14 September 2020 – Meiringen military airfield
The 2020 it will be remembered in history as the year of Covid19 but for the spotters it will also be remembered as the year of the Great Desert: all the opportunities to see some airplanes have been gradually canceled. In Italy, the already rare occasions have gradually thinned out until they almost completely disappeared. Even the great Air Show that was expected to celebrate the 60 years of the Frecce Tricolori has been postponed to 2021.
Together with the Air Shows, also complicit in the lockdown measures in force in the various countries, in recent months it has also been very difficult to leave the national borders to take some pictures in the military airports of neighboring nations. Among these, doubtless, Meiringen is one of the favorite destinations, especially for the spotters who live in the north of our peninsula.
And so, since now the containment measures have loosened a bit and considering that in these days one of the last redeployments of the venerable Northrop F 5E Tiger II was expected for the repetition courses of militia pilots, we did not miss the opportunity. The faithful Spottermobile has put the bow to the north and, 3 hours 1/2 after departure, stopped the wheels on the usual airport connection used as a parking lot: I am beginning to believe that he has memorized the road in some sort of autopilot.
As we go to the first observation point we hear the unmistakable sound of the General Electric F 404-GE-402 that start up and, after about ten minutes, we see the red-crossed Hornets on the slip road, to go to the header 10 and take off. Among them there is also the J-5233, one of the 8 F / A 18D two-seater of the Swiss Air Force, became famous for shooting down an MQM-178 drone with an AIM 120C-7 missile at the Swedish Vidsel range, between September and October of 2018. Thanks to this performance, it proudly carries the felling marking under the windshield.
Also noteworthy is the small badge carried on the right side of the fuselage of the J-5015 single-seater: the scudetto created for i 40 years of the Frecce Tricolori brought by now 20 age!
We learn that this is the second wave of the morning and, as in the previous one, the Tigers do not participate: let's hope they take off next time.
Take-offs follow one another quickly and in a few minutes silence regains possession of the valley on which the runway of the Canton of Bern airport stretches.
A Eurocopter EC is also shown 635 making a quick landing and take-off. Gli F 18 they reappear after just 50 minutes in the sky field to finish the missions and prepare for landings. Only the two-seater makes a touch 'n go while all the single-seaters touch the ground with the air brake open and, landing from the header 10, they immediately slip into the junction to go directly to the road that leads them to the cave shelter that the Base is equipped with. It is now almost noon and we decide to put something under our teeth: the first mission of the afternoon is far away.
On our return from lunch we notice that the chariot has moved to the head 28 and we decide to photograph the afternoon wave from the roof of the shelter placed right next to it: one of the most beautiful places in the entire area. As we go we hear that the planes are starting and there is not only the noise of the GE turbofans: also the Js 85 Tigers make their hissing sound. Altogether they go flying 5 Hornet e 4 Tiger: 2 of the latter in Patrouille Suisse livery.
Gli F 5 they always take off in pairs and it's nice to see them taxi, get in pairs at the head and wait for the front leg of the landing gear to extend to increase the angle of attack on take-off (take a good look at the video and you will notice it clearly). The last 2 take-offs of the Hornets I canonize them from the gate that is right next to the header: the thrill of hearing the afterburners on at full power is always a lot, like the gratitude one feels for the inventors of earplugs: it would be impossible to resist without permanent hearing damage.
For the landings we move to the opposite side to have the favor of the light and here too the loot that we take home in the trusty SD inside the camera is heavy.
The take-offs of the last wave are done from the terrace above the restaurant: mixed wave also on this occasion, with the F 5 always in pairs: 7 minutes and they are all over and 9 the airplanes.
Let's go back to the shelter for landings: the F 5 are the first, just about forty minutes after the last take-off. The two-seater closes the dance a few seconds before 17:00.
I go home happy, with an interesting booty. We got very hot: never happened here. The sun has been beating down all day and I'm pretty tired: we hope that the trusty spottermobile remembers the way home
I just have to leave you the photos .......
