Payerne Airport is a

military airfield An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

of the Swiss Air Force north of Payerne in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, located approximately halfway between

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

and

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

History

In 2004 the International Air Show Air04 was held at Payerne. On 8 July 2010, Payerne Air Base was the location from which the long-range

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

solar-powered aircraft An electric aircraft is an aircraft powered by electricity. Electric aircraft are seen as a way to reduce the environmental effects of aviation, providing zero emissions and quieter flights. Electricity may be supplied by a variety of methods ...

Solar Impulse 1 achieved the world's first manned 26-hour solar-powered flight. Payerne also became the home base for the successor

Solar Impulse 2 Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft project, and also the name of the project's two operational aircraft. The privately financed project is led by Swiss engineer and businessman André Borschberg and Swiss p ...

(HB-SIB) aircraft, with the aircraft's first flight made from Payerne on 2 June 2014. From 30 August 2014 to 7 September 2014 the International Airshow Air14 took place at Payerne AFB.

Today

Payerne AB is the home of the

F/A-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...

squadrons

Fliegerstaffel 17 Fliegerstaffel 17 (No. 17 Squadron) "Falcons" of the Swiss Air Force is a Berufsfliegerkorps squadron of professional pilots flying McDonnell Douglas F/A-18. Together with Fliegerstaffel 6 it forms ''Fliegergeschwader 11''. The home base of the sq ...

''Falcons'' and

Fliegerstaffel 18 Fliegerstaffel 18 (18 Squadron) «Panthers» of the Swiss Air Force is a Berufsfliegerkorps squadron equipped with McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 and forms ''Fliegergeschwader 14'' together with Fliegerstaffel 19. The home base of the Fliegerstaffel ...

''Panthers'', the militia

F-5E Tiger II The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models, the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants and the ...

squadron

Fliegerstaffel 6 The Fliegerstaffel 6 (Fightersquadron 6) of the Swiss Air Force is a militia squadron equipped with Northrop F-5E and is together with the Fliegerstaffel 18 part of the Fliegergeschwader 14. The home base of the Fliegerstaffel 6 is Payerne Ai ...

''Ducks'' and of the transport squadron Lufttransportstaffel 1. Every aircraft type of the Swiss Air Force can be seen operating from Payerne. It is home to the air investigation division of the

Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB, german: Schweizerische Sicherheitsuntersuchungsstelle; french: Service suisse d'enquête de securité; it, Servizio d'inchiesta svizzero sulla sicurezza) is a government agency of Swit ...

(Schweizerische Unfall Untersuchungs Stelle). Previously this was the head office of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, before its 2011 merger into the SAIB. Payerne operates also as alternate airport for Bern-Belp airport for foreign government flights. Located on Payerne AB is also the Military Aviation Museum, Clin d'Ailes. Air Traffic Control is provided by the military branch of

Skyguide Skyguide (Swiss Air Navigation Services Ltd.) is an air navigation service provider which manages and monitors Swiss airspace. The company, which was formerly known as Swisscontrol, changed its name to skyguide (officially written lower-case) i ...

, Skyguide National. Payerne is responsible for the education of ground crews (e.g., aircraft mechanic, airport fire fighter) of the Swiss Air Force. Therefore, Payerne is also the main base of the

F/A-18C Mock-up The Hugo Wolf F/A-18C simulator (official designation: ''Mobile Training Installation Ground Operations'') is a realistic non-flying replica of a McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, used as an interactive training simulator for operational ground st ...

X-5098. The F/A-18 flight simulators are also located in Payerne. The

A1 motorway (Switzerland) The A1 is a motorway in Switzerland. It follows Switzerland's main east–west axis, from St. Margrethen in northeastern Switzerland's canton of St. Gallen through to Geneva in southwestern Switzerland. The motorway spans 383 km (240 ...

is connected via a taxiway at the hangar 5 with the airfield and can, if necessary, be used as runway for take off - and landing. However, this possibility has never been exploited since the construction of the highway.Book Uno Zero Zero Seite 230 The air base is, at both end of the runway, equipped with retractable

arresting gear An arresting gear, or arrestor gear, is a mechanical system used to rapidly decelerate an aircraft as it lands. Arresting gear on aircraft carriers is an essential component of naval aviation, and it is most commonly used on CATOBAR and STOBA ...

devices (used by the F/A-18 and in case of a problem by the F-5). Payerne AB is home of the

Quick Reaction Alert Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) is state of readiness and '' modus operandi'' of air defence maintained at all hours of the day by NATO air forces. The United States usually refers to Quick Reaction Alert as 'Airspace Control Alert'. Some non-NATO c ...

/ air policing activities of the Swiss Air Force. Inaugurated in 2019 at Payerne Airport, the company Speedwings Business SA provides VIP handling services for Business Aviation flights for which there is a dedicated apron. Speedwings Business SA runs handling facilities including 6'600 sqm of heated hangars. Within 3 years after opening, more than 190 business jets operators already flew in, reaching Payerne Airport non stop with 350+ cities in 57 countries on 4 continents. The Aviatic Museum Clin d'Ailes offers private flights with the

Hawker Hunter The Hawker Hunter is a transonic British jet-powered fighter aircraft that was developed by Hawker Aircraft for the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It was designed to take advantage of the newly developed Rolls-R ...

trainer J-4203 HB-RVW and the

Dassault Mirage III The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach number, Mach 2 ...

DS J-2012 HB-RDF from Payerne.

References

External links

Base aérienne Payerne (Official website of the Swiss Air Force)Clin d'Ailes - Musee de l'aviation militaire de Payerne
{{authority control Airports in Switzerland Payerne Buildings and structures in the canton of Vaud Transport in the canton of Vaud Military airbases in Switzerland

History

Today

See also

References

External links