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Publisher and Editor: ASRMediaLLC

The Magazine ispublished6timesayearanditisavailableforafreedownload
fromourwebsitewww.AirShowsReview.com.Pleasenotewedonotacceptanyun
solicitedarticlesorimagesforpublication.

Advertising:
PleasecontactG.E.DeVries,AdvertisingManagerg.e.devries@msn.com
Contributing photographers:
Canada: SteveHornetBigg
USA: RicardovonPuttkammer,DanAdams,JoeOsciak,StefanSeville,NormanGraf,
AaronRumfallo
Europe: PeterThivessen,WolfgangJarisch,RayPace,PaulKolbe,MicheleGiardini
FarEast: TakeshiShinoda,YoshiakiWakana

Ifyouareinterestedinbecomingoneofourcontributors,haveaDSLRcamera,capa
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contactus:editor@airshowsreview.comPleasenote:noneofourstaffarepaid,they
allarevolunteersandareresponsibleforallcoststhatoccurtoattendairshows.

WelcometoourenvironmentallyfriendlyJuneJuly2013onlineissueofThe Magazine.

The2013NorthAmericanairshowseasonstartedoffwithaslueofcancellationsduetothesequestration
budgetcuts.Furthermore,eventswhichdecidedtogoonwithairshowssufferedfromdropinattendance,
asaresult.

The U.S. Navy has cancelled the remaining 2013 performances of its Blue Angels Flight Demonstration
Squadron.ThisisoneofmanystepstheNavyistakingtoensureresourcesareinplacetosupportforces
operatinginforwardareasnowandthosetrainingtorelievethem.AccordingtoastatementissuedThe
Navyintendstocontinueaerialdemonstrationsinthefutureasthebudgetsituationpermits.

Thereareanumberofshowsthatarecommittedtoholdingtheireventsthisyear,withorwithoutmilitary
supportintheUSA,theyare:theVidaliaOnionFestivalAirShowinGeorgia;ChicagoAir&WaterShow;
VectrenDaytonAirShow;CaliforniaInternationalAirShowinSalinas;WingsoverHoustonAirShow;Thun
der over Louisville; OC Air Show in Ocean City, Maryland; both the Vero Beach Air Show and Stuart Air
ShowinFlorida;ShrinersFestAirShowinEvansville,Indiana;ThunderovertheBoardwalkinAtlanticCity,
NewJersey;WingsoverNorthGeorgiainRome,Georgia;BethpageFederalCreditUnionAirShowatJones
Beach in New York; Lauderdale Air Show in Florida; Thunder over Michigan near Detroit; Quad City Air
ShowinDavenport,Iowa;AmigoAirshoinElPaso,Texas;WingsOverGillespieinElCajon,California;Wings
Over Wine Country Air Show in Santa Rosa, California; Virginia Beach Patriotic Festival in Virginia; Chen
naultInternationalAirShowinSt.Charles,Louisiana;CAFAIRSHO2013inMidland,Texas;OwensboroAir
ShowinKentucky;BattleCreekFieldofFlightAirShowandBalloonFestivalinMichigan;SeaFairinSeattle;
Dubuque(Iowa)AirShowandFireworks;SunnFuninLakeland,Florida;NationalChampionshipAirRaces
inNevada;ThunderovertheValleyinSantaMaria,California;MemphisAirshowinTennessee;andEAAs
AirVentureinOshkosh,Wisconsin.

CanadianairshowswillbemuchsparsertooduetothelackofUSAF,USN,andUSMarinesaircraft,they
willfeaturemainlytheCF18andtheSnowbirds.

WewillcontinuetoattendairshowswhichhavenotbeencancelledintheUSA,Canada,Europeandfrom
Japanfurthermore,weshallconcentrateonmuseumvisitsandotherspecialassignmentsliketheonewe
arefeaturinginthisissuefromFrance.Whilewemayattendlessairshowsin2013,thequalityandvariety
ofourreportswillcontinuetodifferentiateusfromtherest.

Copyright 2013 ASR Media LLC. The Magazine may not be edited, or
soldwithoutpriorwrittenconsent.However,youarefreetodistributeit
atforatnocharge,aslongasitisbacklinkedtooursite.Alltradenames,
trademarks,manufacturernames,photographicimagesandtextualworks
usedinthispublication,arethepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.While
ASRMediaLLC.,strivesforfactualreportingofeventsASRMediaLLC.,is
not responsible for the accuracy of the content or for the opinions ex
pressedbyauthorsoftheirrespectivearticlesandreports.

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INDEX

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2013NormanA.Graf
2013NormanA.Graf

MCAS Yumaheldits51stAnnualAirShowonMarch9,kickingoffwhatwillmostlikelybeaveryspartan
2013airshowseasonintheUS.DespitethecancellationofessentiallyallUSAFparticipationatshowsthis
year,anduncertaintyregardingNavyandMarineresources,theshowdidgoon.TheMarinesputonfulltac
ticaldemonstrationsofboththeMV22OspreyandtheAV8BHarrierandhadastaticlineupwithalmostthe
completeinventoryofMarineAviationaircraft.Thehighlightofthestaticlineupwas,withoutquestion,the
F35BLightningII,ondisplayforthefirsttimeatanairshow.

TheshowbeganwithaperformancebytheMarineDrumandBugleCorps.TheCommandantsOwnplayed
aseriesofsongs,culminatingintheNationalAnthemastheMilitaryFreefallSchoolparachutistsflewinthe
flag.GregColyerbegantheflyingwithaseriesofveryniceaerobaticroutinesinhisT33AceMaker.This
endedinaracewithBillBraackinhisjetcar.SteveStavrakakisthenputonaniceshowinhisrareRomanian
builtIAR823.MCASYumaishometoVMFT401,theonlyMarineadversarysquadron.TheSnipers,flyingF
5Naircraft,provideotherunitstheopportunitytoengageindissimilaraircombattraining.Aflightoffour
aircraft,inthreedifferentcamouflagepatterns,tookoffinsectionsandmadeanumberofformationflybys

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2013NormanA.Graf
2013AaronRumfallo

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beforebreakingdramaticallytoland.KentPietschthenputonthefirstofhisthreeaerobaticperformances
oftheday.Hiscomedyroutinehastobeseentobebelieved.Heinvadestheclosedairspace,playingthe
partofacompletenovicewithnoflyingskillswhatsoever.Hisaircraftsoonbeginstoshedpartssuchasan
aileron,atire,andarollofpaperworkwhichhemanagestoshredonitswaydown.Ittakesincredibleskillto
flysoerraticallysoclosetotheground,includinghissignaturewingscrape.Theannouncerfinallytalkedhim
down,whereuponhewasapprehendedbythreeMarines.Itsapleasuretowatch,whetheryouveseenit
beforeandareinonthejoke,orarewatchingitfortheveryfirsttimeandthinktheFAAisgoingtothrowthe
bookatKent.

