Princess Leonor of Spain will be taking to the skies in her final year of military training! Queen Letizia and King Felipe's 19-year-old daughter arrived at the General Air and Space Academy in San Javier on Sept. 1 to begin her aeronautical training.
"Today I begin the third stage of my military training at this General Air and Space Academy. I look forward with enthusiasm to this course, during which I will have the opportunity to begin my aeronautical training and, alongside my classmates, learn the practical and theoretical aspects of military aviation," Leonor wrote (translated to English) in the Academy's Book of Honor.
On her first day, the Princess of Asturias, dressed in her flight uniform, toured the personal flight equipment room, as well as the virtual training classroom, the flight trainer and the flight simulator. The teen even climbed into the cockpit of a PC-21 Pilatus training aircraft. Prior to boarding the aircraft, Leonor was asked by the media (via Casa de S.M. el Rey) how she was approaching this stage, to which she replied (translated to English) "little by little, eager to learn."
Per HOLA! Spain, the future Queen will first take lessons on the ground before flying the aircraft. El País reported on Aug. 31 that Leonor "was qualified as fit to fly before the summer. That is, she meets the altitude and vision requirements" and "is scheduled to begin flying with an instructor within a month." The outlet noted that "the release, as the pilots' solo debut in the air is called, remains to be seen depending on their knowledge and skill with the aircraft, although sources from the AGA itself estimate that the princess will be able to fly around Christmas."
The General Air and Space Academy in San Javier is the training center for future Air and Space Force officers. Leonor's paternal grandfather, former King Juan Carlos I, completed his training at the General Air and Space Academy during the 1958-59 academic year and made his first flight on September 16, 1958. Meanwhile, the Princess' father Felipe, as the Prince of Asturias, completed his studies at the academy during the 1987-88 academic year. According to Casa de S.M. el Rey, Felipe completed his aeronautical training in the T-34 Mentor, C-101 and C-212 Aviocar aircraft.
The 2025/2026 academic year marks Leonor's third and final year of military training. The Princess first began her military training in August of 2023 at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza. This past July, Leonor finished her naval training, which included a period at the Naval Military Academy of Marín and onboard the Training Ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano.
"Time has passed very quickly, as the intense months in Marín have been followed by the training cruise on the training ship and the weeks on the frigate. But whether in Marín or at sea, I feel that this year in the Navy has served to strengthen the values of honor, valor, discipline, and loyalty that define our Naval Military Academy," Leonor said in July (translated to English). "I'm also referring to the academic rigor and the excellent training and instruction I and my classmates have received. None of this would have been possible without the good work of the commanders, professors, and the staff who work at the school and those who are part of the crew of the ships on which I've had the opportunity to embark."
While Leonor is now a student ensign at the General Air and Space Academy in San Javier, her younger sister Infanta Sofia is going abroad to begin studying Politics and International Relations at Forward College this month.