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Michael E. Fader & Urs Schnyder |
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Michael E. Fader & Urs Schnyder |
On the Pentecost weekend of the 19th and 20th May 2018 the traditional flying meeting was held at La Ferté-Alais, close to Paris. The airfield is also the site of the Salis museum (Amicale Jean Baptiste Salis) which sports an impressive number of aircraft from pre-World War I up to the late fifties. Last year the weather was quite favourable and also this year the Weekend was sunny without being too hot.
The highlights were some special formations. These were composed of historic fighters and those of the modern french Air Force and Navy. Usually the show begins with a motorised glider “Irene” and a Jodel.
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
The Pioneers
The pioneer types where the Morane type H (F-AZMS), in the markings of Roland Garros, a Blériot XI (F-AZPG) and a replica of the Déperdussin T (F-PDEP).
Eugène Adrien Roland Georges Garros (6. October 1888 – 5. October 1918) was a French pioneering aviator of the early days of aviation and also a fighter pilot during World War I. He gained fame for making the first non-stop flight across the Mediterranean from Fréjus in the south of France to Bizerte in Tunisia.
The Deperdussin T was a French monoplane built by Société Pour les Appareils Deperdussin, later to become S.P.A.D. Introduced in 1912, the type was widely used by the French Air Force (then Aviation Militaire) before the First World War.
Blériot XI F-AZPG (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Blériot XI F-AZPG (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Deperdussin T F-PDEP (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Deperdussin T F-PDEP (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Morane type H F-AZMS (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Blériot XI and Morane type H (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Blériot XI and Morane type H (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
The great War
World War I, or the Great War as it is called in France and Britain, broke out on the 28 of July 1914. During the war aviation made a big step forward. From light biplanes like the Caudron G III to the fighting machines like the Bristol fighter with its two man crew. The Amicale Jean Baptiste Salis has a large collection of Fighters from these early days.
Some more planes were coming from the UK. Therefore a large collection of world war I planes filled the sky over Cerny. Many of them where replicas and the strangest one was a Bowers Fly Baby 1B. The Fly Baby 1B G-BNPV has been modified to resemble a world war I Junkers CL-1 with the spurious serial 1801/18, it even has a dummy rear cockpit with a dummy gun and a dummy gunner!
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
1930 - 1940
It's always a pleasure to see what exotic planes are assembled at la Ferté-Alais for the Show. This Year some new types where shown. A French Bellanca Cruisemaster 14-19 (F-AYDS). The 14-19 Cruisemaster was first flown on the 26th of September 1949. Also flown was the rare Spartan 7W (N47W). The Spartan 7W Executive was a cabin monoplane produced by the Spartan Aircraft Company during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Only 34 were built. Notable owners of Spartan 7W Executive aircrafts were designer and aviator Howard Hughes or wealthy industrialist J. Paul Getty. Also shown where two Stinson SR-10C Reliant (F-GPJS, F-AYDK).
Bellanca Cruisemaster 14-19 F-AYDS (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Bellanca Cruisemaster 14-19 F-AYDS (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Bellanca Cruisemaster 14-19 F-AYDS (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Bellanca Cruisemaster 14-19 F-AYDS (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Spartan 7W N47W Executive (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Spartan 7W N47W Executive (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Spartan 7W N47W Executive (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Spartan 7W N47W Executive (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Spartan 7W N47W Executive (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Stinson SR-10C Reliant F-GPJS Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Stinson SR-10C Reliant F-AYDK (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Stinson SR-10C Reliant F-AYDK (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
100 years of French Fighter
The topic "100 ans de chasse française" (100 years of French fighter aircraft) was one of the main topics at the 2018 edition of the airshow. The Star was a Spad XIII (F-AZFP), which was built during the great war by the company Kellner de Levallois in France. This aircraft is one of the last survivors of about 8,000 built examples. Recovered as a wreck by Jean Salis in the 1970s, its restoration began in 1988. It has been restored in only four years. The fuselage and the engine are original, but mayor reconstruction was necessary for the wings.
100 years later the Dassault Rafale is the main fighter of the French Air Force. Both fighters tried to do some formation flying,, but the speed difference between a biplane and a 5th generation Jet Fighter was to great. So what we got is what today is called a battle formation with a wide spacing between aircraft.
Like the SPAD XIII for his time, the display pilot Captain Sébastian Nativel of the Rafale showed the superior performance of his fighter.
Spad XIII F-AZFP (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Spad XIII F-AZFP (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Spad XIII F-AZFP (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Spad XIII F-AZFP (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Dassault Rafale and Spad XIII (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Dassault Rafale (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Dassault Rafale (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Dassault Rafale (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Dassault Rafale (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Good Morning Vietnam
Good morning Vietnam. No, it's not Adrian Cronauer at the microphone, still Bernard Chabbert, with his sonorous and calm voice. He is a Journalist and pilot with more than 1'200 Hours of flight time on 250 different aircraft. He also ist the owner of the famous Lockheed 12-A Electra Junior, which was flying in the colours of a Lockheed 10E Electra as flown by Amelia Erhard.
Good morning Vietnam is the reminiscence of the war the americans were involved in Southeast Asia. Most Planes like the Douglas AD-4N Skyraider (F-AZHK et F-AZDP) and the North American T-28A Trojan (F-AZKG / N14113) are rather bogus, and the only plane in full VNAF Markings the Cessna Skymaster FTB 337-G (F-HCRF) was not used by the South Vietnamese. Yes the Americans delivered 35 O-2A under the Programme "Enhance Peace" to the VNAF. But the VNAF didn’t have the Personal sources to operate them.
Special are also the special effects with a lot of explosions that support the flying above. Also shown in this part of the show was the North American OV-10A Bronco (F-AZKM) in it's striking desert camouflage of the Desert Storm Campaign.
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Wingwalker
With over ten years of professional wingwalking experience, Danielle Del Buono ist one of the most experienced Wingwalkers in Europe. Pilot is her spouse Emiliano Del Buono and both are based at Sion, Switzerland. For the 2018 season the old Boeing PT-13D (N450D) got a new paint scheme and is now marked as "Pink Lady".
Danielle is a REAL wingwalking girl! Not just standing on the top wing but actually moving in between the wings and really climbing around the plane!.
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Breitling Team
It's a tradition at the La Ferté-Alais airshow that a aerobatic team makes the last presentation of the day. On Saturday it was the Breitling Jet Team. The Breitling Jet Team is the largest civilian aerobatic display team in Europe, and based in Dijon, France, it flies seven Czech Aero L-39 Albatros jets, but in the Season 2018 they will fly with only six of them. The Breitling SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Grenchen, Switzerland and the main sponsor ot the team. The team flies a display lasting 18–20 minutes that includes formation flying, opposition passes, solo routines, and synchronized maneuvers.
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)