Special Edition - CAF Swiss Wing

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COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE / Swiss Wing
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Volume 12, No. 47
CAF Swiss Wing Newsletter
December 2007
CAF Swiss Wing in Midland, Texas
Thursday evening, September 27
the CAF Swiss Wing group visiting
the Airsho 2007 was assembled at
the Hampton Inn in Midland. The
members arrived from all directions:
from Zuerich, from California, from
Florida and New York. Only Henry
Saladin was missing, he had to cancel
at short notice.
First of all a good Texas steak dinner
was enjoyed by all after the rather
bland food with frozen white wine
and chunks of ice in the beer cans served by Amercan Airline. The Hampton Inn conveniently located at the
N-250 ring road away from the noisy
rail road was appreciated by all. Several restaurants, and a supermarket are
in walking distance.
Friday morning our bus showed up
(for Swiss standards huge and under
cooled) and we were on our way. A
first glimpse from the highway showed a rather empty tarmac as many
Table of Contens
Aus dem Vorstand
Forte Mondascia
Barbecue Reichenbach
Convoi to Remember
Dittingen 2007
Biel FLY-IN
Im Visier
Stinsy
News / Veranstaltungen
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 11
Page 12
The B-29 FiFi still waiting for an engine
aircraft had not yet arrived. Our first
stop was the gift shop, the main hangar and the museum. For some of our
group it was the first time at Midland.
Our reporter Roger got himself organized with a flight for air to air photography and I looked for an opportunity to fly in a war bird. In the main
hangar under the wing of FiFi I met
David Anderson of the Highland Lakes Squadron and booked some «stick
time» in the SNJ-4 Texan for the next
morning.
Friday was a «Special Show for Special
People». A great many handicapped
people had been invited to spend the
day at the CAF home base. The effort
of the many volunteers and helpers
was overwhelming and made a great impression on all of us. It gave the
under privileged a great day while the
pilots had an opportunity to practice
for the real show.
Know to use this
English version
1st: Go to the German part of the
homepage and print out the German Version of the Contact
2nd: Follow the pages and read the
German/English title
3rd: Not all Pictures legends and
articles are translated in full length
4th: Have fun and enjoy the Contact
Col Werner Meier
Col Jost Schneeberger
CAF Swiss Wing
The Saturday and Sunday shows were
pretty much the same and commenting on each would take us too far. The
mornings were filled with ceremonies,
practice flights, pax flights with war
birds and commentaries.
At 1200 hours the national anthem
and F-16 fly past would then open the
show. The most impressing was the
re-enactment of Tora-Tora the Extra
300L aerobatic demo and of course
the rescue of a downed airman in Vietnam style.
Details of the airshow program see on the
German version of the Contact.
For our CAF Swiss team it was again a
great experience to visit Midland and
to witness the tremendous support
and voluntary effort by so many to
keep alive the remembrance of those
who sacrificed so much for freedom
and to preserve the aircraft they flew.
Col Jost Schneeberger
«Special Show for Special People»
The Pearl Harbor re-enactment
Peter Winkler and Thomas Lutz
B-25 flight lining up ...
December 2007
Page 2
CAF Swiss Wing
December 2007
Page 3
Aus dem Vorstand
Liebe Mitglieder
Finally all present at the VIP tent
Fire wall with active help by Anna Regula
Anna Regula with Swiss Flag
Bombers ready for launch...
F-18 burning the runway...?
Angetan von den Filmen über die
Bomberlandungen in Dübendorf
gegen Ende des Krieges und der dramatischen Rettungsaktion für die
auf dem Gauli-Gletscher verunfallte
DC-3 unmittelbar nach dem Krieg,
hat uns George Lodge anlässlich seines diesjährigen Besuches an unsere
GV eingeladen, doch ein CAF Swiss
Wing Diorama für Midland zu bauen. Darzustellen wäre ein WW IIFeldflugplatz und integriert werden
sollte ein Bildschirm, um Filme wie
die genannten abrufen zu können.
Zeithorizont: September 2007.
Also haben wir mal kurz leer geschluckt, mal grob gehirnt und
dann das ganze Vorhaben an Henry
Saladin als Projektleiter übergeben.
In kürzester Zeit stand ein Grobkonzept und war die Frage der Aufführungsrechte der Filme im positiven Sinne geklärt. Walter Lack und
Ernst Girsberger konnten somit bald
einmal mit dem Bau des Unterstandes des Feldflugplatzes beginnen.
