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  Villaroche 2024
  Teil 2
      .

Text:

Urs Schnyder

Pictures:

Urs Schnyder & Michael E. Fader


 

 

Crowd-02.jpg (136186 Byte)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Aérospatiale SA 316B Alouette III N316BJ (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

   

Eastern Front

   

There is probably no airshow in France that doesn’t feature the Normandie-Niemen theme, represented by the Jak 3. The name was given to the French Squadron by Stalin in recognition of their service fighting against the common enemy Germany. After the war the pilots were permitted to take their aircraft with them to France. The flying example however is one of a batch built in Russia in more recent times.

The opposition this time were two Fieseler Storch, so called because of its long undercarriage legs. Appropriately both aircraft were wearing the yellow eastern front markings. One of the two was actually a Morane Saulnier MS 500 Criquet built after the war in France. Some of the Criquets were powered by either a Salmson 9AB or a Jacobs R-755 radial, both of 300 horsepower. The original Storch had an Argus in line engine.

   

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

  East-01.JPG (45265 Byte) East-02.JPG (41227 Byte)  

Morane Saulnier MS.505 F-BEJF Criquet (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

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

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

Morane Saulnier MS.505 F-AZRA Criquet (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

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

       

D-Day

   

What more appropriate theme on the 80 th anniversary of the Invasion in Normandy than D-Day? The C-47 was of course vital in moving the mass of paras to the invasion area and supplying them once they were on the ground. The whole invasion could not have been successful without complete control of the aerial space over Normandy. Indeed, the allied Air Forces were so superior in numbers that the German Luftwaffe was almost completely absent during the first day. The Spitfire XIV was representing the fighter aircraft that made sure there was no interference to the landings from the air. The biggest danger for allied aircraft were deemed to be their own anti aircraft defences, which is the reason they carried their distinctive black and white stripes on Wings and Fuselages. Appropriately both the C-47 and the Spitfire were so decorated.

  D-Day-01.JPG (41538 Byte) D-Day-02.JPG (43031 Byte)  

Douglas C-47B and Spitfire Mk. XIV (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Douglas C-47B and Spitfire Mk. XIV (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Douglas C-47B F-AZOX (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Douglas C-47B F-AZOX (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Douglas C-47B F-AZOX (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

   

Douglas C-47B F-AZOX (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV G-SXIV  (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV G-SXIV  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV G-SXIV  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV G-SXIV  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder

   

Pacific War

   

The Vought Corsair was of course made more famous after the war by the TV series “Ba Ba Black Sheep” that featured the exploits and antics of Pappy Boyington and his Marine Corps Squadron.  Both Corsairs were of the latest variant. It is therefore a pity they don’t wear the colours of the Aéronautique Navale that used them after the war.

Probably more famous than the Corsair is the P-40 of the American Volunteer Group or Flying Tigers as they are commonly known. They decorated their aircraft with Sharks teeth to create a more fearful picture. The idea was not original since it was copied from 112 Squadron of the RAF. The Flying Tiger pilots were in fact Mercenaries recruited from the American forces and were paid for each aircraft they shot down. Still today, there is a museum in China dedicated to the flying Tigers.

   

Vought F4U-5NL Caorsair D-FCOR (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Vought F4U-N and F4U-NL Corsair (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Vought F4U-N and F4U-NL Corsair (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Vought F4U-N and F4U-NL Corsair (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Vought F4U-N and F4U-NL Corsair (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

   

Curtiss P-40N Warhawk F-AZKU (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Curtiss P-40E and P-40N Warhawk (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Curtiss P-40E and P-40N Warhawk (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Curtiss P-40E and P-40N Warhawk (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Curtiss P-40E and P-40N Warhawk (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

  Pacific-01.JPG (40328 Byte)  

Curtiss P-40E and P-40N Warhawk (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk OO-WHK (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk OO-WHK  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk OO-WHK  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk OO-WHK (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Korean War

   

The Korean war was the biggest set piece of the airshow as far as different aircraft are concerned. It was the war where the jets took over from propeller driven aircraft. There was a nice formation of the Corsair, P-51, Skyraider and Sea Fury. Unfortunately the formation was only complete on Sunday as the Sea Fury on Saturday was left on the ramp with its engine access panels open due to technical problems. The Centaurus is now quite a handful to maintain which is the reason many Sea Fury’s fly with a Pratt & Whitney radial. Only on Friday was there a chance to see the Mig-15, Sabre and TC-33 flying in formation. There was no formation flying by the Mig-15 and the Sabre on both airshow days, unlike last year.