ThethemeofthisyearsshowwasasalutetoKoreanandVietnamWarveterans,sothenextactwasarec
reationofaKoreanWarairengagement.AnAT6Texan,intheroleofaForwardAirControllercalledinan
F4U1 Corsair and F8F Bearcat to provide air support for troops on the ground. The planes made several
passes,bothinformationandindividually.Manyofthepasseswerestrafingorbombingmaneuvers,accom
paniedbysimulatedmachinegunorbombexplosionsprovidedbytheMarineEODsquadrons.ApairofP
51DMustangs,ManOWarandSpamCan,providedtopcoverandmadeanumberofverynicephoto
passes.SuddenlyaMiG15appearedinthesky.AT33,playingthepartofanF80,wasscrambledanda
dogfight between the two jets soon ensued. It was a very nice aerial demonstration and thanks go to the
CAF,PlanesofFameMuseumandGregColyerforprovidingtheplanesandpilots.Thenitwastimeforoneof
themarqueeperformers,theMV22Osprey.Thefulltacticaldemonstrationbeganwithaverticaltakeofffol
lowedbyahighspeedpasswiththeenginenacellesfullyforwardinairplanemode.Astheaircraftcircledfor
itsnextpass,thenacelleswererotated90andtheOspreyreturnedinhelicoptermodetoperformthehov
eringportionofitsdemo.Theaircraftovershotairshowcenter,slowed,thenbackeduptostop.Itthenro
tated360,swayedleftandright,bowedtothecrowdandlandedvertically.Itthendepartedwitharolling
takeoff, circled and landed. It was an impressive demonstration of the tactical capabilities of this tiltrotor
aircraft,performedbyacrewfromVMM165"WhiteKnights"outofMCASMiramar.
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Theunmistakablewhomp,whomp,whompofaHueyannouncedthestartoftheSearchandRescuedemo,putonby
theMCASYumaSRU.Thehelicopterhoveredatshowcenterasacorpsmanrappelleddown,thendepartedasthevictim
wasbeingtendedto.Afterreturning,acablewasdeployedandthecorpsman,withRescueRandy,waswinchedup,
wavingtothecrowdastheydeparted.ThefinalactofthedaywastheAV8BHarrierIItacticaldemo,putonbyMCAS
YumasownVMA214Blacksheep.Itbeganwithaveryloudandsteeprollingtakeoff,followedbyaveryhighspeed
pass.ThiswasfollowedbyanumberofhoveringmaneuversverysimilartothatoftheOsprey,butmuchlouder,
endingwithaverticallanding.Thefinaltakeoffwasverticalintoahoveringposition,thenahighpowerclimb
ingdepartureverydifferentfromdemonstrationsseeninthepast.Itwouldbeashameindeedifmorepeople
werenotabletoseethisnewandexcitingroutine.Unfortunately,duetothebudgetsequestration,theUSAFsF
22Raptordemonstrationwascancelled.Anextensivearrayofstaticaircraftrepresentingalmosttheentirecurrent
inventoryofUSMCaircraftwasondisplay.TheNavyhadtwoSH60BSeahawksandabeautifulF/A18ESuperHor
netCAGbirdfromVFA11RedRippersoutofNASOceana.YumaProvingGroundsprovidedacolorfulLakotaanda
CessnaCaravan.Manywarbirdswereondisplay,includingthoseoftheCAFsAirPowerTour.However,thehighlight
wasthefirstappearanceatanairshowoftheF35B.Theaircraftwasfencedoff,butviewerscouldgetveryclosetothe
aircraft,andnolimitswereplacedonphotography.TheGreenKnightsofVMFA121arethefirstoperationalLightningII
squadronandcrewmembersandpilotswereonhandtoanswerquestions.

An estimated 25,000 people attended the show, down considerably from last years 60,000. Some of this declinemust
surelybeattributabletothecancellationoftheF22Raptordemoanduncertaintyoverwhethertheshowwouldeven
takeplace.ASRMediaLLCwouldliketoexpressourthanksandsincereappreciationtothePublicAffairsOfficefortheir
hospitalityandassistanceduringtheAirShow.CaptainReidingerdidanexcellentjobofsettingupandorganizingtheme
diaaccess,andGunnerySergeantDunkandCorporalWaterstreetprovidedinvaluableassistanceduringtheday.

Formoredetailspleasevisitourreviewoftheeventonourwebsitebyclickinghere.

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NAF ElCentrohelditsannualAirShowandOpenHouseonMarch16,2013underwhatwouldnormallybeperfect
conditions:severeclearskiesandtemperaturesinthemid90s.Andyetthedarkcloudsofthecurrentbudgetse
questrationhoveredoverthefield.Uncertaintiesastowhethertheshowwouldbeheldatall,orifheld,whether
theBlueAngelswouldbeperforming,werenotresolveduntilalmostthelastminute.

Buttheshowdidgoon,andover50,000faithfulairshowfansshoweduptoseetheinauguralperformanceofthe
2013BlueAngelsteam.After120practiceflightsduringthepastthreemonths,itwouldhavebeenadisserviceifthe
Navysflightdemonstrationteamhadnotbeenallowedtoperformatitswintertrainingstation.Intheend,theonly
performancetofalloutoftheschedulewastheSuperHornettacticaldemonstrationteamand,ofcourse,theac
companyingLegacyFlight.Nevertheless,theFlyingEaglesofVFA122outofNASLemooreweresorelymissed.The
normallybroadanddiversefieldofmilitarystaticaircraftwas,however,reducedtoashadowofitsformerself.Ku
dostotheorganizersforarrangingtheMV22Ospreytacticaldemoonsuchshortnoticeandformakingupinqual
itywhatwasnotpossibleinquantityinthestaticlineup.

TheOpenHousebeganFridayeveningwhenvisitorswerewelcomedonbasetoanentertainmentandfoodfestival
whichendedwithaspectacularfireworksdisplay.Thecomplete2013BlueAngelsTeamwasintroducedtothepub
licandthey,alongwithotherperformers,mingledwiththecrowd.Theairshowopenedpromptlythenextmorning
at0800,withalonglineofcarsalreadywaitingatthegate.Parkingwascloseinandhandledveryefficiently.Secu
ritywasthoroughbutquick,resultinginplentyoftimetostakeoutaspotalongthelongfencelineandreturnto
viewtheaircraftonstaticdisplay.

Thisyearslineupwasreducedinnumbers,butfeaturedseveralspecialaircraft.Justinsidethegateswerethreeof
thehighlights.Totherightwasthe"MedalofHonor"F/A18BHornetofVMFAT101"Sharpshooters."Thisaircraftis
paintedwhiteandhonorsfourSailorsandMarineswhoreceivedtheMedalofHonorfortheiractionsinIraqand
Afghanistan.TheportsidehonorstheMarinesCPLJasonDunhamandSGTDakotaMeyer,whilethestarboardsideis
dedicatedtotheNavysMA2MichaelMonsoorandLTMichaelMurphy.Thecitationsforconspicuousgallantryand
intrepidityarepaintedonthesidesoftheaircraft.Readingtheseaccountsisasoberingexperienceandbringshome
instarkdetailthesacrificesmadebyourservicemen.Totheleftwasabeautifullypainted,colorfulCAGF/A18ESu
perHornetofVFA147"Argonauts"fromNASLemoore.ItbearsthenameofCAPTMannix,whowastheCommand
ingOfficeroftheBlueAngelsduringthe20072008seasons.SandwichedbetweenthesefighterswasaCAGOsprey,
bearingthehighvismarkingsofVMM163"EvilEyes"fromMCASMiramar.AnadversaryF5fromVFC13"Saints",
aCh46SeaKnightofHMMT164"Knightriders"andaBritishAH64DApachecompletedthemodernmilitarystatics.
Anumberofwarbirds(B17,B25,P4Y2,C47,P51,AT6,SNJ,T28,etc.)werealsoinattendance.

