Dilip Kuner
SHE’S marched with the Army, sailed the high seas with the Navy, and now Princess Leonor is about to take to the skies as she begins the final stretch of her military training at Spain’s elite Air and Space Academy in San Javier, Murcia.
The 19-year-old future queen, who enters as an ensign and fourth-year cadet, will train alongside 74 fellow students in the hopes of earning her wings and completing her first-ever solo flight.
Leonor’s sky-high challenge begins today, with Defence Minister Margarita Robles personally accompanying the royal recruit to her new base.
Leonor’s timetable kicks off with a month of intense classroom instruction and around 50 hours on flight simulators before stepping into the cockpit of the Pilatus PC-21, the Swiss-made training jet recently brought in to replace the ageing C-101 fleet.
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In fact, the King himself tested out the PC-21 during a visit back in June — but now it’s his daughter’s turn to climb into the cockpit.
Her training begins with basic simulators, gradually moving to high-tech models offering a 180-degree view and a cockpit identical to the real aircraft.
After completing this stage, she’ll fly the real thing – at first with an instructor, and eventually, possibly alone, in what’s known as ‘la suelta’ – the student’s first solo flight.
Leonor won’t just be learning how to fly jets. The curriculum includes drone operations and space studies, as the Academy pushes to modernise its programme in line with new aerospace defence challenges.
And in true cadet fashion, the princess won’t be enjoying palace perks. She’ll share a room with two fellow female cadets, rise at 6.30am with the reveille, and finish her long days by lights-out at 10.30pm.
The Princess of Asturias is following in the boots of her father, King Felipe VI, who completed the exact same three-year military training programme across the Army, Navy, and Air Force back in the 1980s. She’s set to graduate in July 2026.
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