The WiederholungsKurs (WK) 2012 had startet with flight activity from 0800-1800h LT - but it looks like the Air Force had stopped the flight activity over lunchbreak beginning from wednesday. Anyway - Payerne had a lot of activity those days and all Jets are based on the south side of the runway - the regular boxes of the Hornets will be upgraded the next two years.
So - let's have some fun and enjoy some kerosen
Panther in front of the 'not yet old' Tower - he will be replaced in 2017.
Some F-5 Tiger are flying with live ammunition
The french exchange Pilot has no problems converting to his new toy for the next two years
up up and away ... c u at Payerne !
Oldtimers in Action on the Street and in the Air, where else than in Berne - the swiss capital - this is possible !
On the streets there where such well known brands like Corvette, Lotus and Jaguar ...
... and in the Air those Beauties I know the name since long ago (I've never made a drivers licence) - Boeing Stearman, Pitts, C-36 Schlepp, Mustang and the well known Bücker Squadron where performing against the heavy wind in the western part of Berne. Well done and absolutely fantastic !
With the bases of Payerne and Meiringen closed, the Swiss Air Force flew most of the training missions with Jets out of Emmen near Lucerne. The local newspapers and always the same bunch of people had a hard time to accept this 'music' - but hey, what would they say when the Air Force is shutting down this airfield and the big RUAG Factory nearby with all it's money and good tax payers is gone to Payerne .... People should really think bigger than only to there garden fence, in Switzerland and elsewhere.
Anyway - it was strange to visit my old home again with all those Pilatus Aircrafts not normally seen in the daily operations of Payerne, like the PC-9 in Emmen and all those new PC-12's at Buochs. Now it's Emmen in holidays and I hope for a lot of action at Payerne this month.
Testflight of an PC-9 with VISTA-Pod in BIG
At last one of the new PC-7MkII of the Botswana Defence Forces - other side in the air and in BIG
Due the Nostalgieflugtag of this spring, a Ju-52 and a couple of other aircrafts representing the history of flight where flying out of Meiringen. Enjoy the Video !
This video ist a work of different persons - filming/editing and have fun together during those two weeks of the exercise and latenightwork in processing the data 
I hope you can enjoy the result - and the Film is the best enjoyed during reading of the article in Magazine Cockpit 06/2012
http://www.cockpit.aero
The Mirages are gone and now it's the time to catch some breath - here a little Teaser of my Footage. The final Film is a production of three different people and edited by a fourth one.
The French Air Force had visited Payerne with those aircrafts:
M2000B: 115-KJ
M2000-5F: 116-EA spec c/s (only 1st week), 116-ED, 116-EL, 116-EX (only 2nd week), 116-FZ and 116-MG
Alphajet for support: 118-AH and 118-FE (stayed only short @ Payerne)
Transall: 64-GB
Socata TBM-700 for support: 104/XJ
C u again in two years latest
This yearly Franco-Swiss Exercice is held again at Payerne Air Base in western Switzerland. L'escadron de Chasse 'CIGOGNES' flew five of there Mirage 2000-5F from Luxeuil (last summer the Squadron was transferred there from Dijon) to Switzerland, supported by an (Air Refueling) Transall from Evreux and a Mirage 2000B.
Stork's are famous of giving Birth wherever they arrive 
The french Part included on the 1st of two weeks the following aircrafts:
M2000B: 115-KJ
M2000-5F: 116-EA spec c/s, 116-ED, 116-EL, 116-FZ and 116-MG
Alphajet for support: 118-FE and 118-AH
Transall: 64-GB
The Sparring Partners of the Mirages where Hornets from all three Hornet-Squadrons of Switzerland - here one of them fighting against very low clouds in the vincinity of Payerne.
Rain, Snow and stormy Winds where forcing everything from the Photographers, the aircrafts and the Crews.
Landing Mirage in BIG
The Exercise ends on April, 27th - c u @ Payerne
When I was little, I hated the work in the garden. But now, with quite a lot of these Beauties using my village as Waypoint for their Navigation Training, I think different ... 