ForamoredetailedreviewoftheElCentroAirShowandOpenHousepleasevisitoursitebyclickinghereorbytyp
ingintoyourbrowserwww.airshowsreview.com/2013_ElCentro.htm

ASRMediaLLCwouldliketoexpressourthankstoKrisHaughofthePublicAffairsOfficeforarrangingthemediaac
cessduringtheairshowandtoallthesailorsandvolunteerswhomadethisairshowsuchawonderfulexperience.

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NAVYSARdemo,above.
BritishArmyAH64DApacheTacticalDemonstration,belowleft.
TheBlueAngels,righttop.
FatAlbert,rightbottom.

INDEX

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BillCornick,PittsS2C,above.

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"MedalofHonor"F/A18BHornet,VMFAT101"Sharpshooters",MCASMiramar

INDEX

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AirBaseVogler,locatednorthofLinz,isAustriaslargestAirBaseandhasalonghistory.Establishedin1938asFliegerhorst(AirBase)Hrsching,theAirBasebecameHrschingUS
ArmyBaseaftertheendoftheSecondWorldWar.From1948through1955,itwasUSCampMcCauley,headquartersfortheLandUpperAustriaAreaCommand,USForces
AustriaZone.AftertheendoftheAlliedoccupationin1955itbecameanAustrianPanzerkaserne(TankBase)beforefinallyrevertingtoFliegerhorstHrschingin
1957.TenyearslateritassumeditspresentnametohonorthememoryofFirstLieutenantWalterVogler.ASRsgoodconnectionswiththeAustrian
AirForceallowedustomakeabasevisit,whichisusuallynotaneasytasktodoinAustria.Whatfollowsarephotosandareportonour
visit,withsomebackgroundinformationonthebasesnamesake.

Areminderofthebasespastgreetedusasweapproachedthemaingate:aperfectlyrestoredSaab
DrakenJ35OE(N11).Retiredfromactivedutyin2005,thefewsurvivorsarespread
throughoutAustria.N12,N09,N08"Ostarrichi"andN21"DragonKnights"are
storedinZeltweg,N07andN06areinGraz,N13canbefoundinthe
TechnicalMuseuminViennaandN17isinthemiddleofaround
aboutinTulln.

SaabJ29FTunnan,above.

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SoonIwasmetbymybasecontacts,FirstLieutenantMatthusTriglerandWarrantOfficerIAntonMickla.
AfterawarmwelcomewedrovetoseetheSaabJ105OEsandtheHercules.Iwasallowedtowalkinsidethe
hangarsandwasabletowatchthepreflightpreparationsofaC130Hercules.

TheAustrianAirForcehasthreeHerculesinservice,boughtsecondhandfromtheUnitedKingdom.Thethree
aircraftareconstantlydeployedonmissionsaroundEuropeandsometimesinNorthernAfrica,soitisalmost
impossibletoseeallthreetogetherattheirhomebase.

ItwasveryinterestingtowalkinsidethehangaroftheSaab105s.Onlytwocountriesusethisoldglory,and
theSwedishAirForceusesalesspowerfulversion(althoughtheyhavestartedanupgradeprogramfortheir
aircraft). Forty entered service with the Austrian Air Force in September 1970. Since that time twelve have
beenlostinaccidents.InlightofthetightdefensebudgetsinAustria,thistypewillmostlikelystayinservice
for many years. A polemounted Saab J29F Tunnan (M yellow 29443) hearkens back to the thirty aircraft
whichservedfromJuly1961untilJuly1972.

ThenextstopwasthehangarofLightTransportHelicopterSquadron1.TheyareequippedwiththeAgusta
BellAB212,whichistheworkhorseoftheAustrianAirForce.Twentyfouraircraftweredeliveredstartingin
May1980;threeweresubsequentlylostinaccidents.Mostofthehelicoptersfromthissquadronareatthe
momentnotinAustriabutinItalyundergoinganupgradeprogram,duringwhichtheywillgetnewavionics
andaglasscockpit.Ifthereisanaturaldisasterorneedforhumanitarianaid,theAB212andthewelltrained
pilots are always there. These helicopters, together with the Alouette III, are involved in almost all interna
tionaloperationsinwhichtheAustrianAirForceparticipates.ThelasthangarwhichIwasallowedtovisitwas
that of the Second Squadron. I was not able to visit the maintenance hangar of Fliegerwerft 3 (Air Mainte
nanceSquadron3),asitisofflimitsduringoperationaldays.

Allinall,thiswasaverynicedayattheAirBaseLinzHrsching,andIdrovehomewithmanyinterestingpic
turesandalotofimpressions.ASRMediawouldliketothankFirstLieutenantMatthusTriglerandWarrant
OfficerIAntonMicklafortheirassistanceandWarrantOfficerIJakobDinierforthehistoricalbackgrounddur
ingthisfabulousdayatAirBaseWalterVoglerinLinzHrsching.

WalterVoglerwasbornin1904inHeiligeneich,LowerAustria.Af
terofficerqualificationin1928heearnedhiswingsattheLAG
Fliegerschule (sterreichische Luftverkehrs AG flying school) in
GrazThalerhof, Styria. In 1934 he attained the rank of First Lieu
tenant in the newly formed Austrian Bundesheer (Armed Forces)
and assumed command of the Nahaufklrungsstaffel 1 (Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadron 1) which was part of Reconnaissance
Squadron2.TwoyearslaterhewasgiventhecommandofBomber
Squadron 1 which was part of Flight Regiment 1 in Wels, upper
Austria. Voglers final flight was on a training mission in a three
enginedCaproniCa133 bomber. Two hundred meters above the
cityofWelstheaircraftsuddenlyburstintoflamesandthreatened
to crash into residential areas. Lieutenant Vogler immediately
turned the burning aircraft away from the vulnerable urban area
andgavethecreworderstobailout.LieutenantIng.RomanlStec
zyn survived, despite deploying his parachute at a height of only
about 100 meters. Engineer Master Corporal Adolf Wawrin re
mained on board to fight the fire, abandoning the aircraft at a
heightofonly40meters.HisparachutedidnotdeployandWaw
rindiedofhisinjuries.WalterVoglerwentdownwithhisaircraft,
crashlandinginafieldnearWelsOberlandinanuninhabitedarea.
Theformalburialtookplaceon20thJune1936.FliegerhorstVogler
nowbearshisname.

Filmstriptotheleft:WalterVogler,firsttwoandAdolfWawrinlast
image.
Filmstripabove:WalterVoglerinthemiddle.
B&WimagesarecourtesyofMilitaryArchivefromUpperAustriaoftheCom
mandoAirSupport,ArchivMilKdoO&KdoLuU

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AgustaBellAB212fromthefirstandsecondlighttransporthelicopter
squadron.

Saab105OETigers,aboveandinthecenter,
while regular paint schemes on the rest of
theSaab105OE,below.

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Drakenfor
firefighters(07isafalse
number.ThisisaSwedishAirForceSaabJ
35F2withSerialNumber35607)TheAustrianAirForce07
whichwasinserviceisintheMuseuminGraz.
INDEX

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(through Vietnam (T28, F104 and A4) and the modern age
(Thunderbirds in their F16s), this air show has something for every
one. ThebittersweetspectacleoftheThunderbirdsperform
ingtheirlastshowforwhatcouldbeanextendedhia
tus just added to what is already a special air
show. Its important to remember as the
2013 air show season limps on, that there
are many reasons to attend an air show
besidesmilitaryparticipation.

