Continue reading]]>

The Nieuport 23C-1 replica built by Nieuport Memorial Flyers made a successful maiden flight in Grenchen, Switzerland, on 21 September 2020. The aircraft, registered HB-RNA, was flown by Isidor von Arx. It is powered by the rotary engine of a Thulin A (Swedish license-built Blériot XI).

This project was started in the year 2000. Its progress can be followed on the Nieuport Memorial Flyers website. The website is in German but you can access an automatically-translated version of it here.

Congratulation to the Nieuport Memorial Flyers team for this superb work, and h/t to Sébastien for the information.

Continue reading]]>

A preserved Swiss Air Force EKW C-35. (Photo Sandstein – PUBDOM via Wikipedia)

A Hispano-Suiza HS-77 engine (license-built version of the Hispano-Suiza HS 12Ycrs) was recovered from the Zug lake in Switzerland. The engine belonged to an EKW C-35 that crashed in the lake on 19 May 1940, killing its two crewmembers.

The aircraft and its propeller, which was also recovered, will be displayed at the Transportation Museum in Lucerne.

The EKW C-35 was a 1930s twin-seat reconnaissance biplane, of which 90 examples were produced and served in the Swiss Air Force until 1954.

Source: 20 Minutes Suisse | Moteur d’avion remonté à la surface après 80 ans

Continue reading]]>

Daniel Koblet at the controls of the Morane-Saulnier D-3801 (MS.406) HB-RCF at Duxford in 2015 (Photo Alan Wilson (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Swiss pilot and  mechanic Daniel Koblet passed away on 14 January, aged only 60 after a short battle against illness. Koblet was well-known by classic aircraft and warbirds enthusiasts as a pilot and mechanic. He flew the sole surviving Morane-Saulnier MS.406 (actually a Swiss license-built D-3801) at airshows and participated in many aviation-related movies.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of Daniel Koblet.

Sources, photos and biographies (in French)  :

• Daniel Koblet on J-1197.ch
• Hommage à Daniel Koblet on Héritage Avions Morane-Saulnier
• Le dernier envol de Daniel Koblet on Passion pour l’Aviation

Continue reading]]>

JU-AIR’s Junkers Ju52 HB-HOS in 2011 (Photo LFSB Plane Pictures (CC BY-NC-ND-2.0))

JU-AIR has shared the following information regarding the future of its three Junkers Ju 52s:

JU-AIR has initiated the process to overhaul its three JU-52 completely.  The overhaul will be carried out by specialised firms and will last about two years. The airline will take up flight operations again in spring 2021. By then, it will re-organise its maintenance department.

After months of preparation, the major overhaul of JU-AIR’s historical JU-52 has begun. First, digital measurements will be taken of the aircraft and their components so as to obtain three-dimensional, computerised blueprints.

This major project is led by JUNKERS Flugzeugwerke in Dübendorf, Switzerland, who has contracted a number of specialised firms in Switzerland and abroad. The Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) will supervise every step of the process, before, during and after each stage of work. Once the overhaul is completed, the three airplanes will be, technically, as good as new.

As a preventive measure, in light of their age, all of the load-bearing elements of the wings that are relevant to safety will be replaced. Given that no new parts for the eighty-year-old aircraft are available on the market, hundreds of individual components have to be replicated by authorised partners. To do so, the original parts first need to be measured digitally. Next, components such as the wings, tail unit, and steering will be modelled on the computer. The resulting computer-generated data is then used to re-build new parts. By this course of action, some 90% of the elements of the wings will be replaced.

JU-AIR’s Junkers Ju 52 HB-HOY in 2012. (Photo Werner Wittersheim (CC BY-NC 2.0))

The wings will be overhauled in Malters, Switzerland, while the fuselage, tail unit, landing gear, steering as well as all the other systems will be overhauled in Dübendorf, Switzerland. Here too, the overhaul will be carried out by experts from certified specialised companies.

The Federal Office of Civil Aviation FOCA will closely monitor the project. Each step of the process will be laid out in detail in advance. The FOCA then reviews it and once approved, it is carried out. The FOCA can then verify that the work has been carried out correctly.

Retirement of the BMW engines

The engines of the three aircraft will be replaced. Spare parts are no longer available for the BMW «type 132» radial engines that have been deployed to date – BMW stopped their production in 1944. The costs, if these engines were kept in the long run, would only increase year on year.

JU-AIR has therefore decided to replace these engines with «Wasp» radial engines of the type R-1340 by Pratt & Whitney. Although these «Wasp» radial engines are no longer built either, they were produced in such large numbers that they are still widely available around the world.

Engines that have been completely overhauled and spare parts that are like new are readily available. JU-52 are no strangers to Pratt & Whitney engines:  some airplanes were fitted with these engines upon their first delivery.

