces in case of war. The Bulgarian Air...
operates 6 aircraft delivered in 2004.
- Croatian Air Force operates 20 aircraft - 17 PC-9M delivered new from 1997, as well as three second-hand examples. PC-9s are used for advanced pilot training and as a national aerobatic aircraft in a group called Wings of StormWings of StormWings of Storm is the aerobatic display team of the Croatian Air Force. The group was officially formed in the spring of 2005, but the group first performed on June 23, 2004 during the European sailing championship hosted that year in Zadar....
.
- Chad's Air ForceChad Air ForceThe Chadian Air Force, in French Force Aérienne Tchadienne, was formed in 1961 as the Escadrille Nationale Tchadienne , and was given its current name in 1973...
operates 3 PC-7s and 1 PC-9. The latter was delivered to Chad to replace a PC-7 which it had purchased from France.http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?prod=90137&session=dae.33054769.1200964600.XGsV3H8AAAEAABpbYk4AAAAJ&modele=release
- Irish Air CorpsIrish Air CorpsThe Air Corps is the air component of the Defence Forces of Ireland providing support to the Army and Naval Service, together with non-military air services such as search and rescue and the Ministerial Air Transport Service...
operates 7 PC-9Ms delivered in late-2004. In 2005 planes were upgraded and each aircraft is now equipped with 2x rocket pods and 2x machine gun pods. On 12 October 2009 a PC-9M was involved in a fatal crash near CornamonaCornamonaCorr na Móna is a village and townland in County Galway, Ireland. It is part of the Gaeltacht of North Connemara....
, in County GalwayCounty GalwayCounty Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, which killed both pilots.
- Myanmar Air Force received 10 aircraft delivered from April 1986.
- Royal Air Force of OmanRoyal Air Force of OmanThe Royal Air Force of Oman is the air arm of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces-History:...
operates 12 aircraft delivered from 1999 to March 2000.
- Royal Saudi Air ForceRoyal Saudi Air ForceThe Royal Saudi Air Force , is the aviation branch of the Saudi Arabian armed forces. The RSAF has developed from a largely defensive military force into one with an advanced offensive capability...
operates 50 aircraft delivered from December 1986. These examples were sold via British AerospaceBritish AerospaceBritish Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
.
- Slovenian Air Force and Air DefenceSlovenian Air Force and Air DefenceSlovenian Air Force and Air Defence is a part of the Slovenian Armed Forces. It is an integral part of the command structure, not an independent branch.-Duties:...
operates 11 aircraft, designated PC-9M Hudournik. 3 aircraft delivered from 1995 (one was lost in a crash in 2004) and 9 aircraft delivered from November 1998. These examples have been upgraded by RADOM Aviation in IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
- Swiss Air ForceSwiss Air ForceThe Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on July 31, 1914, as part of the Army and as of January 1966 an independent service.In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational Air Force HQ...
operates 14 aircraft delivered from 1987. Two returned to Pilatus after evaluation.
- Royal Thai Air ForceRoyal Thai Air ForceThe Royal Thai Air Force or RTAF is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913, as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force had engaged in many major and minor battles. During the Vietnam war era, the air force has been developed with USAF-aid...
operates 23 aircraft delivered from 1991.
- United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- operated 3 PC-9 from 1991–96 as chase and test aircraft, and sold to SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
in 1995.
Civil operators
- Condor Flugdienst operates 10 aircraft for target-towing duties.
- BAE SystemsBAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
operated 2 development aircraft in support of the Royal Saudi Air ForceRoyal Saudi Air ForceThe Royal Saudi Air Force , is the aviation branch of the Saudi Arabian armed forces. The RSAF has developed from a largely defensive military force into one with an advanced offensive capability...
contract.
Accidents and incidents
A PC-9/A flown by the RAAF RoulettesRoulettes
The Roulettes are the Royal Australian Air Force's formation aerobatic display team.They provide about 150 flying displays a year, in Australia and in friendly countries around the South-east Asian region...
crashed at RAAF Base East Sale
RAAF Base East Sale
RAAF Base East Sale is one of the main training establishments of the Royal Australian Air Force, including where Australian Air Force Cadets have their annual General Service Training. It is home to the Roulettes aerobatic team. It is also now the home of the RAAF's Officers' Training School ...
on 18 May 2011 after suffering engine failure. Both occupants were able to eject prior to the aircraft impacting the ground. The incident resulted in the RAAF suspending all flights of the PC-9/A while it carries out an investigation.
On 12 October 2009 a PC-9M was involved in a fatal crash near Cornamona, in County Galway, which killed both pilots.
Specifications (PC-9M)