Where? Ebenfluh Shooting Range -Switzerland
When? 12-13/10/2005

After walking up on the Axalp in deep snow two years ago and seeing the final presentation of the Mirage III RS up there I promised that this has been my last time. But how have I been wrong… Two summers passed and I was anxious how the Swiss Air Force would have replaced the spectacular reconnaissance approach towards the command post on the Ebenfluh shooting range, so I made my way up again.

This year the whole week of the "Fliegerdemonstration Axalp" was blessed with relatively warm temperatures at 7365 feet and no snow which made walking up the mountains quite easy.
After training sessions of Tigers and Hornets, which were really impressive using their canons, the opening was performed for the first time by the Cougar Solo Demo and started with a surprise: he secretly approached the show area and while pulling up from behind a slop a ful load of 128 flares was released. What a spectacle!! The rest of the show was already presented the years before: rescue demo with an Alouette III, water bombing by two Super Pumas, shooting course flying by Tigers and Hornets, Dogfight Simulation, Hornet Solo Demo and the Patrouille Suisee to conclude the event.
Special for me was the fact that I did manage to see the dogfight with flares this year and the Hornets seemed to have gotten more used to the terrain as their flying become better and better from day to day.
So if you have not been there you might consider going there next October. And if you have already been there, do not try to resist like me, you will go anyway ;)