At TICO, the modern military was only

represented by the Thunderbirds, yet
therewasplentyofjetnoiseandwar
bird action courtesy of the privately
ownedaircraftthatflewintheshow.
Hopefullyfolkswillkeepthatinmindand
remainsupportiveastheairshowsthatdo
notcancel,areforcedtocarryonwithout
militaryparticipation.

We would like to thank Colonel Terry

Yon, USA (Ret.), Public Affairs
Officer, for his invaluable
assistance throughout
theshow.

The Valiant Air Command (VAC) Warbird Museum held its 36th annual air show
March2224,2013atSpaceCoastRegionalAirport.Thisyearsthemewasthe70th
anniversary of the 25th successful mission of the Memphis Belle during World War
Two.

WhiletheVACalwaysputsonaspectacularairshow,thisyearsshowwasparticu
larly noteworthy as it was the last air show performance for the USAF Thunder
birds for the rest of this year, if not longer. As mandatory federal budget cuts
havedecimatedthe2013airshowseason,withairshowcancelationsbeingan
nounced on an almost daily basis, the TICO shows timing was fortuitous as it
fell out just before the cuts took effect on April 1. It is likely that the atten
dance numbers (estimated at close to 50,000 for all three days) were bol
steredbythefactthatthiswasthepublicslastchancetoseetheThunder
birdsfortheforeseeablefuture.

Asalways,theValiantAirCommandsextensiveaircraftcollectionmadeup
thevastmajorityoftheshowsstaticdisplay.Frommodernjetssuchas
theF14,F18andF4toWW2aircraftsuchasanF4FWildcatandaTBM
Avenger, the static displays covered an impressive spectrum of aviation
history.Duetobudgetcuts,therewerenoactivedutymilitaryaircrafton
display.

The gates open at 8:30 to give spectators an opportunity to walk

upanddowntheflightlinetogetupcloseandpersonalwiththe
aircraftandpilotsthatwillbeflyinglaterintheshow.Inad
dition to the flight line, visitors can take in realistic WW2
reenactments, memorabilia vendors and choose from
severaldifferentfood options. Therewerealsotwo
helicopters from the Sky Soldiers Demonstration
Team (a UH1 Huey and an AH1 Cobra) giving
15minute rides for a fee. Once the flying
begins,thepaceisrelentlessasaircraftare
continuously in the air. From a WW1
dogfight(FokkerTriplaneand
SopwithCamel),
to WW2 trainers
and bombers (PT
17, SNJ, B17 and
B25),

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INDEX

Page 23

Page 24

A4Skyhawk,left.
F104Starfighter,above.
A4SkyhawkwiththeP51DMustang,below.

INDEX

Page 25

The Thunderbirds performed their Swan song performance for 2013 at TICO,
aboveandtotheright.
MattYounkinsBeec18,leftbottom.
B17GChuckiesmenacingnose,centerbottom.

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INDEX

Page 27

Mission:
TointroducethismysteriousFrenchTeamtoourreadersworldwidewhomostlikelyneverheardofthembyvisit
ingRamexDeltaattheirhomeatBasearienne125IstresLeTub,SalondeProvence,France.Thebaseisalso
knownastheBasearienne125"CharlesMonier".

Adc Alain Courtillat, Armedel'Air

0735 Tuesday:

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INDEX

WearrivedinoursilverPeugeot308atthevisitorsparkinglot,justtotherighttothemaingateofBasearienne
125"CharlesMonier",tomeetourhosttheLeaderoftheTacticalDisplay,"Jonah1"at0745.Wehadabitof
timetolookaroundaswewerewaitingsoourconversationturnedtotheweather;withrainloomingat40%for
theday,fromthelowanddarkclouds.Itrainedduringthenight,anditwasquitechillyinthemorning.Wewon
deredwhathappenedtothesunnyweatherthatthesouthofFranceisfamousfor!Murphy'sLawatwork:acou
pleofdayspriortoourarrivaltheforecaststatedsunnyweatherforthedurationofourvisit.

Preciselyat0745,weheard"WelcometoFrance"frombehindusandasweturnedtowardsthedirectionofthe
voicewesawJonahinhisflightsuitandwithahugesmile.WewentinsidetotheSecurityOffice,wherewefilled
outthemandatorypaperworkandwereceivedourVisitor'sI.D.cardsinexchangeforourPassports.Wewerenow
setforourthreedayvisit.

WefollowedJonah'scar,anddroveseveralkilometerstothedesignatedparkinglotofthe2/4LaFayetteEscadre.
Onourwayin,wesawseveraloldaircraftondisplayofwhichwewantedtotakephotoslaterintheday.Baseari
enne125"CharlesMonier"atIstres,isthelargestairbaseoftheArmedel'Airandoneoftheoldest.

TheBaseisnamedafterCharlesMonier,borninJanuary1920.Hewasamechanicalengineerandwaseducatedat
theBrguetschool.AtthedeclarationofWWIIhejoinedtheairforceandreceivedhismilitarypilot'slicensein
March1940andjoinedtheAvordfighterschool.
Page 29

The Armistice was declared before he had seen

activeservice.HethenjoinedtheFreeFrenchAir
ForcesinEnglandfromwherehewassenttothe
fighter detachment No. 1 on the Libyan front.
Monier, nicknamed "Popoff," then joined the Al
sace group which included all the French fighter
pilotsoftheMiddleEast.MonierdefendedtheEl
Alameinskyduringthemajorbattlethatdecided
Egypt'sfateintheSpringof1942.

Monier then took part in campaigns in the Euro

pean theatre, and in January 1944, he volun
teered to join the Normandy GC 3 fighter group
aka"NormandieNiemen"whichwasoperatingon
theRussianfront.

After the war, Monier became interested in civil

aviation, and after passing his test pilot engi
neer'slicencehejoinedDassaultin1947.Monier
wasinvolvedinthedevelopmentoftheOuragan,
MystreIIandMystreIVAaircraft.Helosthislife
on3March1953,duringatankjettisoningteston
aMystreII01aircraft.Thereisamemorialdedi
cated to Charles Monier and other fallen airmen
justinsidetheAirBaseentrance.

ThehistoryoftheAirBaseisquitefascinating;itwasbuiltpriortoWorldWarII.IstresAirBasewasfirstused
bytheArmedel'airduringtheearlypartofthewar,andafterthe1940BattleofFranceandtheJuneArmi
sticewithNaziGermany,becamepartofthelimited(French:Armedel'AirdeVichy)airforceoftheVichy
Government.ItwasattackedonseveralmissionsbyAlliedbombersbasedinEnglandwhileunderGerman
controlafterNovember1942.ItwasseizedbyAlliedforcesduringOperationDragoon,theInvasionofSouth
ernFranceinAugust1944andwasrepairedandplacedintooperationalusebytheUnitedStatesArmyAir
ForcesXIIEngineerCommand,beingturnedovertoTwelfthAirForceon27August1944.

Withtheendofthewar,theAmericansusedIstresasastagingpointbetweenOccupiedGermanyandMo
roccoforairtransportofpersonnelbacktotheUnitedStates.ItwasreturnedtofullFrenchcontrolinOcto
ber1945.

Morethan5,000personnelworkonthebaseandthetenantsinclude:
Strikesquadron2/4LaFayetteequippedwithMirage2000N.
TankersquadronGRV02/091BretagneequippedwithKC135Stratotanker.
AirDefensesquadron01.950responsibleforthebaseairdefense.
25thairengineerregiment,atechnicalunit.
GuarddetachmentFusiliersCommandosdel'Airresponsibleforthebasesecurityandgrounddefenses.
TestfacilitiesforDGA,DassaultAviation,SNECMA,andThales.
SomeaeronauticalunitsoftheFrenchNavy.

