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The global fleet of just under 250 Pilatus PC-21 training aircraft recently set a historic milestone with a total of over 500,000 successful hours in the air. Experience with current PC-21 customers shows that the state-of-the-art Pilatus training system can help reduce the cost of training future pilots by over 50 per cent.
Pilatus is proud that the worldwide fleet of exceptionally efficient and advanced PC-21 training aircraft has logged 500,000 hours in the air.
Ioannis Papachristofilou, recently appointed vice-president of Government Aviation at Pilatus, emphasizes: “The PC-21 provides air forces with a highly efficient platform for military pilot training. Featuring state-of-the-art equipment and smart avionics, the training aircraft delivers a high level of performance. With the PC-21, training hours can be flown with substantially less fuel, making it an exceptionally cost-effective, sustainable and intelligent training platform.”
In addition to the actual aircraft, the integrated PC-21 training system includes mission planning and debriefing systems, training materials, virtual reality tools and a flight simulator – an essential element in ground-based training.
Worldwide, the current fleet comprises almost 250 PC-21s. Customers include some of the world’s leading air forces from Europe, Australasia and the Middle East. The Spanish Air Force also trains with the PC-21. With the purchase of 16 additional PC-21s and associated simulators in March 2023, the Spanish Air force is now the largest PC-21 operator in Europe. The Swiss Air Force has successfully used the PC-21 to train its future military pilots since 2008.
This press release was prepared and distributed by Pilatus.
