Pilatus PC-7 Mk II : Crashed
Two Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots were killed after their Pilatus PC-7 Mk II trainer aircraft crashed during a routine training sortie from the Air Force Academy at Dundigal, Telangana.
- Pilatus PC-7 Mk II is a trainer aircraft.
- It is a low-wing, turbo-prop aircraft with tandem seating (the cadet sits in the front, the instructor behind him).
- While the original aircraft has been in service since the 1970s, the Mk II version was introduced in the 1990s, with newer airframe and more advanced avionics.
- It is Powered by a Pratt & Whitney turbo-prop engine, it has a maximum speed of 412 km/h and can fly to a height of slightly more than 10,000 m.
- It has a range of 1,200 km without external tanks, which translates to slightly more than 4 hours of flying time.
- There are 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mk II aircraft in service with the IAF.
Trainer aircraft:
- A trainer is a class of aircraft designed specifically to facilitate flight training of pilots and aircrews.
- Modern military aircraft are notoriously difficult to master for rookie pilots. Hence, they must first be trained on other, more basic aircraft.
