On April 3rd, I was able to attend a tour of the Wing 78 facilities and the Aspa Patrol rehearsal with members of the Friends of the Eagle Patrol Association.
The brotherhood between the 78th Wing and the rest of the towns that form the perimeter of the base goes back a long way, to the late 19th century with the flight of hot air balloons, and then in 1911 with the landing of the first airplane. It served as a support base for Melilla during the Moroccan War and was finally inaugurated as an Air Base in 1922. The 78th Wing was created with Communicated Order No. 02/80 by which it assumed the functions of the Helicopter School. Its main mission is to provide theoretical and practical knowledge for helicopter piloting within the air forces, navy, army and Civil Guard. In addition to the various exchanges of pilots with other air forces of different countries.
The courses that are carried out;
- Helicopter Pilot Course, to train students as military helicopter pilots. The course lasts three months and includes 129 hours of theoretical instruction and 50 hours of flight instruction, including eight hours of training as a trainer. Three courses of this type are offered each year.
- Helicopter Instrument Course, to enable military helicopter pilots to fly under instrument conditions, training them to fly in low or zero visibility conditions, in clouds, at night, etc. It has the same duration as the previous course and a course load of 106 hours of theoretical instruction and 45 hours of flight instruction, including 18 hours of training as a trainer. Three courses are also held annually. Occasionally, when military helicopter pilots receive instrument training in their units or at other centers, this Wing is responsible for certifying, by passing the corresponding exams and tests, that said pilots have reached the necessary level to obtain the Instrument Proficiency Certificates, which are the documents that qualify them to fly military helicopters under instrument conditions.
- Helicopter Mechanics Course, to train mechanics for this type of aircraft. One six-month course is offered annually, with a course load of 389 hours of theoretical instruction and 330 hours of practical instruction 1 .
The 78th Wing is composed of two squadrons;
Squadron 781 with the new Airbus H135, which, in addition to instrument flight, has the secondary mission of SAR, CLAEX, and INTA operations. The number of helicopters will be 11.
Squadron 782 with the HE-25 EC-120 B “Colibrí” helicopter for visual and training flights. A total of 14 units.
The former helicopter that served with the 781st Squadron was the Sikorsky S-76C, which was transferred to the 49th Wing at Son Sant Joan Base in Mallorca. With the arrival of the H135, it now features Helionex avionics, a state-of-the-art navigation system that enables PBN (Performance Base Navigation) navigation, and also has NVG (Night Vision Goggles) flight capability and the ability to perform crane and barycentric hook maneuvers. It is equipped with a buoyancy system for greater safety during operations over the sea, making it a highly effective aircraft for its purpose.
In addition to the new addition of the H135, the installation of the new simulator is pending.
También una parte importante de la operatividad de la unidad, es el mantenimiento, dichos helicópteros tienen un bajo índice de averías, y un alto grado de operatividad, en el seno de la base, se hacen los 3 escalones de mantenimiento. Y todo este trabajo, se realiza con 431 personas que forman este colectivo, para que dicho engranaje funcione al 100%.
Another mission of the 782nd Squadron is the well-known “Patrulla Aspa,” an acrobatic patrol, sister to the Patrulla Águila (Eagle Patrol) formed at the AGA in San Javier, Murcia. This patrol was created on September 24, 2003, and its first demonstration took place in Tablada, Seville, on May 16, 2004. It is comprised of five helicopters plus a reserve, with two members of the patrol flying in each helicopter. It is currently the only patrol of its kind, and it represents Spain at various air shows outside of Spain.
1 https://www.fuerzasarmadas.eu/viewtopic.php?t=21792 consultation 15.04.25.