Da die gewünschten Me-109 im
richtigen Massstab nicht verfügbar
waren, hat Walter gleich eine Kleinserie hinreissend schöner Modelle
im Massstab 1:100 gefertigt.
Da die Vitrine nicht im Museum
in Midland, sondern im erst im
Januar fertigen neuen CAF-Center
aufzustellen sein wird, bleibt uns
nun doch noch etwas Zeit für den
Feinschliff.
Euch allen wünsche ich schöne
Festtage und alles Gute, Gesundheit
und Zufriedenheit im kommenden
Jahr.
Euer Präsi
Thomas Lutz
CAF Swiss Wing
report
FORTE
MONDASCIA
della linea di difesa LONA BIASCA.
2° RADUNO INTERNAZIONALE
GRUPPI STORICI 2007.
The defence line LONA BIASCA,
second international meeting of historical groups 2007.
On Saturday September 1st 2007 at
1100 hours twenty two participants
met at the Biasca station. We were
expected by Manuela and Christian
Gloor who escorted us to the fortress
Mondascia. In a large tent we were welcomed by Andrea Fenni and Osvaldo
Grossi who briefed us on the history
of this fortress which has been turned
into a military museum.
Not many people realize that after the
end of the cold war about 13’000 military defence installations were declared
surplus. Until the nineties only Vallorbe and Reuenthal were opened to the
public. The fortress Mondascia is one
of the objects which was listed for sale,
December 2007
Page 4
dismantling or
conservation as
a museum.
Why a fortress
at Mondascia
one may ask?
The valley of the
Ticino could easily be defended
in the thirties
of the last century. However
the passes of San
Jorio and Monte Ceneri were
potential invasion routes and
Andrea Fenni briefing the visitors...
the Magadino plain was considered a
potential landing area for paratroopers fect condition. The weapons displayed
which in those days had gained in im- represent collections from earlier wars
until the very latest equipment. In this
portance.
area pictures were not allowed. After
The LONA fortress was the answer to this visit of the installation we were ofthis threat. It established a barrier and fered an excellent meal in the military
a base from which to counter attack a barracks.
possible advance of the enemy beyond
Bellinzona. A river crossing always pre- On this second international meeting
sents a problem and in addition a line of historical groups several foreign
of inverted «V» shaped concrete blocks guests were invited. Among others:
were strung across the narrowest part The «Normandie 44» re-enactors in
of the valley near Lodrino and Osogna English and German uniforms, the reintended to stop or at least slow down enactors of the «American Civil War»
armoured troops. This area would and of the «Napoleonic Wars». Quite
then come under intense crossfire a number of military vehicles were
also on display. The organizers had
from some 23 bunkers.
expected more participants, however
After this interesting briefing we ente- the inclement weather in the North
red the narrow subterranean network may have kept others at home. For the
of the bunker. The average temperatu- CAF Swiss Wing participants it was a
re remains a steady 20°C with a hu- day well spent and an opportunity for
midity of 50%. The complete arsenal some to stay on for the weekend.
which was present in 1945 at the end
of WWII was left in place. It consists Col Herbert Schilling
of 45 machine guns, two 24 mm tank
guns, six anti tank canons of 4.7 cm
and four of 7.5 cm which covered the
defence line with its barricades, obstructions, nets and barbed wire. The
More pictures on page 8
command post, the crew quarters, the
wash rooms and galleys are still in per-
CAF Swiss Wing
December 2007
report
CAF-Barbecue
Reichenbach
The traditional Reichenbach Barbeque
took place for the seventh time on July
22nd. 2007. After an early morning
down pour the sky cleared somewhat
for a safe landing of our Stinsy piloted
by Col Werni Meier. Unfortunately
the AC-4 usually present at this flyin remained in its hangar awaiting a
new connecting rod. Our Stinson was
the only war bird present and offered
flights in the region of lake Thun.
In between the Swiss Jet Scale Team
presented their new models. They had
just won the silver medal at the world
championship in Ireland. Evi and
Edgar Bruhin showed off their models
in sensational evolutions. Beat Gohl
and a friend demonstrated a formation
flight with their Jet models resembling
the F-5 Tiger and smoking like real
jets!
As usual it was a pleasant day with
good food, good fellowship and several aviation highlights. Let’s hope the
attendance next year will better.
