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The PC-7 Team is an
aerobatics Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aeroplane" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and gl ...
team of the
Swiss Air Force The Swiss Air Force (; ; ; ) is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914, three days after the outbreak of World War I, as a part of the Swiss Army, army and in October 1936 as an independent service. In peaceti ...
. It derives its name from the Pilatus PC-7 trainer, the team's primary aircraft.


History

Soon after the PC-7 was introduced in 1982, the Swiss Air Force started to present the new airplane in solo displays. The first public team display was in 1987, performed by an ad-hoc team of nine volunteer pilots. When the Swiss Air Force celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1989, the PC-7 Team was officially established. Since then, it has been performing in Switzerland several times a year, and since 1992 also occasionally abroad. Since its establishment the team has flown the Pilatus PC-7 Turbo Trainer. In October 2006, it was replaced by the NCPC-7, which is a PC-7 equipped with a new cockpit. The PC-7 Team currently flies nine Pilatus PC-7 in the standard configuration of the Swiss Air Force's PC-7. The PC-7 Team still uses the unique Swiss Air Force
Bambini-Code The Bambini-Code was a brevity code used for tactical radio voice communications by the Swiss Air Force (SAF). It was developed by the SAF during World War II and was used until 1998. It is sometimes referred to as the "fifth national language" of ...
for its radio communication. The PC-7 Team's homebase is Dübendorf Air Base, but they often operate from Militärflugplatz Emmen or Locarno Airport. All pilots of the PC-7 Team are full-time military pilots and usually fly the F/A-18. The show program is made from 23 different elements. In 2014 the nine aircraft were fitted with smoke generators, it was publicly used for the first time on 1 August 2014 at Buochs Airport at the roll-out of the Pilatus PC-24. The smoke system was built and financed by the company
Pilatus Aircraft Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. is an aerospace manufacturer located in Stans, Switzerland. In June 2016, the company employed 1,905 people. The company has mostly produced aircraft for niche markets, in particular STOL, short takeoff and landing (STOL) ...
. Currently seven smoking systems are available which can be mounted in the luggage compartment of the PC-7. The diesel-oil mixture is injected into the right exhaust of the PC-7.


Award

* Royal International Air Tattoo UK "King Hussein Memorial Sword"Insider (Patrouille Suisse fan club newspaper) 2014 page 13


See also

* Patrouille Suisse – the Swiss Air Force's jet aerobatic team * List of Swiss Air Force display teams


References


Swiss Air Force Page about the PC-7 Team
(in German)
PC-7 Team homepage
* Book ''PC-7 TEAM – Backstage'' SBN: 978-3-906055-07-7


External links

*
360° panoramic cockpit video
(7:41 minutes;
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) {{Authority control Aerobatic teams Swiss Air Force