Public demonstrations by the Swiss Air Force
Public demonstrations by the Swiss Air Force served to showcase the resources of the Swiss Air Force at home and, from the mid-1970s, also abroad. As an air show of the now renamed Swiss Air Force , an air show was held for the first time in 1989, until then, above all, as was also the case on this occasion, anniversaries had been celebrated; 1989 was the 75th anniversary of the Air Force. In contrast to other European countries, annual flight demonstrations at relay airfields are not common in Switzerland . The only annual event is the public shooting on the Axalp . Further demonstrations take place at privately organized air shows or military air shows abroad. The selection of the considered occasions is made by the command of the air force.
History from the 1950s
On May 26 and 27, 1956, a joint air show took place at the Kloten and Dübendorf airfields. The Swiss Air Force showed, among other things, a formation of twelve Venoms, flown by militia pilots, and showed at least 4 of their P-51 Mustang for the last time . The Swiss Venom also flew attacks on targets at the Dübendorf airfield, including a napalm drop. A Tu-104 , a Noratlas and a B-47 could be viewed on the ground in Kloten . Another item on the program was a flyover of four B-47 bombers, and two Vickers Valiant made a flyover. Globemaster II aircraft had landed in both Kloten and Dübendorf, as were the Fairchild C-119 transport aircraft . There was also a Sikorsky H-19 B in Dübendorf . Other flight demonstrations included the Black Arrows on the Hawker Hunter , which was not yet introduced in Switzerland at the time , the Patrouille de France with Mystère aircraft, the Skyblazers on F-86 and type F- aircraft. 86D, F-84 F, and F-100 . In the year of the national exhibition in 1964 , various demonstrations by the Hunter Association of the Patrouille Suisse, which was officially founded in April, took place, including at an air show in Dübendorf.
From 1959, public flight demonstrations took place during the Army Flight Championships (AMEF) in Dübendorf, a competition that followed on from the tradition of pre-war flying competitions, which at that time were still held internationally. The AMEF traditionally took place in Dübendorf, but by the time the championships were held in Emmen in 2003, the occasion had changed again: Teams from abroad were now also present at the biennial event called "Swiss Air Force Competition", including Germany , Austria and France.
In addition to the AMEF flight demonstrations, weapons demonstrations were flown at various weapon fields, a hybrid form was seen in 1982 when the flight demonstrations took place at the Frauenfeld weapon field during the AMEF in Dübendorf on the occasion of the F82 military show. The Flugwaffe then carried out overflights on military occasions such as defilees or military shows. On two days in March 1979, a military demonstration in the middle of the city of Zurich rounded off an overall defense exercise and the “ crack nut ” maneuver of the FAK 4 , supplemented by parts of the air and anti-aircraft troops. A total of 92 aircraft and helicopters were used, with aircraft attacking targets in the lake basin. There were smaller demonstrations on the days when the doors were open at the air soldiers' recruit schools.
On August 30 and 31, 1985, the AMEF took place in Dübendorf with demonstrations, which also served to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Dübendorf airfield .
Current demonstrations
Patrouille Suisse
The figurehead of the Swiss Air Force are the formation demonstrations of 6 jets each, since 1995 of the type F-5E Tiger II . The Patrouille Suisse got its name in 1964 during the demonstrations at the Expo 1964 . Already before, 4 aircraft of the type Hawker Hunter had been flown as a double patrol with 4 aircraft by professional pilots of Season 1 . In 1992, with the exception of the Patrouille Suisse flights, the Hunter had left the Dübendorf airfield - from 1993 the Patrouille Suisse flew its training courses from Emmen. Often the training is in cheek laughter , traditionally on Mondays.
PC-7 team
The PC-7 team was founded in Payerne in 1989 for the 75th anniversary of the Swiss Air Force. It flies with 9 Pilatus PC-7 propeller aircraft and also performs abroad.
F / A-18 Hornet Solo Display
A single-seater F / A-18C is generally flown and, whenever possible, one of the specially painted relay machines. At large air shows such as the RIAT , the Hornet also flies in a joint formation with the PC-7 team, the Patrouille Suisse or the Super Puma to open the flight demonstration.