IstreswasalsoutilizedbyNASAasacontingencylandingsitefortheSpaceShuttleinthecaseofaTransoce
anicAbortLanding(TAL).Thebase'srunwayis3,750meters(12,300ft)longand60meters(200ft)wide.An
additionaloverrunarea1,200meters(3,900ft)longwasbuiltforAirbusIndustriesin1992.Ithasthesame
characteristics as the runway, making it the longest runway in Western Europe and thus suited to Shuttle
landings.

Once parked, we walked through an additional fenced off electronically controlled security gate, and an
othermannedbyarmedsecuritywholookedatourI.D.s.BehindtheguardhousewasaSEPECATJaguarasa
gateguard.

Jonahatfirsttookustothe2/4LaFayettesquadron'sheritagearea,locatedontheupperlevelofthehangar
building,thatfeaturedthenoseandcockpitsectionofaSEPECATJaguargroundattackjet,hangingoffthe
wall,theonlysquadronheritageroomwehaveseensofarwitharealaircraftnoseandcockpit.Wewere
welcomedbytheotherRamexDeltamembersaswewereintroduced.Thisbasewasthenewhomeofthe
EscadrondeChasse2/4LaFayette,whichdatesbacktoWWIwithaveryrichheritage.

MemorialtotheleftandtheMystreIIbelow.
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1948,andlaterinAlgeria,flyingNorthAmericanT6G's.

In 1949 The Escadron La Fayette entered the jet age with the DeHavilland DH100
''Vampire"in1949thenin1953theFrenchbuiltOuragan.From1954theybeganflying
theRepublicF84F"Thunderjet"whichtheyflewuntil1966whenitwasreplacedbythe
DassaultBreguet "Mirage IIIE". In July 1989, the "Mirage 2000N" armed with ASMPA
nuclearcruisemissile,beganservicewiththeGroupe2/4.Theunithasbeenapartofthe
FrenchStrategicAirCommandandwasdesignatedasaTacticalNuclearStrikeUnit.Ini
tiallytheLaFayetteGroup,consistedofthreeEscadrille:EscadrilleNo.124Sioux,Esca
drilleSPA167Cigognes,"TheStorks"(wingsup)andEscadrilleSPA160,lesDiablesRouge,
"TheRedDevils."

La Fayette Group was moved from Base arienne 116 Luxeuil SaintSauveur to Istres, in
September2011andmergedwiththeEscadrondeChasse2/4Limosin,thus2/4remain
ingtheonlyMirage2000Noperatingsquadron.

After our introduction we were offered some nonalcoholic refreshments, and we had a
chance to look around in their heritage room which had a bar, a billiard table, several
couches,alargeprojectionscreen,andlotsofmemorabiliahangingonthewallsofthe3/4
Limousinintermixedwiththe2/4.Jonahbrieflyoutlinedourdailyitinerary:
Tuesday:MeettheBoss,touroftheoperationsroom,lunchat1200,at1430flightdis
play,anytimeinbetweenisforphotographyofinterests,andafterthedisplayflight
meet the Base photographer for additional images that we require, and we cannot
take,duetolackofopportunity.
Wednesday:Meetat1100atthegate,lunch,flytheMirage2000simulator,morepho
tosandopportunitytolearnaboutthebase,andlateronmeetforadinnerwiththe
RamexDeltacrew.
Thursday:Meetat1100atthegate,lunch,drivetorunwayforseconddisplayperform
anceweatherdepending,anddepart.

WeweretakentotheRamexDeltaoffice,andwedroppedoffourcameragearbeforewe
weretakentobeintroducedtotheCommanderofthe2/4LaFayetteEscadre,Lcl.David
"McFly"Marty,whohadtoapproveourvisit.Lcl.Martywishedusapleasantvisitandwe
briefly went over the rules that we must follow: no real names, no images of ID cards,
faces of personnel, unless specifically approved, no photos of the WSO backseat area.
Apartfromthatwewerefreetotakeimages,andifindoubtjustaskourescort,whowas
tobewithusduringalltimesduringourbasevisit.

AftermeetingwiththeCommander,wecontinuedtotheoperationroom,whichconsisted
ofseveralpartitionedareas,forsecurityreasonwewerenotallowedtotakeanyphotos.
Ononesideofthewalltherewasahugewhiteboardwiththedailyactivityschedules,on
whichAirshowsreview'snameappearedtoo,andadjacenttoitseverallargetopographical
mapsofFranceonslidersstackedontopofeachother,showingflightroutesetc.Wewere
briefed on the operations scenarios, and how daily missions were planned and
downloadedtoaflashdrive,whichistheninsertedintothedataportoftheaircraft'snavi
gationalcomputeranduploaded.

FromthebeginningofwarinEuropeinAugust1914manyAmericanstravelledtoEurope
andofferedtheirvolunteerservicestoBritainandFranceinthewaragainsttheGerman
and AustrianHungarian Monarchy. On 18th of April No.124 was established. Many
American volunteers chose to enlist with the French Air Service. The French govern
mentsanctionedanAmericanSquadronon4thNovember1916,EscadrilledesVolon
taires was born. On 6th of December 1916 it was renamed Escadrille La Fayette
No.124,afterMarquisdeLaFayette,whowenttoAmericatofightagainsttheBrit
ishandservedasamajorgeneralalongsideGeorgeWashington,intheAmerican
RevolutionaryWar.

InitiallycommandedbytheFrenchmanCapt.GeorgesThenault,No.124comprisedseven
American pilots: Victor Chapman, Elliot Cowdin, Bert Hall, James McConnell, Norman
Prince,KiffinRockwellandWilliamThaw.Itsinauguralflightmissiontookplaceon13May
1916 and the Escadrille's first aerial 'kill' occurred five days later, when Kiffin Rockwell
claimedvictoryoveraGermantwoseaterL.V.G.,inOctober1916.ASeminoleIndianhead
waschosenbyCapt.Thenault,changedtoaSiouxsometimelater,asthesymbolforEsca
drilleLafayetteNo.124.AstheirfamegrewworldwideanincreasingnumberofAmerican
volunteerssoughtservicewithNo.124.Althoughnotalltheapplicantsbecamemembers
of the No.124, many of them nevertheless passed through the Lafayette Flying Corps.
About200AmericanseventuallypassedthroughtheFrenchAirService'strainingprogram.

After America's formal entry into the war the Escadrille passed into American hands in
February1918.

ThehistoryoftheLaFayetteEscadrilledidnotendwhenthesquadronwasincorporated
intotheAmericanAirService.From1920to1939,TheFrenchMinistredel'Air(AirMinis
try) assigned the title Lafayette Escadrille in recognition of the American flyers, and to
carryonthetradition,amongthem:

In19207thSquadronofthe35thAeroRegiment,anditsplanescarriedtheSiouxhead
insignia.
In 1933, the Sioux Squadron was joined with the other elite group, Cigognes (the
Storks)toformtheGroupedeChasse2/5,theEscadronLaFayette.Thisunitflewthe
Dewoitine 500, at various bases throughout France during the 1930s and was sta
tioned at ToulCroixdeMetz when the Second World War broke out in September
1939.