A big Thank You goes to the Students and Teachers of Pilot class 06 for having an eye on my garden 
Normally you can watch the track of our PC-21's with flightradar24 - unfortunately they fly mostly too low to catch them online, especially in my area with quite a lot of hills and mountains.
Payerne ist the main military base of Switzerland and always worth a visit - enjoy my newest video 
Yes, the World Economic Forum 2012 in Davos is already nearly history and a lot of the delegations on their way home. This Year, our Guardians flew out of Sion, with MilCap in the Areas of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau for the Tigers and the Hornets over the Gotthard.
Some impressions of the Tigers and Hornets you can see now here ...
Early Tigers
Hornets where wearing for the 1st time some Markings on the External Fuel Tanks - Switzerland had copied that from the Austrian Tigers I think (in BIG) ;)
Hornet's twilight - in BIG
This will be the 3rd time that Swiss Air Force will guard the World Economic Forum in Davos out of Sion since 2003. The 'Wannabe-Topshots of our world' will be partying in between 25 - 29 Jan in the snow and Swiss Army uses up to 5000 people for preparations and guard duties in between 16 - 30 January for that. The first training missions where already made those days, but on 23rd of January is the big trainingday out of Sion and the 24h-guard with Hornets (and 0730-1900h with F-5 Tiger II) will beginn on 24rd January.
For plane spotters there are some nice arrivals in Zurich, Altenrhein and Samedan - but real photographers have to go up the hills around Sion for such stunning shots like I'd made in 2009 
Hornet and Tiger in BIG
For those shots I suggest to take snow shoes (Rackets) with you - if you are not a mountain goat you have to take maybe a ladder (especially 90°/50mm shots) with you for some shots around the fences of the airport.
Swiss Air Force's Cessna Citation Excel (560XL) I've taken without ladder - with a quite normal hivernal bright blue sky above Sion in BIG
If you've got no sun you have to act like this hoodiecrow and wait for some burners - in BIG
And if you are lucky then you can get also some former Danish Air Force's Alouette III - the HB-XOE and HB-XOF in BIG.
Also Night- and Sundown-Shots are again possible - see you there !
C u again in January 2012 on an airfield near you
On last day of military activity - especially the Jets will stay in the Shelters 'till 3rd January - the new Pilots of Pilotenklasse'05 (www.torqmax.ch) had their Graduation Ceremony in Central Switzerland. The fresh Pilots and their guests where visited by the Patrouille Suisse and the Super Puma Demo Team.
Patrouille Suisse with fresh snow and due holiday absence only with 5 aircrafts - in BIG
The Super Puma Display Team arrived with Cougar T-340 - in BIG
After this small Airshow we approached Buochs for some Pilatus Aircraft Action - the Aircrafts of the United Arab Emirates are a bit rare in Western Switzerland and we enjoyed some nice Touch-and-Goes
HB-HXC (c/n 130) and HB-HXD (c/n 131) in BIG
Yes, Axalp (Ebenfluh) Shooting Demo/Airshow 2011 was cancelled due the flooding of some valleys in the area - but a complete Airshow was shown on Tuesday and I was one of the few who where lucky enough to see it.
Enjoy another bunch of my pictures, taken in the two weeks I was up there
Fightersquadron 8 during the overflight on Airshow-Day - maybe you can see yourself on the Tschingel ?
Some Hornet-Pilots where the 1st time up there - one or two sessions with the Instructors in the back seat and then they where by themselves 
- in BIG
SWOOP-flight after his attack in BIG
Early morning in the mountains - Sun and Night side-by-side
The Patrouille Suisse and my crazy group, the latter used some more time to climb up there with our snow-rackets 
A Tiger's Roar - just before shooting to the next target. In BIG
Tiger with 1/400s - in BIG
Hornet just before passing in front of me - in BIG
Nine Hornets with three of the big 'bombs' each where taking off @ Payerne. This yearly exercise is to improve nightflying for the Swiss Pilots - in Switzerland they are only aloud to train during October 'till March once per Week.
More Posts
Next page »