Col Fredi Lienhard
René Stalder welcomes the party
Our Stinson L-5 «N121MC»
Swiss Jet Scale Team showing off
Page 5
CAF Swiss Wing
December 2007
CONVOY to REMEMBER
(wMe) Over 500 old timer vehicles, 1’500 members and
some 20’000 spectators gathered to witness the «4. Convoy
to Remember» from August 10 to 12, 2007 at Birmensdorf in Aargau.
One of the many attractions was the dropping of Paratroopers in the original outfits of the Normandie invasion force.
Our Stinson flown by Col Werner Meier demonstrated the
manoeuvrability of the L-5 on the advance recce flight. Also
present at the occasion were vehicles from the US-Willys
Jeep to the famous Soviet T-55 tank.
Paratroopers in action , Stinson shows its maneuverability and Tank and crew spotted
Dittingen 2007
(wMe) The traditional Dittingen Fly-In on August 25/26 drew a record crowd
due to the fine weather. Soon the tickets were sold out and bread became short.
However the organization soon had everything under control.
The Dittingen airfield dates back to 1933. At that time the glider club of Zwingen operated from a small strip on a hill between Zwingen and Brislach. The
construction of a high tension line along this strip however made further use
impossible. A new location on a field above the village was considered a suitable
alternative but the project was not welcome by all. The vote in the community
was won by a narrow margin: 24 No versus 25 YES. The airfield was inaugurated
in1957.
Page 6
CAF Swiss Wing
Three Generations of Airplane...
STINSY AM BIELER «FLY-IN»
On August 18, 2007 I had the pleasure to present our
Stinson in Biel. As Passenger I had Wilfred Hirt president
of the Aeroclub Seeland on board. We took of from Birrfeld
and on a northerly route enjoyed the morning calm over
the Jura mountains. Patches of fog still lay in the valleys in
colourful contrast to the green pastures. Real Pilots fly TailDraggers and at Biel where many tail draggers are at home
a clean three-point landing is a must.
The Seeland Club which is owner of the airfield operates
two Piper Archers, one Turbo-Arrow and two Tecnam VLA
(Very Light Aircraft) powered by 100hp Rotax engines.
Hangar space is preferably available for old timers. Two
L-4s, a Casa Bücker a Smaragd and a Stearman are based
here.
Quite a number of old-timers and Ecolights were already
assembled at Biel and several demo flights were scheduled.
The scale models put on a good show, the Swiss-Boogie
offered tandem Jumps and several passengers took rides in
our Stinson. As quite a number of flying events took place
over the week end several larger aircraft passed overhead. A
Ju-52 circled twice.
December 2007
Page 7
CAF Swiss Wing
December 2007
Page 8
On our return flight east we followed the meandering Aare
river which would take us past the atomic power plant as
landmark and soon we touched down again at Birrfeld.
Col Jost Schneeberger
Forte Mondascia / more pictures
CAF Swiss Wing
report
IM VISIER
Anybody who has ever been involved in target practice understands
the problems of aiming at a moving
object. It is a complex subject but
nevertheless we shall try to present
some aspects of target acquisition.
Let us begin with the bow and arrow,
one of the oldest weapons which may
have been in use since 30’000 years bc.
No gun sights existed in those days:
human instinct and practice had to
do. It was based on a unconscious coordination of eye and hand. The eye
sees and the brain steers the arm and
hand into the right position.
In our daily life there are numerous activities which follow this pattern. Pointing a finger at an object, hitting a nail
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Dezember 2007
Seite 9
with a hammer or slamming a tennis
ball in a serve. The mastering of this
ability requires frequent and repetitive
training. This unconscious aiming and
shooting has adequately served mankind for until recent times. Think of
galloping Samurais with bow and arrow or Indians hunting buffaloes.
With the advent of arms with greater
range the need for a sighting device became apparent. With a notch and foresight affixed to the weapon to provide
a sighting line from the eye over these
two points to the target permitted the
gunner to keep the target centered. The
ballistic trajectory of the projectile and
the line of sight of course must cross at
the target. To achieve this it is necessary to understand the ballistic property
and to know the distance. The latter
can be estimated or determined from
a map and of course very accurately by
laser technology.
However if the target is moving it will
become considerably more difficult to
score. (In our Contact issue No. 39,
41 and 42 we covered the target acquisition of anti aircraft guns) If the
weapon itself is also in motion the task
becomes even more difficult. Watching movies of naval battles in the
two world wars it is surprising that so
many hits were scored with ships underway in stormy seas.