The first of the three aircraft to undergo a complete overhaul will be HB-HOS. She had been delivered, brand new, to the Swiss Airforce in the late summer of 1939, where she served until 1981. She came into service at JU-Air in 1983 and has since been part of JU-AIR’s active fleet. The complete overhaul on the other two planes will begin at a later stage. The exact timing depends, among other factors, on how fast work progresses on the first aircraft.

The aircraft with registration HB-HOS is due to resume flight operation in spring 2021. In view of the reopening of flight operations, maintenance of aircraft and engines will be re-organised. Assessments are currently underway. JU-AIR has also brought in outside experts to advise, and the Federal Office for Civil Aviation will act as a supervising body on this matter too.

JU-AIR’s Junkers Ju 52 HB-HOP in 2005. (Photo Kambu -(CC BY-2.0))-

JU-AIR will provide regular updates on the progress of the work on their website and Facebook. Moreover, guided visits are available at the Aircraft Museum in Dübendorf to view the overhaul operation on the fuselage. Details will follow.

JU-AIR media relations
Christian Gartmann
Communications & media representative
+41 79 355 78 78
christian@gartmann.biz
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/airforcecenter

Source: JU-AIR

Continue reading]]> The Swiss federal civilian aviation office (Office fédéral de l’aviation civile, OFAC) has temporarily grounded the two Junkers Ju 52 used by Ju-Air, based in Dübendorf. The examination of the wreck of the aircraft that crashed on August 4, killing all 20 on board, has revealed structural damage to the wing spars.

This type of damage can not be detected during routine maintenance and, at this stage of the investigation, no link has been made between such structural damage and the accident. This temporary grounding is a precautionary measure while waiting for the investigation to provide answers as to the causes of the accident.

More information on this topic can be found on ARC info (in French).

Continue reading]]>

The Junkers Ju 52 HB-HOT in 2017. (Photo Lutz Blohm (CC BY-SA 2.0))

The Junkers Ju 52/3m registered HB-HOT and operated by Ju-Air crashed this afternoon shortly before 5:00 PM on the Piz Segnas, a mountain in the Glarus Alps in Switzerland. There is very little information about this tragic incident and no reports on the number of victims is available at this time.

Ju-Air operates three Ju 52 and announced the accident on its website:

We have the sad duty to announce that one of our Ju-52 aircraft had a accident
today. At the moment, no further information is available.

[Update on 8 August 2018 @ 11:30 CET] : New info has emerged and indicates that 20 people were killed in the crash : 17 passengers, the two pilots and an accompanying person.

Our thoughts and prayers go to the family and friends of the victims.

Sources:

• 20 Minutes
• Aviation Herald
• 20 Minuten

Continue reading]]>

A Junkers F13 at the Deutsches Museum (Photo Nuno Cardoso (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

“Ninety-nine years after the first flight of the Junkers F13, Rimowa, the German luggage manufacturer responsible for ressurecting the type, has announced that its replica was certified by Swii aviation authorities on 28 March 2018.A small production run is being considered.” (Source: Aerobuzz)

The first replica aircraft made its maiden flight on 15 September 2016. Some concessions were made to modernity and safety, as the aircraft is powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 «Wasp Junior», hydraulic shock absorbers and brakes as well as a tail wheel rather than the skid of the original aircraft.

More details and photos can be found on Aerobuzz (in French).

Continue reading]]>

C-121C Super Constellation HB-RSC. (Photo Aldo Bidini (GNU FDL))

There is an end to even the best things. The 14-year-old partnership between the Super Constellation Flyers Association which flies the C-121C Super Constellation HB-RSC and the Swiss watchmaker Breitling is reportedly coming to an end.

Breitling, whose name is strongly associated to aviation, has been a generous donator to many classic aviation projects for years. Breitling was acquired by the British equity firm CVC Capital Partners earlier this year, and seems to be reducing its support for such projects.

Nevertheless, it was Breitling long-standing support that made it possible for the 3,500 members of the association to acquire, restore and fly the Super Constellation, one of only two airworthy examples in the world.

The association is now looking for new sponsors and ways to continue its operations, and the aircraft should keep flying and offering paid rides in the near future. We hope they will succeed in finding new sponsors and keep this extraordinary aircraft flying.

Source: Tribune de Genève

Continue reading]]>

A Swiss F-5 Tiger. (Photo Peter Gronemann (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The Swiss association Espace Passion operates a Hawker Hunter and a Mirage III out of Payerne airbase in Switzerland. As the Hunter’s jet engine is nearing the end of its operational life, it will be grounded next year as the association does not have the budget to restore it.

A replacement is already being sought, and the F-5 Tiger has come up as a likely candidate. The Swiss air force has been a major partner for Espace Passion and will be retiring its F-5 Tigers in the years to come.

Source