   

Formation of propeller-driven aircraft from the Korean War. (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder and Michael E. Fader)

Douglas AD-4ND Skyraider F-AZFN  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Douglas AD-4ND Skyraider F-AZFN  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

  Korea-03.JPG (43453 Byte) Korea-02.JPG (39067 Byte) Korea-01.JPG (56292 Byte)  

Douglas AD-4ND Skyraider F-AZFN  (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Douglas AD-4ND Skyraider F-AZFN  (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Douglas AD-4ND Skyraider F-AZFN  (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Hawker Sea Fury FB Mk 11 F-AYSF (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Hawker Sea Fury FB Mk 11 F-AYSF (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

   

Hawker Sea Fury FB Mk 11 F-AYSF (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Hawker Sea Fury FB Mk 11 F-AYSF (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Hawker Sea Fury FB Mk 11 F-AYSF (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Vought F4U-5N (F-AZEG) (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Vought F4U-5NL (F-AZEG) (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

   

Vought F4U-5NL (F-AZEG) (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

The flight of the Korean War jets, Canadair CL 13B Sabre (F-AYSB) in front, Canadair CT-133 Siver Star (F-AYMD) on the right and MiG-15 on the left (SP-MIG) (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder & Michael E. Fader)

MiG-15 SP-MIG (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

   

MiG-15 SP-MIG (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

MiG-15 SP-MIG (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder) MiG-15 SP-MIG (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder) MiG-15 SP-MIG (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder) MiG-15 SP-MIG (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
   

North American F-86 (Canadair CL 13B) Sabre (F-AYSB) (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

North American F-86 (Canadair CL 13B) Sabre (F-AYSB) (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

North American F-86 (Canadair CL 13B) Sabre (F-AYSB) (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

North American F-86 (Canadair CL 13B) Sabre (F-AYSB) (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

   

Armée de lÀir

   

This year the Armée de l’Air offered a show of contrasts. Their smallest aircraft, an Extra EA-3330SC of the Equipe de voltige de l’Armée de l’Air against their biggest, the Airbus 400M.

   

Capitaine Florent Oddon had just returned from Zamosc in Poland where he had won his second world champion title in freestyle aerobatics. Capitaine Oddon from Vaison-la-Romaine (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) wanted to fly and move around the sky as long as he can remember. He says that the Virus bit him very early. In 2009 he joined the Armée de l’Air and became a pilot flying transport aircraft. With his Casa 235 he flew cargo, parachutists and medical evacuations in Mali and Chad. Eight years after his entry into the Armée de l’Air he got the chance to join the EVAA (Equipe de voltige de l’Armée de l’Air). Like the Patrouille de France, this unit demonstrates the whole competence and skill of French military aviation at airshows and official competitions.

It is incredible what he does with his plane. Just watching him from the ground during his performance makes you feel dizzy!

 

Weltmeister im Motorkunstflug Capitaine Florent Oddon, rechts (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)

   

Capitaine Florent Oddon (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

 

Compared with this, the performance of the A400M could be called sedate. However, considering its size there was agility in its display which the crew managed to bring across quite well.

A new demonstration team seen the first time this year, the Patrouille Mustang with their Pilatus PC-21 showed the performance of this trainer. Could it be that it will one day replace the Alpha jets of the Patrouille de France?

 

Pilatus PC-21 709-FJ (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

   
Airbus A400M F-RBAK (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder) Airbus A400M F-RBAK (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader) Airbus A400M F-RBAK (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder) Airbus A400M F-RBAK (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder) Airbus A400M F-RBAK (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
   

Patrouille Mustang (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Patrouille Mustang (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Patrouille Mustang (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Patrouille Mustang (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Patrouille Mustang (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

   

Patrouille Tranchant

   
 

The final display of the day was that by the Patrouille Tranchant and their four Fouga Magisters. The lower powered Magister brings a special quality to the display and it is rather quiet compared with other jet teams. It is actually a commendable effort by the Groupe Tranchant to support an aerobatic team with this historic French aircraft.

Tranchant-06.JPG (39723 Byte) Tranchant-07.JPG (44936 Byte)  

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

  Tranchant-05.JPG (50130 Byte)  

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

  Tranchant-04.JPG (41772 Byte) Tranchant-03.JPG (44236 Byte) Tranchant-01.JPG (49675 Byte) Tranchant-02.JPG (53013 Byte)  

(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 Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

It was another great show at Villaroche and we already look forward to 2025 when it will take place again during the weekend of the 6th and 7th of September.

Our thanks go to Iza Brazin for providing press facilities.


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last update 19. October 2024

Written 19. October 2024

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