The arming of aircraft began during
the first world war. It started with
revolvers and rifles but soon fixed
machine guns were installed longitu-
Samurai Archer
dinally or movable if a gunner was carried. Special aiming sights were developed as estimating the position of the
moving target when the own aircraft
was moving as well became almost impossible. One attempt was the tubular
sight with magnifier but this did not
really satisfy the problem with fast moving targets.
A significant improvement was the
REVI or «Reflex-Visier» The crosshair sight is projected on to a semitransparent mirror thru which the
target acquisition becomes easier with
the much wider optical field available.
Around the cross-hair lines of the sight
a circle is projected which corresponds
to 10 meters at a distance of 100 meters. An aircraft with a span of 10
meters fitting inside this circle would
therefore be at a range of 100 meters.
CAF Swiss Wing
December 2007
In the German air gunnery training
getting the enemy inside this sight was
considered a hit.
In the next issue of contact we shall
elaborate on the distance measuring
properties of the REVI.
Col Werner Meier
C-35 with sighting tube
The sea battle by Goya
Distance 100 meters
Page 10
CAF Swiss Wing
December 2007
Page 11
Hello Cols and Friends
MISSING MAN FORMATION und eine Lady als missing man. Eine seltsame und
traurige Geschichte. Aber alles mal schön der Reihe nach.
Im Mai 2006 erzählte ich Euch von meinen verzweifelt verbissenen Bemühungen, auch
äusserlich mit meinen neuen Nachbarn rund um mein Birrfelder Condo mithalten zu
können. Dieses blutjunge Teeny von gegenüber nagte damals arg an meinem Selbstbewusstsein. Diese Miss «Express 2000 ER mit ihrem Sugar Daddy und Mäzen, diesem
ex MD-11 Kapitän mit seinen tollkühnen Duplo-von Pol zu Pol - Flugplänen» schrieb ich damals. Nun sind sie beide
nicht mehr. Und ich bin traurig. Längst hatte ich Expresslys Freund kennen und schätzen gelernt als einen stets liebenswürdigen, freundlich charmanten und überaus zielstrebigen Mann, dessen Träume wohl jedem Durchschnittsbürger das
Blut in den Adern stocken liess. Sein Lebensmotto lautete bis zuletzt: LEBE DEINEN TRAUM ! Er lebte ihn mit Leib
und Seele – aber er überlebte ihn nicht. Was dein Leib, dein Körper nicht zu schaffen vermochte, möge deine Seele erlangen, jene fernen Ziele am Ende deines grossen Traumes, das wünschen wir dir, lieber Hans Georg Schmid !
Was nähme ich doch meine alten neidvollen Wallungen beim Anblick der knackig straffen Miss Express in Kauf, wenn
ich ihr bloss noch einmal von meinem Looping, meiner Hechtrolle über mehr als einem Dutzend Hundert Stahlkarossen
erzählen dürfte. Hey, Express Girl! Luftaufklärung, wie in alten Zeiten sind wir
geflogen, Col Meier und ich, Stechflüge nach links und rechts. Rauchend über
die johlende Menge dieser Oldtimer-Military-Fans gebrettert sind wir, als läge
unter uns ein blutgetränktes Schlachtfeld.
GONE WEST
Ich weiss, du hättest einmal mehr mit den Schultern gezuckt, deine fein gezupften Augenbrauen hochgezogen und milde gelächelt: Aber es war einfach köstlich, diese Zufikoner Youngsters zu beobachten, wie sie sich mit Huronengebrüll
von «geil!» über «mega!» bis hin zu «super cool» und «voll krass» über die Zeltli
hermachten, die ich buchstäblich vom Himmel fallen liess. Seither schmücke
ich mich mit den selben Initialen wie selbige ältere Filmdiva drüben in Sarkosys
Landen: B.B.! Bonbon-Bomber.
Mein alle Jahre wiederkehrender Reichenbach-Trip hätte dir bloss ein verhaltenes Gähnen entlockt. Dennoch: Ich war die einzige alte Dame sur place, konkurrenzlos. Mein geliebtes Schwesterchen, the other Miss Stinson, diejenige mit
den gewagten knallig roten Bändern um die Taille war einmal mehr unpässlich.
Kraft-saft-und antriebslos drückt sie in ihrem Kämmerchen die Rädchen in den
Rumpf. Was nützen ihr da die aufreizenden roten Strapse, wenn sie niemand zu
Gesicht bekommt ?
