Pilatus PC-21

Pilatus PC-21 – 21 by name, 21st (Century) by nature

Thousands of feet below the sharply pointed nose, Lake Lucerne whirls wildly as our PC-21 spins earthward. The altimeter is unwinding at a prodigious rate, and we’re already below the summits of many of the Alps. As the nose flicks round for a sixth time I apply full opposite rudder and then ease the stick just forward of neutral. The spin stops almost instantly and I pull up out of the ensuing dive, increase power and soar effortlessly upward into the perfect blue of an Alpine sky. This really is a fine-handling aeroplane! Based at Stans in Switzerland, Pilatus is a very cosmopolitan company. Indeed I am met by Christophe Guiraud, who used to fly Mirage 2000s with the Armée de l’ Air, ex-Luftwaffe Tornadopilot Martin ‘Canyon’ Mendel and equipment specialist Briton Dave Upton.

My visit starts with a comprehensive briefing, not just on the aircraft but on the entire training system, because that’s exactly what it is – a fully integrated 21st Century platform built around the PC-21 that uses the very latest computer technology – both in the air and on the ground. The premise behind Pilatus’s training system is actually very simple – to completely bypass the jet module of a trainee fighter pilot’s syllabus while fully preparing them for the cockpit of a modern fast jet. And as I was soon to learn, not only does the PC-21 feel like a jet, but its systems cleverly replicate those of a modern fighter.