Visiting the La Ferté-Alais airshow has already become a tradition for WINGS-AVIATION. As every year we were on our way to visit this warbird meeting on the Pentecost weekend. This time however the journey was a bit different, as we had decided to visit the aircraft museum near Beaune about half way to La Ferté. There will be a separate report about that museum later during the year.

For that reason we left home on Thursday already.

We arrived at La Ferté on the early afternoon on Friday. As Friday is considered the training day for the Airshow we could already get a good idea about the program. We also managed to take a lot of pictures because the weather was really good.

The program is structured similarly every year but there are also special highlights. This year we want to concentrate a bit on these highlights without neglecting the rest of the program. For the first time we saw a Lockheed Electra, Bristol Fighter und Caudron G3.

A rather rare guest on the continent ist the Gloster Gladiator. Further highlights were the water bombers of the Securite Civile and the three Douglas Skyraiders.

North American P-51D Mustang F-AZSB (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder) )

Messerschmitt Bo-105 D-HSDM from Red Bull (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Junkers JU-52 HB-HOP (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Pilatus B-4 (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder )

Morane-Saulnier MS-505 Criquet F-AZRA (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Supermarine Spitfire PR-19 F-AZJS (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Curtiss P-36A Hawk (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Morane Saulnier 138 F-AZAJ s/n 43 (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Hawker Hunter HB-RVR (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Gaudron G3

The program at la Ferté traditionally starts off with a display of aircraft from before the first World War. Here there were some specialties. The Caudron G.3 was flying again for the first time in many years. Being built in 1911 this biplane looks very fragile and shows that technical development was still in its infancy. Another first was the flight of an Albatros replica. This plane was displayed without wings at last year’s show

Aviatic III F-AZAV (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Royal Aircraft Factory SE-5A F-AZCY  (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Bristol Fighter

A real surprise was the Bristol Fighter F2B ZK-VTV, which had been brought from New Zealand to France. It is a replica that was built in New Zealand and features all the details of the original that was built during the first World War. The machine wears the colours of 39 Squadron RFC Royal Flying Corps. The Bristol Fighter showed an impressive rate of climb, and did some dog fighting with a Fokker D.VII.

Lockheed Electra

No, Amelia Earhart didn’t land at La Ferte – but a Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior in the same colours as the machine of the luckless round the world flyer, whose mysterious disappearance still gives rise to different speculations today. The machine was unfortunately only flying on Sunday. She belongs to Bernard Chabbert. The actual machine flown by Amelia Earhart was a modified Lockheed Model 10 Electra.

Lockheed Electra 12 Junior F-AZLL (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

They belong to the highlights at la Ferté – the Manhattan Dolls. They perform while a DC-3 and two  Beech 18 fly overhead and display. An impressive show. Historic aircraft and historic songs fit really well together.

The Manhattan Dolls in the Hangar (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

The Manhattan Dolls in the Hangar (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

The Manhattan Dolls in the Hangar (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

The Manhattan Dolls in the Hangar (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Beech 18 N21FS (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Beech 18 N223CM (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

The Manhattan Dolls in a White 3/4 ton Car (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Tora Tora Tora

This is a classic act that just belongs to this airshow. We are sure that many kids who visit the airshow at La Ferté learn more about history in an afternoon than they do at school in a few months.

Gloster Gladiator and Hawker Hurricane

The British fraction was represented  by the Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. Besides being very agile, the Gladiator also surprised by its low nolse level. The Hurricane bears the colours of 73 Squadron during the Battle of France while the Spitfire Mk XIV is in the colours of the South East Asia Command

Gloster Gladiator G-GLAD (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Gloster Gladiator G-GLAD (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Gloster Gladiator G-GLAD (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Gloster Gladiator G-GLAD (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Gloster Gladiator G-GLAD (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Gloster Gladiator G-GLAD (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Water bomber

A real highlight was the demonstration of two water bombers by the Securite Civile. These were the  Grumman Tracker and the Canadair CL 412. As usual, a fire was started to give the pilots a target for their 30‘000 liter in the case of the Tracker and 60‘000 Liter for the Canadair. The Securite Civile has its main base at Marignane near Marseille from where the Trackers and Canadairs mainly operate. Main area of operations is the south of France which every year suffers from dry spells that cause forest fires.

Canadair C412 F-ZBFS (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

Canadair C412 F-ZBFS (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader) 

Canadair C412 F-ZBFS & Grumman Tracker F- ZBEY  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder )

Canadair C412 F-ZBFS & Grumman Tracker F- ZBEY   (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)  

Canadair C412 F-ZBFS  & Eurocopter EC-135 F-ZBPO (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

The Jets

Like every year, the Armee de l‘Air and the Marine National sent their aircraft to take part in the show. This time there was even a Breguet Alicé as part of the four ship formation of the Marine National. This is something we haven’t seen before.

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

Dassault Rafale 113-IX (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Dassault Rafale 113-IX (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Marine Nationale (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Marine Nationale (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder )

Breguet Alize F-AZYI & Morane Saunnier Paris F-AZLI (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Breguet Alize F-AZYI  (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Breguet Alize F-AZYI (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

Dassault Rafale (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

DassaultRafale (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

De Havilland FB Mk5 Vampire F-AZIK (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

De Havilland FB Mk5 Vampire F-AZIK (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

De Havilland FB Mk5 Vampire F-AZIK (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

De Havilland FB Mk5 Vampire F-AZIK (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Boeing Stearman & Boeing 737

Boeing Stearman F-AZJR  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Boeing Stearman F-AZGR  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Boeing Stearman flight  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Douglas Skyraider

For the first time in a few years there were again three Skyraiders present at La Ferté. In earlier years all three machines carried a US Navy scheme. Two were blue and one in grey and white. Today two machines carry French colours and only one has the grey and white US Navy colours. The latter was heavily damaged at the Flying Legends Airshow 2013 at Duxford when it collided with a Mustang. It lost almost the whole of the outer wing in that accident. Now after two years the aircraft is again repaired and airworthy. It was unfortunately not possible to get all three aircraft into one picture because the F-AZDP was always a bit at a distance to the other two.

Douglas AD-4N Skyraider (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Last but not least

It is really not possible to describe the whole program in detail. For the photographers there is always the same critical question towards the end of the show. Will there be enough light to take pictures of all the aircraft that are still going to fly?

Dassault Flamant F-AZGE (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Dassault Flamant F-AZGE (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Dassault Flamant F-AZGE & F-AZKT (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

last update 8. July 2015

Written 8. July 2015

-