The Sanicole Airshow, one of the largest and most exciting airshows in Europe, has announced that the Irish Air Corps Display Team, the Silver Swallows, will make their Belgian debut at the event in 2024.

The Silver Swallows are a highly skilled team of instructor pilots who perform a range of aerial displays, including loops, rolls, and opposing passes. Their displays are always a crowd-pleaser, and their participation in the Sanicole Airshow is expected to draw a large audience.

The Sanicole Airshow, scheduled for the weekend of September 21-22, is a two-day event that showcases some of the most advanced military and civilian aircraft from around the world. The event features thrilling aerial displays, ground exhibitions, and interactive activities for visitors of all ages. It is a must-attend event for aviation enthusiasts, families, and anyone looking for a fun and exciting weekend.

If you're interested in attending the event, you can visit sanicole.com to learn more about it and purchase your tickets.

Silver Swallows

The Silver Swallows, a four-ship aerobatic demonstration team of the Irish Air Corps, is known for its impressive displays of aerial acrobatics. The team flies Pilatus PC-9M turboprop training aircraft painted in a light grey colour with red trim. All the pilots in the team are active flight instructors who have volunteered to display as a team during their free time.

Based at Casement Aerodrome in Dublin, the Silver Swallows attend a few events each year, primarily in the Republic of Ireland. They perform at the annual Bray Air Display and participate in a small number of flypasts for special occasions, such as the Easter Rising centenary parade in 2016.

The team's display routine is a sight to behold, lasting around 10 minutes and consisting of tight formation flypasts, breaks, and solo aerobatics. Their manoeuvres include loops, rolls, spins, and other impressive aerial stunts that demonstrate the pilots' skill and precision.

Although the team rarely performs outside of the Republic of Ireland, they have displayed at the Royal International Air Tattoo and the Newcastle Festival of Flight (Northern Ireland) in 2011, 2012, and 2013. On March 27, 2016, the team, together with two additional PC-9Ms, performed a flypast over Dublin as part of the Easter Rising centenary parade, trailing green-white-orange smoke for the first time.

On July 23 and 24, 2016, at the Bray Air Display, the team performed their first official aerobatic display since the team's aircraft were equipped with smoke systems. This display was particularly impressive, with the aircraft leaving trails of white smoke as they soared through the sky, leaving the audience in awe.

The Silver Swallows are a true testament to the skill and dedication of the Irish Air Corps, and their performances are a testament to the excellence of the team's pilots.

Pilatus PC-9M

The Pilatus PC-9 is a tandem-seat, low-wing turboprop training aircraft designed and manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. It was developed as a more powerful version of the Pilatus PC-7 and first flew in May 1984, receiving certification in September 1985. The Royal Saudi Air Force placed the first production orders for the type, with deliveries starting in 1985. Since then, more than 250 airframes have been produced in five different variants, and the aircraft is used by various military and civilian operators globally, including the Swiss Air Force, the Croatian Air Force, and the Royal Thai Air Force.

Despite retaining the overall layout of the PC-7, the PC-9 has limited structural commonality with its predecessor. It features a larger cockpit with stepped ejection seats and a ventral airbrake, among other improvements.

The PC-9 program officially began in 1982, with some aerodynamic elements tested on a PC-7 in 1982 and 1983. The first PC-9 prototype flew on May 7, 1984, followed by a second prototype on July 20 of the same year. The second prototype had all the standard electronic flight instrumentation and environmental control systems installed, making it almost fully representative of the production version. Certification was achieved in September 1985. Although the PC-9 lost the Royal Air Force trainer competition to the Short Tucano, Pilatus's marketing links with British Aerospace, established during the competition, resulted in their first order from Saudi Arabia. As of 2004, more than 250 aircraft of this type have been built.

The Irish Air Corps currently operates eight Pilatus PC-9M aircraft as their primary pilot training aircraft. These aircraft were introduced in 2004 and have a comprehensive, fully tandem-capable VFR/IFR avionics package for navigation, communication, and identification using state-of-the-art equipment. The PC-9M features modern avionics, including a Head-Up Display (HUD) and Electronic Flight Instrumentation System (EFIS), where primary instruments are displayed. The Martin-Baker CG-A Ejection Seat fitted in the PC-9M provides a safe escape for the pilot from sea level to its operational ceiling at any airspeed greater than 65 knots.