Service history of the Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer with the RNLAF

The Pilatus PC-7 is a low-wing tandem-seat turbo 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 their lead in trainer. Since the aircraft's introduction in 1978, close to five-hundred have been sold, with the majority still in service.

The first series of the aircraft was delivered to the Myanmar Air Force in 1979.

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Helicopter Force

Delivery to the Royal Netherlands Air Force

A requirement for a lead in trainer become obvious in 1988 after to many Dutch aspirant-pilots were unable to finish their flight training in the United States. To combat this problem it was decided to create a flight were trainees would make their first hours of basic training before proceeding to the training in the United States the Elementary Military Flight Training (EMVO). For the fulfilment of this task ten Pilatus PC-7 were ordered by the Royal Netherlands Air Force in 1988.

The first Pilatus PC-7 aircraft were delivered in February 1989 and put into use for basic training of pilots at the Elementary Military Flight Training, the later 131 squadron. The KLu Pilatus PC-7 have a lightweight Martin Baker ejection chair and can also be used in bad weather. The aircraft are stationed at Woensdrecht.

Three more Pilatus PC-7 were delivered in 1997 to obtain more training capacity. As naval pilots also started to make use of this training. The Pilatus PC-7 were later given a glossy black trim, for increased visibility and safety. .

In service

Operational history

After their study at the Royal Military Academy the student pilots are transferred to the 131 squadron ( the former Elementary Military Flight Training ) located at Woensdrecht air base and they have to follow the "Elementary Military Flight Education". When arrived they start the theoretical ground training for three months. This includes hours on the flight simulator, After successfully finishing this period they start flying on board of the Pilatus PC-7 and make around forty flight hours.

131 Squadron still offers an effective and affordable program in order to prepare aviators for their successive study with different types of aircraft. Since the establishment in ’88, the dropout percentage has been reduced to nearly zero percent.
Since 1995 a standard Pilatus PC-7 is used for display purposes at several events both in the Netherlands and abroad. The team uses two smoke pods under the wings. It uses two aircraft, one operational demonstration aircraft plus one spare.

Not only fighter pilots, but also pilots for the Apache combat helicopter, Chinook transport helicopter and the NH90 maritime helicopter, for example, must first pass the elementary training at 131 Squadron before they can continue their training course. The future F-16 pilots then specialize at Sheppard Air Base and the helicopter pilots at Fort Rucker in the United States.

The July 2015 contract between the Dutch Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) and Pilatus initially covered upgrade of ten Pilatus PC-7 delivered in 1989, but was later extended to include the additional three aircraft delivered in 1997.
 

131 Squadron

131 squadron

A requirement for a lead in trainer become obvious in 1988 after to many Dutch aspirant-pilots were unable to finish their flight training in the United States. To combat this problem it was decided to create a flight were trainees would make their first hours of basic training before proceeding to the training in the United States the Elementary Military Flight Training.

The first Elementary Military Flight Training class commenced in August 1988, initially teaching only theory lessons, before the unit’s first four PC-7s entered service on February 8 the following year. The squadron is responsible for elementary pilot training of both Royal Netherlands Air Force and Royal Netherlands Navy pilots.

In the beginning the 131 Elementary Military Flight Training Squadron didn't have an official logo. Nevertheless, all PC-7s had a logo on the tail, showing a young and older bird within a white triangle (the sign for a student-pilot).

This changed in 1989 after 313 Squadron became fully operational with the F-16. Since the early '70s the 313 Squadron served as a training- and conversion unit for the in the USA and Canada trained Dutch fighter pilots via the Theatre Qualification Program, a program to teach pilots the difference between weather circumstances and procedures in the USA and in Europe. When its task changed in 1989 to air support and air defence, the 313 Squadron chose another logo and the old logo was passed on to the 131 Squadron, together with the Latin phrase 'Mea doctrina volantes'. This translates into: Because of my lessons they learn to fly.

Future

A mid-life upgrade has been completed with the last two Pilatus PC-7 were re-delivered to the Royal Netherlands Air on February 5 2019. The first upgraded Pilatus PC-7 was re-delivered to Woensdrecht Air Base in the Netherlands on July 19, 2017.

The aircraft (serial L-01, c/n 538) had arrived at the Pilatus factory on May 2, 2016, to act as ‘lead the fleet’ aircraft for the Pilatus PC-7 Obsolescence Prevention Program (OPP) and Structural Enhancement (SE). The upgrade allows the thirteen strong Dutch Pilatus PC-7 fleet to soldier on until at least 2027 by fully using their life expectancy of 12,000 flying hours or 24,000 landings per airframe.


The OPP includes a full glass cockpit with three displays. The RNLAF is the first Pilatus PC-7 operator worldwide to have both the flight and engine instruments digitalised – the Swiss PC-7s that had their cockpits upgraded in 2008-09 still have analogue engine instruments. Other modifications in the OPP include new navigation and radio equipment, new landing lights and fitment of an automatic direction finder (ADF), allowing the Pilatus PC-7 to comply with current civil flight regulations. The SE programme sees the aircraft’s structure strengthened and adjusted at 16 places in the fuselage, tail and wings.

From 2025 the thirteen Pilatus PC-7 training aircraft will be replaced. The procedure for this will start in 2020.