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82-675: In November 1997 Pilatus flew a modified PC-7 Mk.II in order to test improvements for a prospective next generation turboprop trainer. As a result of these tests, Pilatus elected to fund the development of a new training system in November 1998; development of the new trainer, designated as the PC-21 , formally started in January 1999. The PC-21 would be developed and certified as a completely new training system, aimed at meeting future military customers' specifications in terms of capability and life-cycle costs for

164-414: A bird strike -resistant glass canopy with allround vision. The cabin, which is pressurized, is equipped with an On-Board Oxygen Generation System (OBOGS), air conditioning , and Martin-Baker CH16C Zero-Zero ejection seats . The flight controls, which are fully balanced and harmonized, are optimized for ease of operation and overall effectiveness. An anti- g system is also present in order to minimize

246-519: A bubble canopy . The flight test programme came to a close during Autumn 1977. On 18 August 1978 ; 46 years ago  ( 1978-08-18 ) , the first production aircraft made its first flight. On 5 December of that year, Switzerland's Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) issued civil certification for the PC-7; immediately thereafter, initial deliveries of production aircraft commenced to customers Burma and Bolivia . Over time, sales of

328-435: A pilots' assister that used a pneumatically spun gyroscope to move the flight controls. The autopilot was further developed, to include, for example, improved control algorithms and hydraulic servomechanisms. Adding more instruments, such as radio-navigation aids, made it possible to fly at night and in bad weather. In 1947, a U.S. Air Force C-53 made a transatlantic flight, including takeoff and landing, completely under

410-625: A ban on the sale of additional units to Mexico. At the time, the Mexican Air Force was the largest single export operator of the type, and had been seeking to acquire further PC-7s, thus the sales ban was viewed as an economic blow to Pilatus. During the mid to late 1990s, Executive Outcomes , a private military contractor led by Eeben Barlow, utilised three armed PC-7s (ex- Bophuthatswana Air Force aircraft) to provide close air support (CAS) during its operations in Sierra Leone . During

492-428: A fail passive requirement. CAT IIIa -This category permits pilots to land with a decision height as low as 50 feet (15 m) and a RVR of 200 metres (660 ft). It needs a fail-passive autopilot. There must be only a 10 probability of landing outside the prescribed area. CAT IIIb – As IIIa but with the addition of automatic roll out after touchdown incorporated with the pilot taking control some distance along

574-545: A few aircraft per year. All export sales of the PC-7 are subject to approval by the Swiss Government , whose authorisation is required prior to any delivery taking place. The sale of combat -capable aircraft has been a controversial matter at times, and political pressure has been applied for PC-7s to be shipped without the fittings for armaments being installed. The Swiss government has occasionally held up or outright refused to issue export licences for some nations,

656-438: A flight into taxi , takeoff, climb, cruise (level flight), descent, approach, and landing phases. Autopilots that automate all of these flight phases except taxi and takeoff exist. An autopilot-controlled approach to landing on a runway and controlling the aircraft on rollout (i.e. keeping it on the centre of the runway) is known as an Autoland, where the autopilot utilizes an Instrument Landing System (ILS) Cat IIIc approach, which

738-429: A gyroscope or a pair of accelerometers), a computer/amplifier and an actuator. The sensor detects when the aircraft begins the yawing part of Dutch roll. A computer processes the signal from the sensor to determine the rudder deflection required to damp the motion. The computer tells the actuator to move the rudder in the opposite direction to the motion since the rudder has to oppose the motion to reduce it. The Dutch roll

820-432: A human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle, allowing the operator to focus on broader aspects of operations (for example, monitoring the trajectory, weather and on-board systems). When present, an autopilot is often used in conjunction with an autothrottle , a system for controlling the power delivered by the engines. An autopilot system

902-523: A move which has reportedly led to the loss of several potential sales, such as to South Korea and Mexico . In addition to its adoption by numerous military customers, the PC-7 has also been used by private customers. It has been certified for civil use by both the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as compliant with regulations pertaining to general aviation (GA) operations in both Europe and

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984-517: A new one-piece wing . Introduced during the 1970s, it has since developed a sizable presence of the global trainer market. The type has been adopted by in excess of twenty air forces as their ab initio trainer, as well as multiple civilian operators. Over one million hours have reportedly been flown by PC-7s worldwide. In addition to training operations, some aircraft are armed and have been used for combat missions by several customers, including Chad , Iran , and Mexico , often in violation of

