Where was the C-101's spin tested?

Short answer

In Lille, France, where the Aviojet's tunnel campaign closed with spin behavior tests on a 1/18 scale model. In flight, spinning was part of the test phase that did not begin until April 17, 1978, along with vibration and flutter tests.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

CASA C-101 of the Patrulla Águila and Pilatus PC-21 of the future Formación Mirlo flying together at the Aire 25 festivalRB7MRV (CC BY SA), vía commons

The last step: Lille

The C-101 wind-tunnel campaign ended in Lille, France, where the Aviojet underwent spin-behaviour tests with a 1/18-scale model. The spin reappeared later with the real aircraft: the flight-test phase, which included vibration, flutter and spin tests, did not begin until 17 April 1978.

From the INTA to Bedford

Once the static mock-ups were finished, the wind-tunnel tests were organised in stages, and the first took place in tunnel no. 1 of the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial (INTA) "Esteban Terradas", where the low-speed tests were completed with a 1/7-scale model. Then came the turn of the high-speed tests, carried out in the supersonic tunnel of the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Bedford, in England.

From Getafe into the air

At Getafe, numerous structural-stiffness tests and equipment-function tests were also carried out and, after the refinements and corrections arising from that work, the factory itself hosted the roll-out of the prototype P1, registered XE-25-01 and painted in an orange and white scheme. The P1 took off on 27 June 1977, four days ahead of the planned date, flown by Colonel De la Cruz Jiménez. The prototype flew at the Farnborough International Airshow in late July 1978.