An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 17 of the ejection seat. It is also used by qualified pilots to brush up on emergency procedures and to practise instrument approaches. The cadets then go to Amsterdam for g-force tolerance training in a centrifuge, experiencing up to 8g (7g is the maxi- mum pulled by a PC-9), and hypoxia awareness training in a hypobaric chamber. Back in Ireland this is followed by sea and land survival courses. Cadet Niall Dungan began the elementary flying training (EFT) phase in April 2015, which combines 50 hours flying with five more sessions in the FTD. This stage equates with the re- quirements for a PPL (Private Pilot's Licence), plus some basic aerobatics. The first solo flight of three circuits is completed af ter 20 flights. Niall said, "This was exciting but I didn't really have the time to ap- preciate it as I was quite busy. I didn't feel nervous, as I was confident that my instructors had faith in me and had prepared me well." The challenge for the student, beyond actually learning to fly, lies in the performance of the aircraft. When compared with a flying club Cessna, the PC-9 will climb out of the circuit or train- ing area at 180kts rather than 110kts. It accelerates much faster and climbs quicker, so the student's reaction time and thought processes have to be that much sharper. There is also the extra challenge of managing a modern, sophisticated avionics package. The next 30 hours are spent at between 2,000 and 10,000 feet, with every second or third flight being solo. Flight 56, the elemen- tary handling test, includes circuits, forced landing, stall and spin recovery, emergency drills and aerobatics. Basic flying training takes total flying hours up to 140, including 40 hours of instrument flying (IF), medium-level and instrument navigation, and 10 hours night flying. Niall is enjoying the navigational exercises, "As you gain a little more experience, occasionally you can simply appreciate the coun- tryside and also the privilege of being a pilot with the Air Corps: a school leaver who had his first solo in the PC-9 at 19 years of age!" Flight 82 is the IF progress test, which, if successfully com- pleted, gives the cadet an amber (par tial) instrument rating and af ter Flight 98, the instrument rating test, a full IR rating will be awarded. Forty hours are also spent in the FTD before the block culmi- nates in the basic handling test on Flight 120. The cadets fly once or twice a day and they need to have three flights fully planned at any one time, which develops the ability to be flexible, which is sensible, considering the nature of the weather in Ireland. Each cadet also has a secondary military duty, for example, membership of the base welfare committee or responsibility for flight safety equipment, technical publications and charts updates, or logistics. The final stage of the course includes formation flying and more advanced aerobatics, the culmination of which is the final handling test, which involves navigating to a target, landing, re- ceiving a new target and leading a formation to it within five sec- onds of the stipulated time. He will then receive his type rating. The last phase before the award of Wings is two to three weeks multi-crew co-operation training in the Beechcraft simulator and a crew resource management course. Successful students join an elite group, as only 423 pilots have gained Air Corps Wings since WJ McSweeney in 1922; 37 have completed their Wings course on the PC-9, with 26 currently in the training pipeline. None of this would be possible without the dedicated support of the technical staff in the neighbouring hangar; one flight ser- geant, four sergeants and ten airmen. Sgt Brian O'Keeffe (23 years service) remains very impressed with the PC-9 as "despite having advanced systems it is easy to maintain and has an impressive record of reliability". Much of the maintenance is based on a modern diagnostic system, while the avionics are the preserve of the specialist team which also services the Learjet 45. Four aircraft are required on the ramp every day, with one in deeper maintenance at any given time. Daily inspections and component changes are everyday tasks, with a sergeant acting as duty inspector, investigating snags, assigning rectification teams and certifying completed jobs. They also carry out 150-hour ser- vices, which can take up to three weeks; passing an aircraft to the Airframe Repair Flight for its 300-hour service, which takes up to eight weeks. The original team undertook a five-week intensive training course in Switzerland in 2004 but all ab initio technical training is now given at Baldonnel, with visits to Stans for more spe- cialised aspects. There is also a resident Pilatus field service engineer, Andy Hamilton, who Sgt O'Keeffe says, "is a real asset to FTS mainte- nance personnel". The total flying hours for the PC-9 fleet is close to 16,000 with each aircraft clocking up around 2,000 hours. One PC-9 has been lost. Sadly, Capt Derek Furniss and Cadet David Jevens, died when their aircraft crashed on a training flight in Connemara on 12th October 2009. In summary, the PC-9 fulfils all the roles required of it and, in the opinion of the FTS instructional staff, has the capacity to engage the attention of pilots of all degrees of experience, from elementary to 10,000 hours. The FTS motto in the title of this article is very apt, translating as, 'Honour, Loyalty, Per- severance', all of which qualities are exemplified by the staff and students of the school. PC-9 on live firing exercise Comdt Frank Byrne OC FTS

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