1066-671: A replacement of its Pilatus PC-9s; in September 2015, it was announced that the consortium comprising Lockheed Martin, Pilatus and Hawker Pacific ("Team 21"), had won the bid to provide 49 PC-21s to the Australian Defence Force. In August 2015, Pilatus received a contract to deliver nine PC-9Ms to the Royal Jordanian Air Force, but in April 2016 changed the order to eight PC-21s. Deliveries were due to start in January 2017 under

1148-427: A required performance factor, therefore the amount of error or actual performance factor must be monitored in order to fly those particular routes. The longer the flight, the more error accumulates within the system. Radio aids such as DME, DME updates, and GPS may be used to correct the aircraft position. An option midway between fully automated flight and manual flying is Control Wheel Steering ( CWS ). Although it

1230-440: A series yaw damper is clutched to the rudder control quadrant, and will result in pedal movement when the rudder moves. Some aircraft have stability augmentation systems that will stabilize the aircraft in more than a single axis. The Boeing B-52 , for example, requires both pitch and yaw SAS in order to provide a stable bombing platform. Many helicopters have pitch, roll and yaw SAS systems. Pitch and roll SAS systems operate much

1312-474: A wing leveller with limited pitch oscillation-correcting ability; or it may receive inputs from on-board radio navigation systems to provide true automatic flight guidance once the aircraft has taken off until shortly before landing; or its capabilities may lie somewhere between these two extremes. A three-axis autopilot adds control in the yaw axis and is not required in many small aircraft. Autopilots in modern complex aircraft are three-axis and generally divide

1394-519: A £1.6 billion ($ 2.5 billion) contract for a comprehensive next-generation military pilot training system, comprising 22 BAE Systems Hawk advanced jet trainers in addition to 55 PC-21 trainers. In early June 2014, Pilatus commenced delivery of the first six PC-21s to Saudi Arabia; by the end of 2015, this had risen to 46 PC-21s delivered. The PC-21 was one of the submissions for the Royal Australian Air Force 's project AIR 5428, which sought

1476-453: Is a low-wing tandem -seat training aircraft , designed and manufactured in Switzerland by Pilatus Aircraft . The aircraft is capable of all basic training functions, including aerobatics , instrument , tactical, and night flying . The PC-7 was developed from the preceding piston -powered Pilatus P-3 , largely differing by the adoption of a turboprop engine, a bubble canopy , and

1558-459: Is also considering the PC-21, among other platforms, to potentially replace its fleet of SF260 Marchetti trainers, which are nearing the end of their service lives. Data from Pilatus Aircraft General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Pilatus PC-7 The Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer

1640-585: Is always in CWS mode. The major difference is that in this system the limitations of the aircraft are guarded by the flight control computer , and the pilot cannot steer the aircraft past these limits. The hardware of an autopilot varies between implementations, but is generally designed with redundancy and reliability as foremost considerations. For example, the Rockwell Collins AFDS-770 Autopilot Flight Director System used on

1722-451: Is becoming less used as a stand-alone option in modern airliners, CWS is still a function on many aircraft today. Generally, an autopilot that is CWS equipped has three positions: off, CWS, and CMD. In CMD (Command) mode the autopilot has full control of the aircraft, and receives its input from either the heading/altitude setting, radio and navaids, or the FMS (Flight Management System). In CWS mode,

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1804-682: Is capable of operating under a military tactical mode as well as a civil navigation mode. In the Armament Program 2006, the Swiss Parliament approved an initial purchase of the PC-21 for the Swiss Air Force . By April 2008, four PC-21 have been accepted by the Swiss Air Force following the passing of acceptance trials, and flight operations were set to start in July that year. In December 2010,

1886-490: Is compatible with ground-based stations for pre-flight configuration or post-mission analysis. The integrated mission computer is of an open architecture , allowing for third-party modifications and upgrades to take place; software can also be customized to conform to customer preferences. Critical and non-critical software are also deliberately separated. The cockpit of the PC-21 features a high level of systems integration and conforms to modern avionics standards. The systems of

1968-411: Is damped and the aircraft becomes stable about the yaw axis. Because Dutch roll is an instability that is inherent in all swept-wing aircraft, most swept-wing aircraft need some sort of yaw damper. There are two types of yaw damper: the series yaw damper and the parallel yaw damper. The actuator of a parallel yaw damper will move the rudder independently of the pilot's rudder pedals while the actuator of