Great Puma Display Team
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At the helicopter demonstrations of the AS332M1 Super Puma or AS532UL Cougar of the Swiss Air Force , the performance is demonstrated and often a fire extinguishing operation. From the introduction of the AS532UL Cougar even those machines during demonstrations used, which for the shooting of came infrared decoys were armed and opened their show, for example, when Fliegerderschiessen on the Axalp.
Parachute Reconnaissance Company 17
On official occasions, parachute jumps with precision landing are demonstrated by long-range scouts from Parachute Reconnaissance Company 17 .
Other types of aircraft previously flown
- PC-21
The Luftwaffe's PC-21 aircraft are demonstrated on various occasions (e.g. for the 50th anniversary of the Helibasis Alpnach celebration in 2014).
- PC-9
With the Pilatus PC-9 aircraft of the Swiss Army, the tow bag was occasionally demonstrated on occasions by the Air Force, possibly in combination with the Oerlikon 35 mm twin cannon , for example in 2011 in Dübendorf on the 75th anniversary of Flab, with decay ammunition.
- Pilatus PC-6 Turbo-Porter
On official occasions, parachute jumps by long-range reconnaissance personnel from Parachute Reconnaissance Company 17 are demonstrated with the Pilatus Turbo-Porter aircraft . Furthermore, the short take-off and short landing properties of the machine are also part of the flight demonstration away from the runway.
- EC-635
The helicopters of the type EC-635 are flown in front of the army at events. External load transports, fire fighting operations with the Bambi Bucket , the dropping of service dogs and winch rescue are demonstrated. Occasionally, the withdrawal of special forces with the Fastrope method was shown.
- Beechcraft King Air, Pilatus PC-24 and Cessna Citation
The Beechcraft King Air , the Cessna Citation and the Pilatus PC-24 of the Swiss Air Force are used as the target to be controlled in demonstrations of air police operations.
- KZD 85 drones
The KZD 85 will be demonstrated with catapult launch. Depending on the weather conditions, a parachute landing or a gliding landing on grass will be demonstrated.
Previous demonstrations
- ADS-95
The ADS-95 was usually demonstrated with the launch from a catapult, depending on the occasion, the image of the drones was transmitted to the audience live on a screen or on a projection surface.
- Alouette III
For decades, a duet with Alouette III was flown in front of the army at events , which was expanded to a four-man formation in 1994. The formation of four was seen for about 2 years, until the demonstrations were no longer supported by the management of the Air Force.
- Mirage III
Both the Mirage reconnaissance version Mirage III RS and the hunting Mirage Mirage IIIS were flown in Switzerland . The demonstration often included a second aircraft showing a JATO take-off . In 1989 the hunters' SEPR rocket propulsion was demonstrated for the last time at Payerne Airfield. The first overflight by two Mirage reconnaissance planes at the opening of the program on Axalp was particularly well known, with the leading and turning aircraft being photographed together with the spectators from the second aircraft.
- Pilatus P-3
Before the introduction of the Pilatus PC-7 turbo trainer in 1983, an aerobatic program was flown on the Pilatus P-3 training aircraft, and demonstrations were also shown with two aircraft flying simultaneously.
- Venom
The DH.112 Venom were used during AMEF demonstrations in air defense demonstrations until they were retired in 1983, with the artillery of the Skyguard system firing decay ammunition. In previous years, napalm bombs had been dropped by Venom aircraft at weapons demonstrations at army firing ranges , but also at the Frauenfeld and Bure arsenals and even at Dübendorf airfield .
- Vampires
DH.100 vampires were only flown in at the very end of their service life and before their pending replacement by the Hawk from the Air Force, when the aircraft was already a Curion.
- Hawker Hawk
The Hawk trainers had also been flown in during their relatively short period of use, but only on Air Force occasions.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ballerina meets fighter pilot: Tanja Oetterli and Markus Gygax , srf in person , January 5, 2019
- ^ Successful competitions of the Swiss Air Force , NZZ, September 1, 2003
- ↑ Allgemeine Schweizerische Militärzeitschrift, Volume 148 (1982), Issue 7–8, page 399
- ↑ Defense demonstrations of F Div 6 , PIONIER 5/79, p. 3
- ↑ Allgemeine Schweizerische Militärzeitschrift, Volume 151 (1985), Issue 5, page 273
- ↑ Bulletin Flugplatzkommando Emmen 1–2014 ( Memento from September 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ The history of the PC-7 TEAM , PC-7 Team homepage