The Princess of Asturias has completed her first solo flight at the General Air and Space Academy in San Javier (Murcia).
The young royal, 20, was piloting a Pilatus PC-21 training aircraft in a milestone moment of her military education.
According to the Royal Household, the heir carried out the flight – known in aviation as la suelta – on Thursday (December 18), four months after beginning her training as an alférez (officer cadet) in the Spanish Air and Space Force.
To qualify for a solo flight, the Princess had first completed all required theoretical instruction, simulator sessions and supervised flight hours in the Pilatus aircraft, meeting the competencies needed to fly safely without an instructor on board.
Princess Leonor joined the Air Academy on September 1, marking the final stage of her three-service military training, following previous periods at the Army Academy in Zaragoza, the Naval Academy in Marin (Pontevedra), and time aboard the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano.
The Royal Household released 19 official photographs showing different stages of the solo flight, including take-off, landing and the traditional post-flight greeting with fellow cadets.
The Pilatus PC-21 is an advanced Swiss-built training aircraft chosen by the Spanish Air Force to replace the long-serving C-101, known as the culopollo.
The aircraft was also flown by King Felipe VI during a visit to the San Javier base in June.
Before reaching the solo-flight stage, cadets complete around 50 hours in simulators, followed by a similar number of flight hours with an instructor.
Only once instructors consider a trainee fully prepared are they authorised to fly alone – a step that not all cadets reach.
Princess Leonor is completing the course alongside 74 fellow cadets – 60 men and 14 women – as she continues her preparation for her future role as head of Spain’s armed forces.
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