2050-481: Is generally considered unlikely that different engineering teams will make the same mistakes. As the software becomes more expensive and complex, design diversity is becoming less common because fewer engineering companies can afford it. The flight control computers on the Space Shuttle used this design: there were five computers, four of which redundantly ran identical software, and a fifth backup running software that

2132-414: Is generally made mandatory by international aviation regulations. There are three levels of control in autopilots for smaller aircraft. A single-axis autopilot controls an aircraft in the roll axis only; such autopilots are also known colloquially as "wing levellers", reflecting their single capability. A two-axis autopilot controls an aircraft in the pitch axis as well as roll, and may be little more than

2214-451: Is needed: at least fail-passive but it needs to be fail-operational for landing without decision height or for RVR below 100 metres (330 ft). CAT IIIc – As IIIb but without decision height or visibility minimums, also known as "zero-zero". Not yet implemented as it would require the pilots to taxi in zero-zero visibility. An aircraft that is capable of landing in a CAT IIIb that is equipped with autobrake would be able to fully stop on

2296-494: Is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68B turboprop engine of 1,600 shaft horse power , which drives a five-bladed graphite scimitar propeller manufactured by Hartzell ; it has been claimed by Pilatus that the PC-21 possesses speed and climb rates previously normally performed only by jet-powered aircraft. It is also fitted with a high-speed profile wing, rated for maneuvers up to 8 g , complete with hydraulically -assisted ailerons and spoilers which enable

2378-468: Is sometimes colloquially referred to as "George" (e.g. "we'll let George fly for a while"; "George is flying the plane now". ). The etymology of the nickname is unclear: some claim it is a reference to American inventor George De Beeson (1897 - 1965), who patented an autopilot in the 1930s, while others claim that Royal Air Force pilots coined the term during World War II to symbolize that their aircraft technically belonged to King George VI . In

2460-561: Is the embedded simulation and training suite, which provides cross-platform cockpit emulation, weapons simulation, stores management system, simulated radar and electronic warfare , a tactical situation display, and data link functionality. Key to this is the Mission Support System (MSS), which comprises the Mission Planning System (MPS) and Mission Debriefing System (MDS); data can be loaded and unloaded from these, which

2542-461: Is used when the visibility is zero. These approaches are available at many major airports' runways today, especially at airports subject to adverse weather phenomena such as fog . The aircraft can typically stop on their own, but will require the disengagement of the autopilot in order to exit the runway and taxi to the gate. An autopilot is often an integral component of a Flight Management System . Modern autopilots use computer software to control

Pilatus PC-21 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2624-410: Is usually a set of extra hardware and software that deals with pre-programming the model's flight. A flight director (FD) is a very important component when it comes to flying an aircraft. It is considered a crucial component within an aircraft's avionics system. The primary function of the flight director is to provide visual guidance to which ever pilot is hand-flying the airplane. Hand-flying or not,

2706-701: The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II and the PZL-130 Orlik III ), as a possible substitute for its ENAER T-35 Pillan and CASA C-101 Aviojet trainer aircraft. January 2020 saw the Spanish Air Force confirm an order for 24 PC-21 aircraft, which will replace mainly the CASA C-101 Aviojet, but will also take over advanced training which is currently carried out on the T-35 Pillan. The Belgian Air Force

2788-631: The Boeing 777 uses triplicated FCP-2002 microprocessors which have been formally verified and are fabricated in a radiation-resistant process. Software and hardware in an autopilot are tightly controlled, and extensive test procedures are put in place. Some autopilots also use design diversity. In this safety feature, critical software processes will not only run on separate computers, and possibly even using different architectures, but each computer will run software created by different engineering teams, often being programmed in different programming languages. It

2870-689: The United States . Amongst its uses in the civilian sector has been aerobatic displays . During the 1990s, the PC-7 Mk.II M was adopted as the basic trainer of the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) alongside the BAE Systems Hawk jet trainer; the acquisition was seen a key to its expanded operations with fixed-wing aircraft . During June 2011 , the Indian Air Force (IAF) selected

