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The RAAF has marked 100,000 flying hours on its Pilatus PC-21 training aircraft fleet.
Based at RAAF East Sale in Victoria, the RAAF’s Pilatus PC-21 fleet has a total of 49 aircraft and has been in use by the Air Force for more than seven years, having replaced both the ageing Pilatus PC-9/A advanced trainer, which was in service since 1988, and the CT-4B Airtrainer, which was used for basic training.
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The milestone was marked in a ceremony at RAAF East Sale, with Air Commodore David Strong, Commander Air Force Training Group, telling 150 guests of the importance of the aircraft.
“The Pilatus PC-21 is a key platform in bridging the gap between basic flight training and frontline readiness, ensuring that Defence aviators are equipped to meet the evolving demands of complex missions,” Air Commodore Strong said.
“Reaching 100,000 flying hours is a remarkable milestone for Air Force and reflects the exceptional capabilities of the PC-21 aircraft.
“This achievement highlights the continuing commitment of our people and industry partners in providing world-class training to our future pilots. The PC-21 remains at the forefront of modern aircrew development, enabling us to prepare the best pilots for the future.”
The PC-21 is a turboprop aircraft powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-68B engine, and has a stepped tandem cockpit seating the student in front and the instructor behind.
Its design is focused on preparing recruits for fifth-generation fighters such as the F-35; it has a pressurised cockpit, air conditioning, anti-G system, on-board oxygen generator, and can fly at low-level speeds over 320 knots.
The RAAF’s first two PC-21s arrived in 2017 after a long delivery flight to East Sale.
A54-001 and A54-002 started at Buochs in Switzerland and took 39 hours and 5 minutes, spanning 16 legs over 10 days of flying, with one rest day.
Stops were made at Bari, Heraklion, Luxor, Riyadh, Fujairah, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Chittagong, Bangkok, Singapore, Bali, Kupang, Darwin, Mount Isa and Brisbane.
The aircraft flew with two extra fuel tanks under the wings that almost doubled the amount of fuel that could be carried.
Martin Mendel, instructor and production test pilot at Pilatus, who flew A54-002 to Australia, said he had never been involved in such a delivery flight.
“This was the longest I have done; next closest was a PC-7 MkII to Malaysia,” Mendel said in 2017.
“This is much more pleasant because we have the autopilot … and the seat is more comfortable.”
