Pilatus PC-9
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| PC-9 | |
|---|---|
| Pilatus PC-9M of the Slovenian Armed Forces | |
| Type | Light Trainer aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Pilatus Aircraft |
| Maiden flight | 7 May 1984 |
| Primary users | Swiss Air Force Royal Australian Air Force Royal Saudi Air Force Royal Thai Air Force |
| Produced | 1984- |
| Number built | 250 |
| Developed from | Pilatus PC-7 |
| Variants | T-6 Texan II |
The Pilatus PC-9 is a single-engine, low-wing tandem-seat turboprop training aircraft manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland.
Contents |
[edit] Design and development
The PC-9 is a more powerful evolution of the PC-7. 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. Unfortunately by this time the PC-9 had lost in 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 to date.
[edit] Operational history
The first production aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force flew on 19 May 1987, under the Australian designation PC-9/A.
Condor Flugdienst of Germany uses 10 examples of the target-towing variant.
[edit] Variants
- PC-9
- Two-seat basic trainer aircraft.
- Beech Pilatus PC-9 Mk.2
- In order to compete in the United States JPATS competition, Pilatus and Beech Aircraft Corporation developed an extensively modified version of the PC-9, called the Beech Pilatus PC-9 Mk. II which beat out seven other contenders. It was later renamed the T-6A Texan II and is now built and marketed independently by Raytheon (who purchased Beech in 1980) in Wichita, Kansas. Over 700 are to be built for the USAF and US Navy, with Pilatus receiving royalties.
- PC-9/A
- Two-seat basic trainer for the RAAF. Built under licence in Australia by Hawker De Havilland. Croatia ordered 3 second-hand examples from the RAAF in 1997.
- PC-9B
- Two-seat target-towing aircraft for the German Luftwaffe. This target-towing version has an increased fuel capacity enabling flight for up 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, Slovenia (PC-9M, nicknamed Hudournik - Swift) placed an order for 9 in December of the same year, Oman ordered 12 examples in January 1999 and Ireland signed a contract for 8 in January 2003. The last order was made by Bulgaria which purchased 12 aircraft in 2004.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Military operators
- Angolan Air Force operates 4 aircraft delivered from 1987.
- Royal Australian Air Force 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 Roulettes aerobatic display team of the RAAF.
- Bulgarian Air Force 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 Storm.
- Cypriot National Guard operates 2 aircraft delivered from 1989. One was destroyed in a crash on the 10th September 2005.
- Iraqi Air Force received 20 aircraft delivered from 1987.
- Irish Air Corps operates 8 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.
- Fuerza Aérea Guatemalteca operates 14 PC-9Ms, more possibly will be delivered.
- Fuerza Aérea Mexicana operates 2 PC-9Ms delivered in late-September of 2006, more possibly will be delivered.
- Myanmar Air Force received 10 aircraft delivered from April 1986.
- Royal Air Force of Oman operates 12 aircraft delivered from 1999 to March 2000.
- Royal Saudi Air Force operates 50 aircraft delivered from December 1986. These examples were sold via British Aerospace.
- Slovenian Armed Forces operates 11 aircraft 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 in Israel.
- Swiss Air Force operates 14 aircraft delivered from 1987. Two returned to Pilatus after evaluation.
- Royal Thai Air Force operates 36 aircraft delivered from 1991.
[edit] Civil operators
- Condor Flugdienst operates 10 aircraft for target-towing duties.
- BAE Systems operated 2 development aircraft in support of the Royal Saudi Air Force contract.
[edit] Incidents
- Two Columbus Air Force Base T-6 Texan II primary trainers collided about 12:47 p.m. Nov. 28, 2007 near the Columbus AFB Auxiliary airfield in Shuqualak, Miss. At the time of the accident, the aircraft were conducting initial flight training operations. On-scene emergency response has located and confirmed all four pilots have parachuted safely. [1]
- An Royal Thai Air Force Pilatus PC-9 on a training flight crashed in Kamphaeng Saen district on 30.9.2007. The PC-9 took off from the air force flying school about 8am. It returned about 20 minutes later, crashed into the north of the runway and burst into flames.The pilot instructor, Wing Cdr Supat Butwang, and his student, Flt Lt Vorapong Mongdee, 25, both died in the fire.
- In the morning of 15 December 2005 the RTAF lost a PC-9. The plane crashed but the instructor and the student survived by using the ejection seats. The crash area is at Tumbon Bang Nok Kwak, Umphor Bang Kon Tee, Samut Songkram Province. Instructor: Captain Arthit Thamsuk injured at the back, Student: Let.Suthat Bootwang unharmed. [2]
- Three PC-9/A(T) aircraft have crashed while in service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The first, in 1991, was attributed to crew disorientation while flying in Instrument Meteorological Conditions and resulted in two fatalities. The second occurred in 1992 when the crew accidentally shut the engine down on final approach to Albany, West Australia. Both crew ejected safely. The third occurred in 2005 at East Sale, Victoria, resulting from a mid-air collision between two Roulette (RAAF aerobatic display team) aircraft, with the single crew member of one aircraft ejecting safely and the second aircraft landing successfully. For more information on these accidents, refer to the ADF Aircraft Serial Numbers website.
- A PC-9 Pilatus belonging to the Cypriot National Guard crashed on the 10 September 2005 near the village of Kolossi in Cyprus. The crash killed two senior officers in the National Guard, flight lieutenant Feraios Koulloumos and co-pilot Fotis Constantinou. As yet the causes of the crash are unknown, with the PC-9 flying some 80km off course circling erratically, eventually scraping the bell tower of a local church.
- One PC-9 crashed in Slovenia on 3rd March 2004. The crash was near a village of Spodnji Žerjavci in the region of Štajerska. The plane was flying low and after hitting some tree-tops it crashed in a field. The crash was later put down to the pilot suffering a heart attack during flight.
[edit] Specifications (PC-9)
[edit] General characteristics
- Crew: one or two pilots
- Capacity: two seats (tandem)
- Length: 10.70 m (35 ft 1 in)
- Wingspan: 10.12 m (33 ft 2 in)
- Height: 3.26 m (10 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 16.3 m² (175 ft²)
- Empty: 1,685 kg (3,715 lb)
- Loaded: 2,250 kg (4,950 lb)
- Maximum takeoff: 3,200 kg (7,055 lb)
- Powerplant: 1x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-62 turboprop, 708 kW (950 hp) or 857 kW (1150 hp) for PC-9M
[edit] Performance
- Maximum speed: 320kts (576km/h or 360 mph) or 667km/h for PC-9M
- Range: 1,642 km (1,020 miles)
- Service ceiling: 11,580 m (38,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 1,247 m/min (4,090 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 138 kg/m² (28 lb/ft²)
- Power/Mass: 0.31 kW/kg (0.19 hp/lb)
[edit] Armament
dedicated variants can carry up to 1,040 kg of unguided rockets, bombs and machine guns
[edit] References
[edit] External links
[edit] Related content
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Pilatus PC-9
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
Designation sequence
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