2952-658: The 1980s, amid tensions between Iran and the United States , it is alleged that Iranian officials threatened to arm its PC-7 fleet with explosives and use them to launch suicide attacks against United States Navy (USN) vessels present in the Persian Gulf . Iran reportedly trained a number of suicide pilots and flew some operational missions, training was performed at Bushehr Air Base in Iran and overseas in North Korea . In early 1984 , an Iranian attack helicopter AH-1J Sea Cobra

3034-513: The Apollo program is an early example of a fully digital autopilot system in spacecraft. Not all of the passenger aircraft flying today have an autopilot system. Older and smaller general aviation aircraft especially are still hand-flown, and even small airliners with fewer than twenty seats may also be without an autopilot as they are used on short-duration flights with two pilots. The installation of autopilots in aircraft with more than twenty seats

3116-438: The PC-21 to capture 50% of the global trainer aircraft market between 2005 and 2030. From the start of the aircraft's development, Pilatus aimed for the type to have a predictable cost profile over its full lifespan. To meet this goal, the firm chose to incorporate modern materials, an innovative design concept, and full-scale fatigue analysis. Additionally, accompanying the aircraft itself are integrated training systems to meet

3198-528: The PC-7 Mk.II M as its new basic trainer, signing a contract for an initial batch of 75 aircraft, with an option for buying an additional 38 PC-7 Mk.II Ms; the Indian military had a total requirement of 181 trainers. The fast-tracked decision to procure a foreign aircraft over a domestically developed alternative proposed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was a controversial one; retired Air Marshal Anil Chopra argued that HAL had no viable design for

3280-555: The PC-7 across the North American civil aviation market. At this time, there were already five civil-registered PC-7s in operation in North America; Pilatus believed that the region could be a viable market for both remanufactured and newly built examples of the type, which would be priced between $ 1 million and $ 2 million respectively. It was recognised that this market was limited, Western Aircraft expected to sell only

3362-535: The PC-7 generated considerable profits, allowing the company to finance the development of further types of aircraft. The PC-7 Mk.II M is a development of the PC-9's airframe and avionics, which was powered by the PC-7's smaller turbine engine, which reportedly achieved lower operating and maintenance costs. This variant was developed at the behest of the South African Air Force (SAAF), who later adopted

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3444-475: The PC-7 has been succeeded by the newer PC-9 and PC-21 trainers. Work on what would become the PC-7 commenced during the 1960s. It was based on the earlier piston -powered Pilatus P-3 , the initial prototype being produced from the existing prototype P-3, principally differing by the substitution of its Lycoming O-435 engine with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 turboprop power-plant. On 12 April 1966 ; 58 years ago  ( 1966-04-12 ) ,

3526-473: The PC-7: At least seven PC-7 aircraft are in service by various unspecified civilian operators as of October 2008. Data from General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Autopilot An autopilot is a system used to control the path of a vehicle without requiring constant manual control by

3608-690: The Swiss Air Force placed an order for another two aircraft. In November 2006, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) awarded a service contract to Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training and Support (LMSTS) to deliver 19 PC-21 aircraft, to support the RSAF's Basic Wings training course at RAAF Base Pearce in Australia under a public–private partnership (PPP) arrangement, replacing the SIAI-Marchetti S.211 . Singapore

3690-620: The UAEAF's first PC-21 performed its maiden flight. In July 2012, it was announced that the Qatar Air Force had placed an order for a complete pilot training system from Pilatus centering upon the PC-21. The package included ground-based training devices, logistical support and maintenance in addition to 24 PC-21 aircraft. On 1 October 2014, the Qatar Air Force formally received its first batch of PC-21 trainers. On 23 May 2012, Saudi Arabia signed

3772-461: The aircraft control surfaces to damp unacceptable motions. SAS automatically stabilizes the aircraft in one or more axes. The most common type of SAS is the yaw damper which is used to reduce the Dutch roll tendency of swept-wing aircraft. Some yaw dampers are part of the autopilot system while others are stand-alone systems. Yaw dampers use a sensor to detect how fast the aircraft is rotating (either

3854-455: The aircraft possesses a powerful, flexible, and cost-effective integrated training system; providing sufficient ease of use for inexperienced pilots while posing greater challenge to advanced pilots. According to Pilatus, upon product launch, the PC-21 possessed "superior aerodynamic performance when compared with any other turboprop trainer on the market". The aircraft features a tandem -seating arrangement (student in front/instructor behind) in