AtthebeginningofWWII,theLaFayetteunitwasreformedinNorthAfricawhereitflew
withtheFreeFrenchAirForce.InitiallyoutfittedwithCurtissHawkstheyweresoonup
gradedwiththesuperiorP40FWarhawks.OverthecourseoftheWar,theGroupe2/5
flew in the North African, Italian, French and German theatres. In April 1944, the P47D
became the units aircraft which it flew until 1949. In January 1945, the Group 2/5 re
turnedtotheLuxeuilAirBase,thefieldfromwhichthefirstLaFayetteEscadrillehadflown
in1916.DuringWWII,EscadronLafayetteflew8,531sorties,1,452missionsandwascred
itedwith103victories.

InJuly1947,theGroupe2/5wasreorganizedastheGroupedeChasse2/4LaFayette.In
thefollowingyears,theunitsawcombatactioninIndochinaflyingSpitfireMkIX'sin1947
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SEPECATJaguargateguardintheLaFayettecompound,
above.
Spa96insigniatotheleft,witha70thAnniversaryMi
rage 2000 tail fin of the former escadron de chasse
03.004LIMOUSIN.
Crash sitting in an ejection seat in the Heritage room
top mid, with other images to his right of the Heritage
roomwithmemorabilia.
InsigniaofSPA167,midcenter.
Low visibility La Fayette Ramex patch below it; worn in
combat.
ListeningtoourBasevisititinerary.

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Onthewayback,wecouldtakephotosofthemaintenancehangarfromtheelevatedcorridor,withseveral
aircraftbelowusonthegroundlevelofthehangar.Aftersometimewehadanopportunitytogodownto
thegroundlevelandtakesomemorehangarimagesaswellasgoouttothetarmac.Herewetookphotosof
aMirage2000Nwithaspecial95thAnniversarypaintscheme,celebratingtheexistenceoftheLaFayetteEs
cadre.However,theaircraftwasnolongeroperationalitwasonlyashell,withengineandotherequipment
strippedfromit.

Thetarmacwasstillwetandtheskywasstilldark,butwecouldseethatthereweresomebreaksformingin
themanditmayclearpartiallyforthedisplayflight.Aftertakingsufficientimages,wewalkedtowardssome
hardenedshelterstotakephotosofparkedaircraft.Duringourvisit,againMurphy'sLawwasineffect,many
ofthe2/4'saircraftwereawayatBasearienne115OrangeCaritat,duetosecurityreasonsthathadnoth
ingtodowithourvisit.

By1015wehadsometimeonourhands,andweaskedourescortnamed"PP"WSOofRamex1,todriveus
outtothegateguardaircraftandtheothersondisplaywhichwesawonourwayin.

As we were driving towards the gateguard we saw an Antonov AN124 100, parked in the logistic/transfer
area,andarecentlylandedC17fromtheRCAF,onloantoFrancetohelptransferequipmenttoandfrom
Mali.Thuswestoppedtotakephotosofthem,oncewegotclearancetowalkouttothetarmacforcloseup
photos.Whilewewereoutonthetarmacwesawacoupleofaircraftland,oneofthembeingaCASACN235
200.AstimewasgettingcloserIwantedtotakeimagesoftheotheraircraftthatwewereinitiallyonourway
to.Thus,wewalkedbacktothecar,andcontinuedtotheMirageIVP,parkedinfrontoftheBaseCommand
ersbuilding,theMystereIIgateguardandmemorialtoCharlesMonier,andtotheinterestingobjectnamed
ChariotFuseeSE1910,essentiallyV1Germanbuzzbombmountedonacarriage,thatbrokesomespeedre
cords.

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Mirage2000Nwithaspecial95thAnniversarypaintscheme.Allimages2013ASRMediaLLC

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SOCATATBM850

Somethingverydifferent!ChariotFuseeSE190,topleftandabove.
DassaultMirageIVP(Penetrator)supersonicnuclearstratgicbomberleft
andbelow.

AntonovAN124100

CC177akaC17ERGlobemasterIIIfromCanada

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CASACN235200

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At1150wedrovetotheOfficer'sClubHousewherethelunchwasserved.Wewerejoinedby
Jonah and the rest of the Ramex Delta Team. I must say that we have eaten at some USAF
bases before, and by far this was the best food served in an air base. After lunch we went
acrosstoanadjacentroomforsomecoffee,andteainmycase,andsatdowntochatabit.

We learned that the "Ramex Delta" name was derived from the call sign of the 2/4 La Fayette Es
cadre.Thefirstpart"Ramex"isthecallsignasinRamex1,Ramex2,Ramex3,etcduringtheirflight,
andthe"Delta"derivedfromthedeltawingshapeoftheMirage2000N. TheTacticalDisplayteam
has only been together officially since 2012, although they have flown displays before for several
years without any particular designated name. In 2012 they attended 3 military events and 6 air
showsforatotalof9,oneofthembeingatOstrava,CzechRepublic.

Around1315Jonahandtherestofhiscrewdepartedtogetreadyfortheirfirstvalidation,priorto
thebeginningoftheseason.Atwostargeneralwasscheduledtoreviewthedisplay.Inordertopar
ticipateinairshowstheyarerequiredtopasstwovalidations,thiswouldbethefirst.Theweather
improvedabit,therewereafewpatchesofblueintheskyandafewstreaksofsunshinenowand
then.

At1400,weweredrivenbyoneoftheLaFayettesquadronmemberstotheControlTower,flanked
bytwoMiragewrecksonwhichthefirebrigadepracticespilotrescues.Welookedaroundforagood
spotinfrontofthetower,wherewewerejoinedbytheBase'sphotographers,andafewminutes
laterbythegeneralandthe2/4LaFayettecommander.Around1430,theMirage2000Njetsofthe
RamexTacticaldemotookoffoneafteranotherinquicksuccessionanddemonstratedtheirprecise
routinethatlastedabout15minutes.Astheylanded,wewereintroducedtothegeneralwhowel
comedusandwishedusagoodvisit.Weheadedbacktothesquadron'sHQ,wherewestartedtore
viewourimagestoseewhatwehadcaptured.ThetwopilotsJonah1andGabi2,alongwith
theirWSOsbynowhadparkedtheirMiragesandwereinadebriefingmeeting.Assoonastheycame
out of their meetings, they wanted to see if we had captured any vapour shots. The air was quite
moist during their performance and produceda couple of vapours, both Jonah and Gabi were very
curiousifwehadcapturedanyoftheresultingcondensationclouds.Wedid,ascanbeseeninthe
imagesaboveandtotheright.
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SoonafterthatweweredriventotheBasephotographer'soffice,togetsomeairtoairimagesoftheMirage
jetsthatweaskedfortoincludeinourreport.Thephotographeraskeduswhatwehadinmindandsoonhe
showedonhismonitorexamplesfromwhichwecouldpickseveralofthem.AfterburningtheimagestoaCD
weallreturnedtotheRamexDeltaHQ.

ThedaywasoverandbeforeweleftwemadearequesttoJonahifwecouldvisittheKC135FRrefuelling
squadronlocatedjustadjacenttotheLaFayettesquadron.Jonahpromisedthathewouldtrytogetpermis
sion from the Tanker squadron GRV 02/091 Bretagne, Commanderfor either tomorrow or for Thursday.
Closeto1730wewalkedtoourcaranddepartedfortheday.

