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| PC-9 | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Role | Basic/Advanced Trainer aircraft |
| National origin | Switzerland |
| Manufacturer | Pilatus Aircraft |
| First 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 |
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.
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.
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 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, 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. Bulgaria purchased 12 aircraft in 2004. The last order was made by Mexico, which received at least two in September 2006.
Operators
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.
- Canada's Air Force operates 24 PC-9's. Desginated the CT-156 - Harvard II. Used for advanced pilot training.
- Chad's Air Force 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.[2]
- 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 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, 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 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.
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.
Accidents and incidents
- 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. [1]
- 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.citation needed
Specifications (PC-9)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.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
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)
- Take-off distance over 50 ft (15 m) obstacle at sea level: 1,300 ft (397 m)
- Landing distance over 50 ft (15 m) obstacle at sea level 2,255 ft (687 m)
- Max. rate of climb, sea level: 3,880 ft/min (19.7 m/sec)
- Max. operating speed (Vmo) 320 KCAS (593 km/h)
- Max. cruise speed at sea level: 271 KTAS (502 km/h)
- Max. cruise speed at 10,000 ft 298 KTAS (552 km/h)
- Stall speed:
- flaps and gear up (Vs) 76 KCAS (141 km/h)
- flaps and gear down (Vso) 67 KCAS (124 km/h)
- g loads Aerobatic Utility
- Max. positive + 7.0 g + 4.5 g
- Max. negative – 3.5 g – 2.25 g
- Max. range 860 NM (1,593 km)[2]
Armament
dedicated variants can carry up to 1,040 kg of unguided rockets, bombs and machine guns
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
References
- ^ ADF Aircraft Serial Numbers
- ^ PC-9 brochure [1]
External links
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