3936-537: The aircraft. The software reads the aircraft's current position, and then controls a flight control system to guide the aircraft. In such a system, besides classic flight controls, many autopilots incorporate thrust control capabilities that can control throttles to optimize the airspeed. The autopilot in a modern large aircraft typically reads its position and the aircraft's attitude from an inertial guidance system . Inertial guidance systems accumulate errors over time. They will incorporate error reduction systems such as

4018-548: The carousel system that rotates once a minute so that any errors are dissipated in different directions and have an overall nulling effect. Error in gyroscopes is known as drift. This is due to physical properties within the system, be it mechanical or laser guided, that corrupt positional data. The disagreements between the two are resolved with digital signal processing , most often a six-dimensional Kalman filter . The six dimensions are usually roll, pitch, yaw, altitude , latitude , and longitude . Aircraft may fly routes that have

4100-512: The control of an autopilot. Bill Lear developed his F-5 automatic pilot, and automatic approach control system, and was awarded the Collier Trophy in 1949. In the early 1920s, the Standard Oil tanker J.A. Moffet became the first ship to use an autopilot. The Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever was the first production helicopter with an autopilot. The lunar module digital autopilot of

4182-532: The controls and visible to onlookers. Elmer Sperry Jr., the son of Lawrence Sperry, and Capt Shiras continued work on the same autopilot after the war, and in 1930, they tested a more compact and reliable autopilot which kept a U.S. Army Air Corps aircraft on a true heading and altitude for three hours. In 1930, the Royal Aircraft Establishment in the United Kingdom developed an autopilot called

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4264-532: The early days of aviation, aircraft required the continuous attention of a pilot to fly safely. As aircraft range increased, allowing flights of many hours, the constant attention led to serious fatigue. An autopilot is designed to perform some of the pilot's tasks. The first aircraft autopilot was developed by Sperry Corporation in 1912. The autopilot connected a gyroscopic heading indicator , and attitude indicator to hydraulically operated elevators and rudder . ( Ailerons were not connected as wing dihedral

4346-417: The effects of high g-forces experienced during tactical training and aerobatic maneuvers. Pilots are able to spend a greater amount of time concentrating on the aircraft's external situation and upon mission data inputs due to an ergonomic design approach, ease-of-use controls, and clear visual/system data displays. In addition, a full autopilot and civil flight management system are also present. The PC-21

4428-404: The execution of fighter-like rates of roll and other maneuvers. In order to make the aircraft easy to fly at low speeds, crucial to the advanced trainer role, the PC-21 is furnished with a digital power management system and the rudder control system is equipped with an automatic yaw compensator/suppression system to compensate for airspeed and engine power changes. A key feature of the PC-21

4510-488: The first, made its maiden flight. In December 2004, Switzerland's Federal Office for Civil Aviation granted type certification for the PC-21; civil certification was attained despite it being a military aircraft as this permitted civil maintenance procedures to be used as well as allowing the aircraft to be supplied under private finance arrangements. Individual Swiss military certification for equipment such as ejection seats has been applied as necessary. On 13 January 2005,

4592-464: The flight director is used with all autopilot systems today. When the flight director is turned on, it shows a pink triangle along the middle of the PFD, it can also be called or considered a "crosshair". The FD is the aircraft's computer giving instructions to the pilot hand-flying on how to fly the plane and where to put the attitude indicator. When the pilot hand-flying has aligned their attitude indicator with

4674-459: The forward and rear cockpits can be 'de-coupled' between the student and instructor; the instructor may exercise real-time manipulation of the student's displays, sensor performance, and system modes such as to create synthetic air-to-air radar targets, artificial non-safety critical system failures, and controlled data degradation. The aircraft's fully digital glass cockpit features three large colour liquid crystal displays (LCD), one performing as

4756-429: The increasing age of existing trainer aircraft. To support the relaunch, another P-3 was obtained from the Swiss Air Force . After modifications, this aircraft first flew on 12 May 1975 ; 49 years ago  ( 1975-05-12 ) . Further extensive modifications followed later in the programme, including the adoption of a new one-piece wing complete with integral fuel tanks , along with an altered tail fin and

4838-409: The late 1990s, Israeli engineering firm Radom began offering a kit of new avionics for the type, which included a new mission computer, a wide-angle head-up display , along with various replacement communications and weapons-delivery systems. During July 1998 , Pilatus announced that it has come to an agreement with American company Western Aircraft , for the latter to act as a distributor for

