American Eagle flies in Swiss sky

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Robert Zoellner
  • 33rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
PAYERNE AIR BASE, Switzerland (AFPN) --  The F-15 Eagle West Coast Demonstration Team from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., thrilled nearly 400,000 people at the Air 04 air show here Sept. 4 and 5.

This is the first time in more than 12 years there has been an air show in Switzerland, and air show officials said this is the first time an F-15 has performed at any show.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Tech. Sgt. Richard Mailman, demo team air show team chief. “I wish everyone in the military could see how much (the U.S. military) is appreciated here.”

The team arrived Aug. 30 and borrowed two F-15s on Sept. 2 from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England.

Capt. Joel Hemphill, demo team pilot, said once he and his wingman, Capt. Taylor Ferrell, entered Swiss air space, they were greeted by two Swiss F-18 Hornets, the backbone of the Swiss air force. The Hornet pilots welcomed the Eagle pilots to their country and then requested to move their F-18s into position next to the Eagles and take photos.

Both pilots landed and taxied their aircraft to designated parking spots on the airfield. Just one parking spot down from where the Eagles sat was Europe’s newest addition, the EF-2000 Typhoon Eurofighter. The pilot of the aircraft complimented Captain Hemphill on a “brilliant performance.”

“That was nice, especially coming from the Eurofighter pilot,” Captain Hemphill said.

The demo team currently performs one overseas air show per year. In 2003, the team went to Russia which marked the first time an F-15 performed a demonstration in Russian air space.

Performing in an overseas show has its challenges, said Staff Sgt. Adam Goolsby, demo team member. Just being able to communicate effectively is one of the obstacles the team often has to overcome, he said. Switzerland, a small country bordered by many others, has no set language spoken there, and dialects change from region to region; however, the language barrier has not been much of a problem in Switzerland, Sergeant Goolsby said.

“English has become a very international language,” Sergeant Goolsby said. “The people we met were so accepting and accommodating with the English language.”

Staff Sgt. Jeffery Cody, demo team member, said this has been a great experience for him.

“This is the biggest air show I have ever seen,” he said. “The (F-15) performed great with no problems. I think the audience got a great show.”