The heir to the Spanish throne is entering the final phase of her comprehensive military training, this time taking place at the Main Air Force Academy in San Javier (San Javier). This stage may prove to be the most challenging for her psychologically, as she will have to learn to operate a Pilatus trainer aircraft. Extensive hours lie ahead on the flight simulator, practicing aircraft stabilization, instrument control, and flight data reading. However, many believe that the prospect of taking to the skies at the controls has been the most nerve-wracking part of Donna Leonor’s military journey from the very beginning.
The idea of flying a 2,200-kilogram aircraft at more than 10,000 meters above the ground is undeniably daunting. This is a perfectly natural reaction, even with the romantic aura that surrounds aviation. Observers note that the future queen is more inclined toward introspection than risk-taking. Not long ago, she completed a five-month voyage on the training ship “Juan Sebastian Elcano,” where she had to cope with seasickness, but piloting an airplane presents an entirely different kind of challenge. Unprecedented safety measures are being taken. Pilatus aircraft have two seats, allowing an instructor to be present at all times.
Throughout her studies, Alférez (Ensign) Borbón will have a dedicated support team, in addition to a group of 15 security agents and other assistants. It has been revealed that she will have a personal and permanent instructor—a position entrusted to a female lieutenant, the first female pilot of a Eurofighter fighter jet in Spain. Moreover, Doña Leonor will be honing her flying skills on her own Pilatus PC-21 aircraft, which she will not have to share with other cadets. Reports say that to overcome her anxiety before flights, she visited the San Javier base in January this year to get acquainted in advance with the facilities, and specifically, the hangar.
Upon arriving at the academy, the heir to the throne shared that she was determined to study, but would prefer to take things “slowly, step by step.” One of the key milestones for any future pilot is the so-called “suelta” (la suelta) — the first solo flight. It remains uncertain whether the Princess will reach this point, and whether, like her father King Felipe VI, she will learn to fly a fighter jet. Her father is a combat pilot with experience flying transport planes, helicopters, and the supersonic Eurofighter. Doña Leonor has been assigned to a fourth-year cadet group of 75 and will graduate in July with the rank of lieutenant. The San Javier base itself is known among the military by the nickname “the Cave” (la Cueva) due to its exceptionally high training standards, which not everyone manages to meet. The daily schedule here is extremely strict: reveille at 6:30 AM, classes until 6:00 PM, and lights out at 10:15 PM.
