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In
our series of reports from the most important Swiss Air Bases we would
like to report today from Alpnach.
The airfield Alpnach is the main logistical base of the helicopter-force
of the Swiss Air Force. From Alpnach the Operations center "air
transport" coordinating the tasks of the the helicopter fleet. In use
are the helicopter types Aérospatiale AS332M1 Super Puma, Eurocopter
AS532UL Cougar and Eurocopter EC635. Alpnach with a population of 5'900
inhabitans lies in the canton Obwalden on the shores of lake lucerne.
The main attraction of the village is the world's steepest cogwheel
railway to Mount Pilatus, the local mountain of the community.
The Air Base
The helicopter base can look
back on a long history. The first landing strip was built in 1929 and
during the early stages of the WW II, the first wooden hangar was build.
In September 1942, the first fighters were based here and in 1943 the
first concrete runway with a length of 875 meters was build.
During the Cold War, started construction work on the famous Swiss
cavern in 1952. One of six underground hangar complex in Switzerland are
in Alpnach, which includes the normal elements of a military airbase -
fuel storage, weapon storage, rooms for maintaining the aircraft
systems, a communications centre, briefing rooms, kitchen, dining rooms,
sleeping areas and generators for electrical power.
1960 the first operations with the De Havilland DH-112 Venom were made
in the now finished cavern. In 1973 the Fighter-Squadron 19 was equipped
with the Hawker Hunter and the conversion of the cavern was made. From
1979, the Fighter-Squadron 19 flew Northrop F-5E Tiger II until flight
operations with Jets where given up in 2003.
Eurocopter EC635 #T-363 and in the background Aérospatiale AS332M1 Super Puma #T-315 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
German Air Force Sikorsky CH-53D Stallion (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Rajavartiolaitos Eurocopter Super Puma AS332L1 #HO-HVG (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
On January 20, 1964, the helicopter base of the army was opened in Alpnach. The helicopters that time were the Sudest Alouette II and Aloutette III. Alpnach is today the training base of the Swiss Air Force for all helicopter pilots. The air transport squadrons 6 and 8 are based here.
EC-635
The whole day the EC635 where used for flight training. Every Student had to make a flight which contains first to fly or hover some meters above the ground and fly squares and circles arround markings on the ground. Their skills for precise flying where sharpened this way. Later where some practice landings on the far side of the Air Base done, and after a longer training flights outside of the Air Base perimeter the training fight ended on the tarmac. The traning lasted some 45 minutes, after that a change of the trainee was done. The Helicopters in use at our day were T-363, T-365, T-366 and T-369. Later the day T-352, one of only two EC 635 VIP, was used for a taxi-flight for a Pilot to a other Air Base.
Training flight with an EC635. Flight to the Training ground a few yards away. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Hover some meters above the ground and flying circles and squares (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Later the students had to make some landings on the gras.(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
After the flight some discussions were made about the flight and a change of student. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
The whole day the four Helicopter where flying in and out to the training ground.(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter EC635 #T-363 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter EC635 #T-363 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter EC635 #T-363 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter EC635 #T-366 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter EC 635 VIP #T-352 passing behind Aérospatiale AS332M1 Super Puma #T-317 and picing up it^s passenger. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter EC635 #T-369 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter EC635 #T-363 landiing behind #T-369 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter EC635 #T-369 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter EC635 #T-366 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter EC635 #T-369 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Super Puma & Cougar
One of the Cougar (#T-322)
was the whole day "holzen", which means that the Helicopter was flying
cut trees from the Hill behind the Air Base down into the Valley. A
rather booring job for the Helicopter-crew, flying timeless up and down
the Hill. The Cougar was once "hot refueled", which means - refueled
with running engine.
Some other Pumas where on normal flight duty throughout the day and
where not so often landing as the EC-635's. The Swiss Air Force uses the
Super Puma and the Cougar who where very similar in apperance but a
different kind of bread for all kind of duties. The whole Fleet of
Cougar and Super Pumas are also equipped different. For instance the
#T-315 was a SAR bird with FLIR and a strong Searchlight.
The SAR Bird moves in and the Crew-Chief assists the Pilot by the landing. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aérospatiale AS332M1 Super Puma #T-315 Equiped with Skis for landing in the snow or on a Glacier. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aérospatiale AS332M1 Super Puma #T-317 is refueled and prepaired for the next flight. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aérospatiale AS332M1 Super Puma #T322 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aérospatiale AS332M1 Super Puma #T322 was flying the whole day cut trees down from the ountain. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter AS532UL Cougar #T-340 is pretairing for a flight in the afternoon. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter AS532UL Cougar #T-340 is pretairing for a flight in the afternoon. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Eurocopter AS532UL Cougar #T-340 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aérospatiale AS332M1 Super Puma #T-312 is moved around. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
The Visitors
There where some other vistors at the Base, during our visit. A German Luftwaffe Sikorsky CH-53D Stallion, who conducted some flying in alpine conditions in the mountains arround the Lake Lucerne. Second, a Finnish Super Puma on its delivery flight. The Finns where doing only engine runs the whole day and where not flying.
Germany
German Luftwaffe Sikorsky CH-53D Stallion 84 + 57 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
... and lift off (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
German Luftwaffe Sikorsky CH-53D Stallion 84 + 57 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Finnland
Into the Hangar
Switzerland is a strange country. All has his rules and goes by this rules. One rule is that at 5:30pm
all activities are shot-down for the day. All Helicopters must be moved in the Hangar. Normally a tow tractor (Mowag) is used, but Alpnach hat a new device. A remote controled Helicopter-mover. The device is so narrow and flat that it can pass under the Helicopter and lift it on. Carrying the Helicopter the device, which Alpnach has only two of them, move it into the Hanger. It's slow but more easily to handle, rather as the common way, which needs first to put some wheels on the skids of the Helicopter.
Eurocopter EC635 #T-365 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
The remote controled "Helicopter-mover" moves Eurocopter EC635 #T-365 into the Hangar
The remote controled "Helicopter-mover" moves Eurocopter EC635 #T-366 into the Hangar
Moving the Eurocopter EC635 #T-369 into the Hangar (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Aérospatiale AS332M1 Super Puma #T-317 is moved by a MOWAG tractor into the Hangar, Note the strong Searchlight on it's starbord. (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)