June 18th, 2018: NO Patrouille Suisse training in Bellechasse today !

Sorry Folks, Swiss Air Force's Display Team changed there 2018 schedule multiple times and today's training is cancelled on the newest ones. Unfortunally the info is not spread, so a lot of people are at risk to travel without success. Last Update of the Program - Mai 24th, 2018:

Alternative program for them in aviation - Payerne (30 mins by car) or Meiringen Air Force Base (90 mins by car) ! With children ? Visit Papiliorama in Kerzers (10 mins by car), the jungle with many interesting animals: Homepage Papiliorama Kerzers

Payerne Air Force Base Open Doors, 2018

More then 5000 people from all of Switzerland and abroad - dutch, french and german cars is what I saw - visited the main base due Open Door exposition and Airshow today.
With introduction of all the jobs you can learn and work on an Swiss Air Force Base, the exposition saw many interesting work places.
And there was an little airshow too - Swiss Air Force Hornet Demo Team, Super Puma Display Team and fire/SAR demo was sheduled - Patrouille Suisse visited for an flybye too. The most interesting new demo was an QRA / Air Policy Demonstration of two Hornets versus an (NC)PC-7. Let's hope such a demo is standard in the future ;)

Article in German with other pictures by me ;)

Swiss Air Force and Army presentations this Weekend in Payerne and Bure

Payerne Open Day - Swiss Air Force's main base:

Display axe of Hornet Display
15.06.2018, 16h10 : Payerne (VD), Entraînement (Training)
16.06.2018, 11h35 : Payerne (VD), Journée Portes Ouvertes de la Base Aérienne

50 years of Waffenplatz Bure - Super Puma, Patrouille Suisse and Hornet

Homepage

Patrouille Suisse will fly two Displays out of Emmen on Saturday:

Start/Takeoff: 10.40 Uhr, Landung/Landing: ca. 11.40 Uhr (Einsatz über Bure)
Start: 14.30 Uhr, Landung: ca. 15.30 Uhr (Einsatz über Bellinzona)

Display axe of Hornet Display
15.06.2018, 11h15 : Bure (JU), Entraînement avec Flares! (Training with Flares!)
16.06.2018, 14h00 : Bure (JU), 50 ans de la place d’armes de Bure.

Super Constellation HB-RSC - Season 2018 cancelled

Bad news from the Super Constellation Flyers - the aircraft will not be ready for flights in 2018 (see also the blog-entry from April'18). Maintenance is still needed. SWISS airline provides an hangar 'till August'18 minimum, so the maintenance can work indoors.

Source

News from the hangar 

Maintenance tasks are progressing well on the Super Constellation. Unfortunately, both systems and structural repairs are more complex and time consuming than originally anticipated. This means that sadly, the «Star of Switzerland» will not be flying again this year as the aircraft will not be ready in time for the required test and check flights to be accomplished before the end of the summer.

However, after talks with FOCA representatives as well as receiving positive feedback following previous inspections, we are confident that upon completion of the required maintenance tasks, we will have many successful flying seasons to look forward to! 

Thanks to a generous offer by Swiss Airlines, our «Connie» will have a hangar spot until the end of August 2018. This will allow us to continue focusing on necessary repairs without causing delays by having to move the aircraft frequently. 

Our «SuperLetter» will be mailed out on June 22. In it you will find additional information on the status of the Super Constellation. 

Airbus A310 ZERO-G and Zeppelin NT back in Dübendorf

Tomorrow Monday 11th 'till Thursday 14th, the Swiss SkyLab Foundation leads another campaign with the Airbus A310 ZERO-G and the Zeppelin NT out of Dübendorf airbase.

Airbus A310 ZERO-G

The research platform parabolic flights has been an integral part of all research in zero gravity for decades. The utilisation concept of the Swiss Parabolic Flights - shared use by universities, companies and private individuals - is unique in the whole of Europe to date and offers a significant competitive advantage for Switzerland: The parabolic flight campaigns provide science and industry with cost-effective access to research and R&D projects in microgravity. Two parabolic flight campaigns with a total of 12 research projects have already been successfully carried out with the A310 ZERO-G from Duebendorf Airport. In June 2018, the 3rd Swiss Parabolic Flight Campaign will once again be launched into zero gravity.

Zeppelin NT

The research platform parabolic flights has been an integral part of all research in zero gravity for decades. The utilisation concept of the Swiss Parabolic Flights - shared use by universities, companies and private individuals - is unique in the whole of Europe to date and offers a significant competitive advantage for Switzerland: The parabolic flight campaigns provide science and industry with cost-effective access to research and R&D projects in microgravity. Two parabolic flight campaigns with a total of 12 research projects have already been successfully carried out with the A310 ZERO-G from Duebendorf Airport. In June 2018, the 3rd Swiss Parabolic Flight Campaign will once again be launched into zero gravity.


More infos: UZH Space Hub

June 21st, 2018: Pope visits Geneva - strenghtened Air Police

Swiss Air Force will reinforce the Air Police LPD24 during the visit in Geneva. The Pope will held a mess with  41'000 places (already sold out). Up to 200 soldiers for medical help and logistics are ready.

Temporary Flight Restrictions 21.06.2018:
- from 0900-2100h LT on the line Geneva Airport–Bogis-Bossey, Radius of 10 nautical miles
- for helicopters and small aircrafts (normal traffic for GVA is permitted)

Link

Restriction zone - http://staysafe.bazl.admin.ch/besuch-papst-franziskus-in-genf-einschraenkungen-des-luftraumesvisite-de-pape-francois-a-geneve-creation-dune-zone-reglementee/

On other international events in the area (G8 summit 2003, Francophonie summit 2010), an participation of the French Air Force (Armée de l'Air) and a mixed CAP (Combat Air Patrol) was installed. This is not yet discussed for the pope.

09 June 2018 - Nostalgie-Flugtag Meiringen

Tomorrow Saturday a visit into the Haslital valley is necessary again for all aviation lovers - historic and actual aircrafts, civil and military, together and from very near !
The Friends of the Fiesler Storch bring the Hero of the Gauli back to Unterbach! It is the first time after its decommission nearly fifty years ago that A-97, accompanied by a sister aircraft A-98, will land again in Unterbach und will for sure be one of the stars of this year's Nostalgieflugtag in Meiringen!

This years specials:

- Junkers Ju-52 with flights of 45mins - sold out
- Antonov AN-2T - inscription for the flights
- multiple aircrafts, mainly historic (Stinson L-5 and DC-3 had cancelled there visit, but two Fieseler Storch are expected !)
- military aviation exposition with F-5 E Tiger II, F/A-18 Hornet and Alouette III
- Exposition about the postal pigeons (TO61) in the Swiss Army

Official Website

Some impressions from the last years:

Hornet Displays in Switzerland this month

Swiss Hornet Display Team is back in Switzerland - here the schedule for the coming days:

15.06.2018, 11h15 : Bure (JU), Training
15.06.2018, 16h10 : Payerne (VD), Training


16.06.2018, 11h35 : Payerne (VD), Journée Portes Ouvertes de la Base Aérienne
16.06.2018, 14h00 : Bure (JU), 50 ans de la place d’armes de Bure

22.06.2018, 14h15 : Ecuvillens (FR), Training with the Opening Display flight of the PC-7 TEAM
23.06.2018, 16h00 : Ecuvillens (FR), RIO