Hunterfest 2026, St Stephan

No more flying Hunters in Switzerland, and the Vampire in maintenance. But the local Hunterverein moved mountains - what an lineup in the Simmental Valley !

JuraBike #3 - my Bike-Trip 2026

First half of May I was riding the Jura - mostly on trail #3, but with interesting visits left and right planned. Due the weather - snow/rain/grail/sun/rain multiple times per day - a lot of trails was left out and I have to revisit the area again ... some impressions and sorry, no aircrafts this time ☺

a lot of the visits on the trail where such memorials, here one of a german crew crashed near Yverdon in WWII

Nice visit in Orbe, the rumain mosaiks

Scott Patron vs Bunker

one of those days ...

it's so clear where to go ...

Dezentralisation in Alpnach

With Hornet Activity on two unusual airbases (St Stephan and Alpnach) I visited the latter for some action on March 19th, 2026

Decentralisation - Hornets in the Simmental Valley again

In the last few years the Swiss Air Force has invested again to train operations out of regular bases. This Week the Hornets in the Wiederholungskurs Meiringen will fly some days out of the Simmental Valley, on the former base of St. Stephan. 

Alpnach is seeing some action too, but with PC-6/7 and Helicopters.

Have fun - and yes, this picture I've made the last time there ✌

The 46th International Hot Air Balloon Festival - le 46ème Festival International de Ballons - Château-d’Œx, Switzerland - January 24th-31st, 2026

 The Event is already history, time for some pictures 

THANK YOU FOR THIS 46TH EDITION

See you from January 23 to 31, 2027

For almost 50 years, Château-d’Œx has brought the Alpine sky to life with hot air balloons from around the world.

 Balloon flights, sporting competitions and the Children’s Day shape the nine days of the International Hot Air Balloon Festival of Château-d’Oex, a unique event where dreams, spectacle and tradition come together.

A 2026 edition with record-breaking highlights!

With 7 flying days out of 9, unexpectedly favourable weather conditions and more than 45,000 visitors, the 46th edition of the International Hot Air Balloon Festival of Château-d’Oex exceeded all expectations.

A heartfelt thank you to the pilots, volunteers, partners and to the public for making this magical week possible.

Eagles, Bearded vulture and mountain goats (and probably some ibex) where visible too

High-flying numbers

More than 45,000 visitors

382 balloon flights

A total of 530 hours in the air

640 passengers transported

1,057 children experienced their first tethered balloon flight