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It was now Crash's turn, his backseat instructor was Jonah, Ramex 1, pilot. I took a couple of photos of
Crashinthecockpit,andwentupstairstoseehisperformance.Itwasentertainingtoall,asIamsuremyown
producedalotoflaughstoobyall.WecouldhearJonahtellingCrash"nowIunderstandwhyyouarecalled
Crash!"asheflewaboveMach1+verylowandalmostearnedhisnicknameonceagain!"Pullup,up,up"
washeardseveraltimes,butthistimeCrashdidnotcrashwhichwasagoodthing.Timeflieswhenyouhave
fun,andoursimulatortimewasup,wethankedthesimulatorstaffandleftthebuildingaround1500.Aswe
werewalkingtowardsthecar,Jonahsaidthathehasasurpriseforus,butwehavetobequiet.

Wearrivedatourdestinationbuilding,itwastheBaseFalconry;thiswasthesurprise!Nowwecouldseefly
ingexpertscapableofpullingupto20Gs,astheydiveandturninpursuitoftheirtargets.Wewereintro
ducedtotheFalconer,whoexplainedthedifferenttypesofbirdstheyhad,andwehadachancetotakelots
ofphotosoffalcons.Wespentagood45minutesattheFalconry,andwedrovebacktoHQofthe2/4La
FayetteEscadre.Afterourarrival,theRamexDeltaTeamgrabbedtheirhelmetsandweheadedofftoget
someTeamshotsatoneoftheparkedaircraft.Unfortunately,wecouldnotmoveoneoftheMiragesout
fromtheshelter,sowedidourbestshootinginside.WhendonewereturnedtoHQtolookatourphotos,
andchattedaboutthesimulator,falconsetc,forawhile.Jonahhadtoleavebutmadearrangementswith
Gabitopickusupatourhotelat1845fordinnerinaniceFrenchrestaurant.Weleftshortlytoo,togetready
forthisfriendlyinvitations.

1100 Wednesday:

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WeweremetbyPP1WSO,rightontimebytheparkinglotinfrontofthemainentrancetothebase.The
days gorgeous, blue sky with just the right amount of puffy cumulus clouds was perfect for flying and of
courseforphotography!Butnottoday!Althoughitwasoriginallyscheduledfortodaymonthspriortoour
visit,onthedaybeforeweleftforFrance,wereceivedanemailthatforreasonsbeyondJonah'scontrolhe
hadtoattendsomemeetingsetc.TherewillbenodisplayflyingonWednesday,insteadcometothebaseon
Tuesday(adayearlier)forthedisplayflight.Today'smaineventafterlunchwillbeflyingtheMirage2000N
simulatorat1400.

Thelunchwasgood,wesatinthetablereservedforthe2/4LaFayetteEscadre,wherewemetseveralother
pilots.Jonahjoinedusabitlaterwhilewewereeatingourlunch.Afterlunchtheusualcoffee,tea,andabit
oftimetorelax,buttodaywewentoutsidebythegarden,oftheOfficer'sClub,asitwaspleasantandsunny.
Wechattedabitaboutourphotographstakenyesterdayandotherimagesatotherevents.Ourexperiences
withtheB1BsimulatoratDyessAFB,inTexas,alsosurfaced.

1400wethatisCrash,Jonah,CamilleandI,weredrivenbyGabitothebuildinghousingthesimulator.The
ThalessimulatorwasmuchdifferentfromtheoneatDyess.ItwasnotafullmotionunitmountedonStewart
platformnortheCollimatedtypewithahugecurvedmirrorinfrontofthecockpit.Insidethedarkbuilding
wherethesimulatorwashousedthereweretwolevels.Onthegroundlevelwastheactualcockpitforthe
pilotandtheWSO,ortheinstructor,withprojectionsofthecountryside(mission)onlargescreensinfrontof
thecockpitbyseveralmeters.Bytakingthestairstoleveltwo,weenteredtheactualoperationroomwhere
thescenarioscouldbedialedinandtheperformancesofthepilotsweremeasuredandmonitored.

Iwasthefirstonetotaketheflight,myinstructorinthebackseatwasGabi,Ramex2,pilot.CamilleRamex
2WSO,gavemeinstructionsaboutthecontrols.IwasabitperplexedbytheamountofinformationthatI
hadtoabsorbinafewminutes.Anyhowreadyornot,itwastimetoclosemycanopy,andtostartmyflight.
Taking off was not difficult, but finding the landing gear control to pull the gear up, was something else. I
couldnotfindtheswitchbeingtotallyinaforeignenvironment:insidethecockpitofaMirage2000N.Some
onefromtheupstairscontrolroomhadtocomedown,openmycanopyandsettheswitchtotheupposi
tion,(itturnedoutthatIwasnotshownwhereitwas).Backtoflying,didseveralquick,andslowbarrelrolls,
acoupleofloops,andlowlevelflight,andlandedwithabitofwingwavingthistimeontherunwaywithout
skiddingofflikeIdidwiththeB1B.

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Thursday 1100:

At1845GabipickedusupatourhotelIBIX,neartheBase(only5minutesawaybycar),anddroveustoSa
londeProvence.SalondeProvence,isaveryancientcity,itdatesbacktotheRomanperiod,buttheearliest
mentionoftheplaceunderitsfamiliarnameisoftheninthcentury,asVillaSalone.Ithasfascinatingarchi
tecture,quaintnarrowcobblestonestreetsintheoldpartofthetown.ItisinterestingtonotethatNostrada
musspenthislastyearsandisburiedhere.Hishouseismaintainedasamuseumandbecameatouristsat
traction.TheFontaineMoussueisanotherfamousattraction,atPlaceCrousillathasexistedsincethe16th
century.Duringthe20thcentury,limestoneconcretionsandvegetationdeveloped,givingthefamiliarmush
roomaspect.Since1964SalondeProvenceisalsothehomeoftheworldfamousPatrouilleAcrobatiquede
FranceorPAF,attheBaseArienne701SalondeProvence.WepickedupPP,nearthebase'sparkinglotas
hehadsomebusinesstotakecareofearlier.

Before dinner we sat down at a local pub on the outside for a beer for us, pineapple juice for Crash, and
waited for Jonah and Mc Fly to show up. Jonah arrived shortly, but Mc Fly, called in his condolences, as
somethingelsecameupattheBase,andhecouldnotmakeit.Afterourbeersandcheesetasting,wewalked
toarealFrenchrestaurantthatfeaturedauthentichomestylecookingaccordingtoJonah.

The dinner and the local red wine were excellent, not to mention the company. After dinner we walked
aroundintheoldpartofthecitywhichwasverycharmingplacetobein.Nearmidnightwesaidourgood
byesandGabidroveusbacktoIstrestoourhotel.And,itwasagoodthing,aswewouldhaveneverfound
ourwaybackfromSalondeProvence,ortogetthroughthelockedgatestothehotel.Gabihadtospeakto
someoneinFrenchviatheintercomtoopenthelockedgatesat0100inthemorning.Anotherfinedaywas
over.

2013RicardovonPuttkammer

OurfinaldayattheBasehasarrived.Itwasraining,onceagain,withlowdarkclouds,farfromidealforan
other flight display. We were met by Gabi 2 pilot, and we followed him to the Officer's Club for lunch.
Therewereseveralselectionasalways,butthistimeGabi,CrashandIpickedthepasta:itwasdifferent,I
thinkIshouldhavepickedthesameaswhatJonahselected.