Last but not least, ein Flug der besonderen Art, so würdig wie traurig. «Missing
Man Formation» und ich, Lady Stinson war der Missing Man. Col Werner
Meier und ich flogen zu Ehren deines mit dir verstorbenen Erschaffers und wer
hätte dies je geahnt, ich auch ein klein wenig für dich. Abseits der Formation,
losgelöst, eine unschliessbare Lücke schaffend, so flogen wir, während unter uns
unzählige Menschen um einen Mann trauerten, dessen Lebenstraum zum Alptraum wurde. Nicht nur für ihn, sondern noch viel mehr für all die Menschen
um ihn herum. Sie wollen wir genauso wenig vergessen wie Hans Georg.
So zünden wir in der kommenden Weihnachtszeit ein Kerzlein mehr an, nicht
wahr, liebe Freunde.
Mit vorweihnächtlichen Grüssen
Eure Stinsy
It is with great sadness that we
report the untimely passing
away of our dear friend and
member.
Hans Georg Schmid
took off on 23 June 2007 with
his Express 2000ER on a record
flight to Wisconsin (USA). He
intended to cover the 8’000
kilometer flight non-stop in
memory of the first non-stop
transatlantic flight by Charles A.
Lindbergh in 1927.
At 11.24 hours fate took its
course. Hans Georg would not
be able to live his dream. We
shall miss Hans Georg Schmid,
a passionate aviator and a good
friend.
The CAF Board.
CAF Swiss Wing
news
Intentionally left blank
2008
December 2007
Page 12
Veranstaltungen / Reisen
15. März
12.-13. Juli
20. Juli
21.-24. August
22.-23. August
3.-5. Oktober
22. November
Generalversammlung
Duxford Airshow
BBQ in Biel
Bodensee Airshow
Oldtimer Flugtage Kestenholz
CAF Airshow Midland
Jahresend-Anlass
CAF SW
CAF SW
CAF SW
Flight OPS
Flight OPS
CAF SW
CAF SW
Dämmerungs- und Nachtflüge
Jeweils am Mittwoch bleibt der Flugplatz Grenchen für Nachtflüge offen.
Schon ab 16.00 Uhr beginnt die Dämmerung und der Flugplatz bleibt bis
20.00 Uhr offen. Die CAF Flight Ops
nimmt diese Gelegenheit wahr, und
wird an bestimmten Daten Dämmerungs- und Nachtflüge durchführen.
Die Mitglieder des Swiss Wing erhalten somit die Gelegenheit, mit unserer
«Stinsy» die Gegend von Grenchen
und Bern bei Nacht zu erleben. Wir
können Ihnen versichern: bei Nacht
sieht die Welt nochmals anders aus.
Nutzen Sie diese Gelegenheit, genehmigen Sie sich dieses einmalige (darf
auch mehrmals sein) Erlebnis und
schenken Sie sich diesen Flug. Ein exklusives Angebot für unsere Mitglieder
Anmeldung bei Henry Saladin
Mitfliegen in unserem Warbird «Stinsy»
Koordinator:
Henry Saladin 044 853 0533
Piloten:
Roger Burri 056 667 3843
Werner Meier 056 633 6181
Jost Schneeberger 031 911 8177
Max Schönenberger 044 858 2051
CAF Swiss Wing
www.caf-swisswing.ch
Präsident: CAF Col Thomas Lutz
Brunnenwies 53, 8132 Egg
Editor:
CAF Col Werner Meier
Itenhard 47, 5620 Bremgarten
CAF Swiss Wing - Shop
S
tinsy-Wein Rotwein , Cabernet Sauvignon, California
Weisswein, Chardonnay , France
Geniessen Sie diesen Stinsy-Wein an einem lauen Sommerabend
und denken Sie daran: Mit jedem Schluck unterstützen sie den
CAF Swiss Wing. Info über den Wein und Bestellformulare finden sie auf unserer Homepage oder rufen Sie mich einfach an.
Diese 0.5 Liter Flasche eignet sich auch sehr gut als Geschenk für
Flieger-Fans. Minimum-Bestellung 6 Flaschen.
Werner Meier, Itenhard 47, 5620 Bremgarten
[email protected]
Viele weitere Artikel finden Sie auf unserer Homepage: www.caf-swisswing.ch
www.fliegerbuecher.ch
«Contact» ist das Publikationsorgan des Swiss Wing der CAF
in Midland TX, USA
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