The Pilatus P-2 was a training aircraft designed by the Swiss manufacturer Pilatus in 1942, with its first flight on April 27, 1945. Used by the Swiss Air Force from 1946 to 1981, only 55 units were produced. This low-wing monoplane was of mixed construction (metal, wood, and canvas) with a fully retractable tailwheel and tandem dual controls. Some parts were sourced from former Swiss Air Force machines, like the landing gear from the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Two production series existed: the unarmed P-2-05 and the armed P-2-06, equipped for weapons training with a machine gun above the engine and wing racks for light bombs and rockets. Six versions were built.
The Indiana Jones Plane!
After their military use, the 48 surviving aircraft were sold for civilian use. By 2008, about twenty remained in Switzerland, Germany, France, the UK, and the USA. Popular in films and airshows, they often appeared as unidentified enemy aircraft under Luftwaffe colors.
The Pilatus P-2 appears in several films, including "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and "The Lost," directed by André Téchiné, with Emmanuelle Béart and Gaspard Ulliel.
The model presented at Carcassonne belongs to the Aéro-Rétro association, based in Albon, Drôme.
Specifications
Engine: Argus As-410-A2, 12-cylinder V engine, 465 hp
Dimensions: Wingspan 11.10 m; length 9.07 m; height 2.68 m; wing area 17 m²
Weights: Empty 1,544 kg; max 1,970 kg
Performance: Max speed 320 km/h; ceiling 6,600 m; climb rate 420 m/min; range 560 km
photo Credit : Spot’Air