1330,afterourlunchandcoffee/teawedrovebacktoHQofthe2/4LaFayetteEscadre,asJonah,PP,Gabi,
andCamillehadtogetreadyfortheirflight.Ithadstoppedraining,sotheywouldtrytoflyanddoalowper
formanceversustheregularone.Weaskedinadvancetoseeifwecouldchangeourphotoshootlocation,
anditwasagreedthatoneofuswillgotowardstheinfieldtoshoottowardsthetowerandtheotherone
wouldstaynearthecontroltower.

At1400weweredrivenoutbyamemberofthe2/4LaFayetteEscadre,tothetowerwithasurprise.Oneof
uscouldgouptothebalconyofthecontroltower.SinceIhadalreadypickedtheinfieldlocation(inasunny
day it would have been better with the sun behind my back) Crash ended up in a superior position as it
startedtorain,onceagain.Oneofthebasephotographersjoinedmeaswesatinthecarwiththe"FOLLOW
ME"signthatwasallowedtobeontherunwayandinfield.Wedroveacrosstherunwayandsettledright
acrossfromthetowerinfield.Everythingwasfineexceptforthecoldwind,thatpickedup,andtherain.Be
causeofthewindtheRamexDeltaTacticalDemotookofffromtheoppositesideoftherunway,notfrom
thedirectionthatwasusedonTuesday.Itwasrainingquitehardbynow,andthetakeoffresultedinspec
tacularroostertailsprayeffect!Duetotherain,windshearonthelensesandthedarknessourimageswere
notasgoodasonTuesday.Butitiswhatitis,theweatherwasbeyondanyone'scontrol,andwewereactu
allyquitesurprisedthattheRamexDeltaflewperiod.Webeentomanyairshows,wherethepilotsdidnot
flewinmuchbetterconditions.Assoonastheylanded,theweatherchangedtoonandoffsprinkles.We
drovebacktothetower,metwithCrash,andweweredrivenbacktoHQ,sowecouldtakephotosofthe
pilotsintheirgear;wesucceededinthis.

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Ramex1above,Ramex2below,andintheiraircrafttoo.

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The Aircraft:

2013RicardovonPuttkammer

TheRamexDeltaTacticalDemoTeamfliestheDassaultMirage2000Nwithoutanyspecialpaintschemeson
theiraircraft,astheaircrafttheyflyarecombatreadyaircraft.Fortheirdisplaystheyflywithoutanyarma
mentandwiththeexternaltanksempty.

TheDassaultMirage2000NisavariantoftheMirage2000designedfornuclearstrike.Itisafourthgenera
tionfighter/strikeaircraft.TheMirage2000Disitsconventionalattackcounterpart.Therearesomediffer
encesbetweenthetwotypesofaircraft:TheMirage2000Nisthenuclearstrikevariantwhichwasintended
to carry the Aerospatiale AirSol Moyenne Portee (ASMP) nuclear standoff missile. The strike aircraft had
strengthened wings for lowaltitude operations, as well as lowlevel precision navigation/attack systems,
builtaroundtheDassault/ThalesAntilope5radar,whichwasdesignedforthestrikeroleandfeaturedater
rainavoidancecapability.

TheMirage2000NcarriestwoR550MatraMagicorthetwoMBDAMICAairtoairmissilesforselfdefence
onthetwooutboardunderwingpylons.

TheMirage2000NhasatopspeedofMach2.3+poweredbySNECMAM53P2afterburningturbofanwith
afterburnerof21,400lbfthrust.

AlltheMirage2000Narescheduledtobereplacedby2018withtheRafaleinthenuclearrole.

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At1700wesharedsomebeverages,Crashhadsomejuiceasusual,andsaidourgoodbyes.Weweregiven
headsupinfoofseveralMiragesreturningfromBasearienne115OrangeCaritat,ofwhichwecouldtake
photosnextdayifwegotthereinthemorning,asJonahandGabiwiththeirWSOswouldbeflyingthem
back.Wedid(seepage70).Around1730Jonahjustbeforehehadtoescortusouttothefrontgatesecurity
officetohandinourVisitor'sI.D.cardsinexchangeforourpassports,tookourphotobytheSEPECATJaguar
gateguard. We thanked Jonah for their hospitality and we were off to our hotel. Another successful base
visitwasover.

RamexDeltawillappearatthefollowingpublicairshowsin2013:
26/05atSalondeProvenceAirforceBase:60ansdelaPatrouilledeFrance
1415/06atVlkel:100yearsofRoyalNetherlandAirForce
21/07atleLucenProvence:MeetingdeFrance&FreeFlightWorldMaster
2829/09atCognacAirBase:Meetingdel'Air

ASRMediaLLC,wouldliketothankallthepeopleinvolvedinourvisit,namely:LclD.Marty,Comman
dantdel'EC2/4LaFayette,Jonah,Gabi,PP,Camilleandtherestofthemembersofthe2/4LaFayette
Escadre,whowelcomeduswithsuchfriendliness,andshowedwhatFrenchhospitalityisallabout!

INDEX

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Page 69
Christophe Patenaire, Armedel'Air

WetookhundredsofimageswhileatIstresAB,butnotallofthemrelatedtoourfeaturedvisit,butsome
wereinterestingenoughtoshare.Hereareseveralofthem.

ACanadianCC177heavyhauleronloantoFranceduetotheMaliconflict,from429TransportSquadron,

CFBTrenton.

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2013RicardovonPuttkammer
SeveralBoeingKC135FRoftheGroupederavitaillement2/91Bretagne

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ArealheavyhaulerAntonovAN124100,wasanothersurpriseatIstres.
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BoeingC17GlobemasterIIIfromSq99RAFBrizeNorton,UK,takingoff,above.
Thesameaircrafttaxiingbelowforthetakeoff,withoneoftheRamexDeltasMi
rage2000NwaitingfortheC17totaxiibyafterlandingintherain,below.

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2013RicardovonPuttkammer

SpottingatBasearienne115OrangeCaritatwasquiteinterestingaswecouldsee
MiragesfromtheFIGHTERSQUADRON02005"ILEDEFRANCE"E.C.:Mirage2000Cleft
topandmiddle,Mirage2000Bleftbottom,andourfriendsfrom2/4LaFayetteflying
theiraircraftbacktoIstres.Wecouldevenseethattheyworeourpatchestohonor
us.Whatagreatbunchofguys!

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2013RicardovonPuttkammer

2Mirage2000Nsfrom2/4LaFayetteflyingtheiraircraftbacktoIstres.
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2013RicardovonPuttkammer

Mirage2000ClandingfromE.C.2/5basedatBasearienne115OrangeCaritat.
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Mirage2000CfromE.C.2/5basedatBasearienne115OrangeCaritat,above.
AS555 Fennec 2 Helicopter that flew above us, from the Helicopter Squadron 05067
"Alpilles",basedatOrange,below.

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Since2001BAESystemprovidessixDouglasA4NSkyhawksastargettugsfortheGermanLuftwaffe.TheA
4NsarestationedattheGermanAirbaseWittmund.

TheSkyhawksareoperatedbytheBAEsubsidiaryE.I.S.AircraftGmbHatWittmundAirbase.Thisisalsothe
homebaseofJagddgeschwader71Richthofen(JG71R)withPhantomF4F.
TheSkyhawkA4Nsallhavecivilregistrations:
N431FS(allarewhitewithabluestripe)
N432FS
N434FS
N437FS
N262WL(exIsraelicamouflagepattern)
N268WL(grey).

TheA4NSkyhawksarepartofthecontractwiththeLuftwaffetosupplyvisualtargettrainingfortheF4F
Phantoms,soontoberetired,andEurofighterTyphoonmultirolefighter.

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