Patrouille Suisse
What are Patrouille Suisse
The team consists of six demonstration pilots and one spare pilot. The display of the team is about of 18 minutes, so is not very difficult to learn to fly in all positions, exclude leader. Also team consist of a two narrators and about 35 technicians, but their count is variable trough the years. Team's home base is Emmen airbase. Every candidate for demo pilot must have perfect flying biography and after he selected from other team members, he start to training in couple, then in full formation. After 30 hours in formation he is ready to demonstration. Patrouille Suisse use six Northrop F-5E tiger II airplanes, painted in white and red color scheme and haven't numbers on the board. Also planes equipped with smokegenerators releasing white smoke.
Patrouille Suisse History
The first formation flights in Swiss Air Force dates from beginning of 1959, when in Surveillance Wing is established an aerobatic team, flying with four Hawker Hunter Mk58. On 2 June 1959 this team made its first public appearance in Biel, but the display includes only fly-pasts in different formations. The first real demonstration is in 1963 during Oskar Bider's day in Bern.
In the next year, Swiss Air Force celebrating its 50 th anniversary. On this occasion is created a team that must take part in the celebrating trough the country. This team made great impression on the public and the press start to named the team Patrouille Suisse, inspired from French aerobatic team Patrouille de France. Federal Defense Department decide to gives the team permanent statute. So Surveillance Wing takes the task to choose six pilots and to prepare new team for demonstrations. The pilots are chosen from 1st and 11th squadron, training as a part of their personal duties. So on 22 Aug 1964 are established Patrouille Suisse equipped with four Hawker Hunter Mk58.
In 1968 is made an attempt to equip the team with Mirage IIIS, but the planes proved hard to fly in close formation.
In 1970 the fifth plane added to the team. Till the 1978, Patrouille Suisse displayed only in Switzerland, because of country neutrality.
Then the team take part during Patrouille de France 25th anniversary celebration in Salon de Provence. In that year to the team is added a sixth plane.
In 1991 on the team's planes at the bottom of fuselage is painted national flag and the logo of 700th anniversary of Switzerland. Till then the Patrouille Suisse planes flies with standard Swiss colored scheme.
In 1993 during Fairford airshow, Patrouille Suisse gets great luck, escaping from disaster, when one of the two Russian MiG-29's crashed near by the taxing Patrouille Suisse planes. After 8 minutes the team takeoff for the show.
On 25 Sep 1994 in Nancy, France, Patrouille Suisse made its final demonstration using Hunter's.
In 1995 they start to fly with F-5E Tiger in the new paint scheme using to the present. First show with these planes is in June.
On the next year, the logo of the team flies to space, with Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier, who is former team member, onboard Space Shuttle Colombia. Also in this year, the team planes equipped with smoke generators.
In 1998 the team fly over Paris during Football World Cup final. Later that year #4 dies in crash, flying with F/A-18 Hornet. For that reason Patrouille Suisse use gray painted #4 plane till the end of the season.
In 1999, Patrouille Suisse do not takes displays, because of War in Yugoslavia.
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