4920-505: The late 2000s, the Chadian Air Force reportedly used its small fleet of PC-7s to bomb rebel positions both in their own territory and in neighbouring Sudan . The Swiss government summoned the Chad's ambassador to request an explanation for these reports, as these actions breached the export agreements previously struck for the sale of the type to Chad. An incomplete list of the users of

5002-416: The modified prototype performed its maiden flight . However, the PC-7 programme was abruptly shelved following an accident involving the aircraft. The termination of work was reportedly driven by a lack of market interest. During 1973 , it was decided to restart work on the programme; factors for its revival had included the 1973 oil crisis , the launch of the rival Beechcraft T-34C Turbo-Mentor , and

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5084-460: The next three decades. A key aim for the PC-21 was to allow jet aircraft pilots to perform the majority of their training using the type before converting to jet-powered types, allowing operators to make substantial savings. In order to achieve this aim, the new trainer was required to have an expanded performance envelope in terms of aerodynamics , cockpit equipment, flexibility, and ease of maintenance. In May 2002 Pilatus announced that it aimed for

5166-593: The option of buying a batch of 38 trainers. A number of PC-7s were employed by the Guatemalan Air Force in air strikes and for close air support (CAS) during the Guatemalan civil war , starting in 1982 , until the end of the conflict in 1996 . The PC-7s were typically deployed from the airfield in La Aurora , being armed with a mixture of gun pods and rocket pods . During the lengthy Iran–Iraq War of

5248-547: The original deal. In January 2017, Pilatus received a contract for 17 PC-21s by the French Department of Defense as a new training aircraft. On 31 August 2018, France's defence procurement agency Direction générale de l'armement announced the arrival of the first two PC-21s. The delivery of the remaining aircraft is scheduled to be completed in 2019. The PC-21 has been evaluated by the Spanish Air Force (along with

5330-524: The pilot controls the autopilot through inputs on the yoke or the stick. These inputs are translated to a specific heading and attitude, which the autopilot will then hold until instructed to do otherwise. This provides stability in pitch and roll. Some aircraft employ a form of CWS even in manual mode, such as the MD-11 which uses a constant CWS in roll. In many ways, a modern Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft in Normal Law

5412-437: The pilot's needs; the full package offered by Pilatus includes synthetic training devices, computer-based training, and classroom instruction. As a result of greater training effectiveness, pilots can graduate with fewer total training hours, reaching the frontline faster and at lower cost. In addition to pilots, various prospective aircrew, such as navigators, weapons officers, and electronic warfare operators, can be trained using

5494-405: The pilot. CAT I – This category permits pilots to land with a decision height of 200 feet (61 m) and a forward visibility or Runway Visual Range (RVR) of 550 metres (1,800 ft). Autopilots are not required. CAT II – This category permits pilots to land with a decision height between 200 feet (61 m) and 100 feet (30 m) and a RVR of 300 metres (980 ft). Autopilots have

5576-429: The pink FD crosshairs, that pilot is flying the correct flight path indicated by the aircraft's computers. The Flight Director is there to help you maintain a multitude of things depending on the situation. It can help you with maintaining a vertical speed, a specific altitude, heading, and/or navigational tracking all in one. Flight directors are extremely useful when it comes to instrument approaches when you must maintain

5658-651: The primary flight display (PFD) and two multi-function displays (MFDs) for system/mission management, in addition to CMC Electronics -provided head-up displays (HUD) for both the pilot and instructor. The trim gauge is the only analogue dial in the cockpit. For control simplicity, a Hands on Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) control philosophy has been followed. Both the display and control systems present also resemble their counterparts used upon modern front-line combat aircraft for greater realism during training; and can be further customized in order to be more representative of specific combat aircraft. The multi-sensor navigation system

5740-519: The relevant export agreement between the customer and the Swiss government . An improved model of the aircraft, the PC-7 Mk.II M , was developed during the 1990s, by combining the newer airframe and avionics from the PC-9 with the PC-7's smaller turbine engine. Reportedly, in excess of 600 PC-7s have been sold to various operators, the majority of which are in service. In Pilatus' range of aircraft,

5822-489: The role, and that the IAF could not have reasonably afforded the delay involved in the development of such an aircraft. The procurement of an additional 106 trainers under the 'Make & Buy' (Indian) category was repeatedly deferred. In 2017 , the maintenance agreement with Pilatus lapsed, resulting in the IAF becoming solely responsible for performing these activities. During 2018 , India announced that it had chosen to exercise

