Unusual Airplanes: The red PC-21 Makes Its Debut at the Air Show

There’s also a trend for PC-21s. That’s why they can be found at many model airfields. Daniel Riedweg’s PC-21 has also been seen at the Scale Championships (F4C) and at the well-known Hausen Air Shows.

In Hausen, it’s mandatory to register properly with the event’s organizing committee and to obtain the familiar fabric tag bearing the pilot’s name. This is because there are reportedly some aircraft that, despite being successfully included in the official flight program, fail to show up for their scheduled appearance. Even with a 2.4-GHz transmitter, a takeoff—

The PC-21 is now being parked in its designated spot, along with a fully functional bicycle pump and a few other items. Meanwhile, the owner heads to the briefing to hear the forecast visibility in the fog—or rather, to find out when flight operations adapted to the visibility conditions might be possible.

After that, there’s quite a long wait. Sometime in the afternoon, flight clearance is granted, and the pilot pushes the PC-21 into the preparation area near the runway access. That’s where the bicycle pump comes into play. Not to inflate the tires—they’re still a bit too small for that. Rather, it’s used to fill the air reservoir for the pneumatic landing gear so that it can be reliably extended and retracted later. Soon after, it’s off to the runway.

Everything is ready. The plane is now being taxied onto the runway, and the clearance has already been granted. The pilot elegantly increases the propeller speed, and the PC-21 begins to roll. After just a few meters, it takes off. Passing the trees, its nose points resolutely toward the sky. As practiced reliably many times before, the landing gear retracts quietly into the fuselage. Now the pilot, dressed in an authentic flight suit, could first enjoy the fantastic view from the front cockpit—

The forest has already taken on a slightly yellowish-brown hue, and the visibility on this mild autumn afternoon is very clear. The many spectators lining the runway and the huge number of cars also create a colorful scene. But no—today is the air show. So they move straight into the aerobatics. The maneuvers are flown precisely according to a pre-planned program. But the six minutes of flight time are over all too quickly, and an equally precise landing is called for. Thanks to the thorough work of the bicycle pump, the landing gear is now extended true to the model. And just like that, the runway is back in sight. After a perfect landing, the demonstration is complete. But some spectators aren’t even looking at the plane. They’re happily munching on a nicely browned sausage and enjoying a pleasantly cool beer with it.

Apparently, all the opponents of aircraft noise stayed home today. They really should have enjoyed the PC-21’s whisper-quiet engine. No foul-smelling exhaust fumes or choking smoke polluted the pristine autumn landscape. The PC-21 is a very decent aircraft in that regard. It’s just that with such exemplary behavior,

apparently didn't attract quite enough attention on flight day. That's why we're now heading to the model shop's exhibition. There, this type of airplane is held in much higher regard. That's because at some model airfields, the very characteristics shown earlier are in high demand. “Decent” model

are allowed to fly there all year round and even on Sundays. Meanwhile, the big “noise-makers” can only make an appearance at an air show every now and then and, in between, have to spend all their time languishing in a dark storage room.

The model was built on a 1:5 scale. The paint scheme matches that of the original HB-HZC from Pilatuswerke. The aircraft is equipped with LED position lights, which also match the prototype and even flash at exactly the same

. This makes landings at dusk easier. The model and the additional parts used are distributed by Classic Modellbau.

Photos and text: Hermann Mettler