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Early in the morning of this day of mourning for airmen, order must first be ensured: security forces at Payerne VD Airport place the arriving aircraft fans behind the fence on the runway with a few instructions.
The windsocks on the property are blown around by a breeze that feels more like early November than late May. That is perhaps the most important question hanging over this morning: will the weather hold?
The Mirage III will take off for the last time this Thursday – twice, in the morning and afternoon. The Federal Bureau of Civil Aviation (Bazl) is decommissioning the fighter jet a little earlier than planned. Because: In Europe there is no longer a company that overhauls outdated jet propulsions.
fans say goodbye
Many people, especially older men, even older than the plane that accompanied them for more than half their lives, have traveled from all over Switzerland to witness this spectacle. On folding chairs and with huge camera lenses at the ready, they say goodbye to the legendary fighter jet.
Until then, a selected group of invitees can view the aircraft in the hangar. So there it is, gray and shiny, freshly cleaned. 13.85 meters long, 4.5 meters high, wingspan of 8.22 meters. It reached top speeds of 2300 km/h, more than Mach 2. The aircraft was used in Switzerland as an interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft. Pilots still celebrate it as the most elegant fighter jet of all time.
The Mirage III fleet of 61 jets was the pride of the Swiss Air Force from the 1970s to the late 1990s. Ten machines crashed over time and had to be written off. Three pilots and a third person were killed. In 2003, the military took the last 16 jets off the tarmac.
“A Sad Day”
Until last year, the machine started about 24 times a year. The last airworthy Mirage III in Switzerland was operated by the Espace Passion association. The main owner is the Payerne VD Military Aircraft Museum. Those who wanted to fly exclusively in the two-seater plane could do so – a ticket cost CHF 15,000 per person.
At 10:15 am the Mirage is finally removed from the hangar and rolls onto the runway. “It’s a beautiful, but also a sad day,” says an elderly gentleman in a pious voice. “The weather is finally cooperating,” replies another.
Thierry Goetschmann (67) from Neuchâtel sits in the cockpit of the plane. It will be the last flight for the retired colonel and former commander of the Swiss Air Force pilot schools. “I like to retire from the Mirage,” he says before the flight. Anyone who has ever flown a Mirage goes for him: Always Mirage.
And then, shortly after 10:30am, it soars down the runway, a rocket howling, making a lot of noise against the sky and finally turning right towards Wallis.
Turbulent story
The Mirage III had an eventful history in Switzerland. Almost 60 years ago, the tender first led to political unrest and later ultimately to the resignation of the then Minister of Defense Paul Chaudet (1904-1977). Because: when purchasing the jets, there was an unprecedented cost overrun.
Parliament approved CHF 871 million for the purchase of 100 Mirage aircraft. In 1964, the Bundesrat had to request an additional credit of 576 million Swiss francs. The councils eventually approve 57 aircraft.
The cost explosion was due in no small part to the high-flown dreams of the army leadership. She was not only planning nuclear weapons in Switzerland. She also flirted with the nuclear weapons of the planes. Only the most modern jet was good enough for that.
Parallel to the costs, outrage exploded in parliament. In 1964 it set up a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (PUK) for the first time. Their conclusion was devastating: the Federal Council had deceived and in some ways even misled Parliament. In addition to Chaudet, the commander of the air force and the chief of the general staff were also forced to resign.
“Airplane was in top shape”
Less than an hour after takeoff, the Mirage returns to Payerne, performs two touch-and-go maneuvers before landing. Pilot Goetschmann beams out and says: “The plane was in excellent condition, everything went well.”
What remains is a trail of vapor in the air, white on grey, as if painted on. A line under a turbulent history. Farewell, Mirage!
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