5904-541: The runway but would have no ability to taxi. Fail-passive autopilot: in case of failure, the aircraft stays in a controllable position and the pilot can take control of it to go around or finish landing. It is usually a dual-channel system. Fail-operational autopilot: in case of a failure below alert height, the approach, flare and landing can still be completed automatically. It is usually a triple-channel system or dual-dual system. In radio-controlled modelling , and especially RC aircraft and helicopters , an autopilot

5986-551: The runway. This category permits pilots to land with a decision height less than 50 feet or no decision height and a forward visibility of 250 feet (76 m) in Europe (76 metres, compare this to aircraft size, some of which are now over 70 metres (230 ft) long) or 300 feet (91 m) in the United States. For a landing-without-decision aid, a fail-operational autopilot is needed. For this category some form of runway guidance system

6068-519: The same way as the yaw damper described above; however, instead of damping Dutch roll, they will damp pitch and roll oscillations to improve the overall stability of the aircraft. Instrument-aided landings are defined in categories by the International Civil Aviation Organization , or ICAO. These are dependent upon the required visibility level and the degree to which the landing can be conducted automatically without input by

6150-453: The second of the two development aircraft crashed in Buochs , Switzerland, while conducting an aerobatic training flight; the accident resulted in the death of the pilot as well as injuring another person on the ground. In response to the accident, the other PC-21 was grounded for several weeks until Swiss authorities had established that there was no sign of technical malfunction. In August 2006, it

6232-515: The type's embedded simulation/emulation system. On 30 April 2002, the rollout of the first PC-21 prototype was performed at Pilatus' factory in Stans , Switzerland; this aircraft conducted its first flight on 1 July of the same year. In May 2003, Pilatus management formally green-lit the program to proceed to full development. On 7 June 2004, a second PC-21 prototype, the construction of which had been delayed to incorporate improvements learnt from assembling

6314-558: The type. A batch of 60 PC-7 Mk.II Ms were locally assembled in South Africa using kits supplied by Pilatus for the SAAF; due to political considerations, these aircraft were not fitted with the armament hardpoints . Deliveries to the SAAF took place between late 1994 and 1996 . In addition to Pilatus' own improvement programmes, several third-party companies have independently developed their own upgrades for customer's PC-7. During

6396-552: Was announced that crash investigators had concluded that pilot error had been a primary cause. In late August 2005, the first pre-series production PC-21 performed its maiden flight. The Pilatus PC-21 is an advanced single-engine trainer aircraft; it is often referred to by Pilatus as being the "Twenty-first Century Trainer". The type can be applied for various training capacities, including basic flying training, advanced flight training, full mission management training, and embedded simulation/emulation. In order to perform these functions,

6478-481: Was counted upon to produce the necessary roll stability.) It permitted the aircraft to fly straight and level on a compass course without a pilot's attention, greatly reducing the pilot's workload. Lawrence Sperry , the son of famous inventor Elmer Sperry , demonstrated it in 1914 at an aviation safety contest held in Paris . Sperry demonstrated the credibility of the invention by flying the aircraft with his hands away from

6560-504: Was developed independently. The software on the fifth system provided only the basic functions needed to fly the Shuttle, further reducing any possible commonality with the software running on the four primary systems. A stability augmentation system (SAS) is another type of automatic flight control system; however, instead of maintaining the aircraft required altitude or flight path, the SAS will move

6642-702: Was shot down by an Iraqi PC-7 during Operation Khyber (Iranian pilots Reza Moghadam and Mohammad Yazdi were rescued). In 1994 , the Mexican Air Force used several armed PC-7s to attack units of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation during the Chiapas conflict in Mexico . This action was considered illegal by the Swiss government because the aeroplanes were sold for training purposes only, and as result, Switzerland issued

6724-640: Was the first export customer for the PC-21. On 21 January 2008, the first RSAF PC-21 completed its flight test prior to being accepted into service. On 13 July 2008, the type began to provide the RSAF with basic flying training, by which point a further six aircraft had been delivered. During the 2009 Dubai Airshow , the United Arab Emirates announced an order of 25 PC-21 trainers for the United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) to replace its aging fleet of Pilatus PC-7s . On 22 November 2010,

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