From the Patrouille Suisse to Model Aircraft Flying

This time, one person didn’t take the usual path—but the opposite one. It’s worth noting that 20% of our model flying club completed basic flight training in Payerne, so we’ve always had a close connection to military aviation—whether with the Alouette 3, Super Puma/Cougar, EC 635, or Pilatus Porter. Some were also assigned to heavy aircraft such as the Venom, Hunter, Mirage, Tiger, or F/A-18. Army leadership apparently realized that assigning model aviators to the Air Corps ensures highly motivated soldiers.

So we were quite surprised when, three years ago, a certain Claudius Meier applied to join us; his admission to the Riggisberg Model Flying Club was, of course, merely a formality. At the time, he was flying the PC-7/21 and had already begun flying the F/A-18 as well. A little over a year later, in the spring of 2018, Claudius—call sign “Mac”—was accepted into the Patrouille Suisse; from that moment on, he was Wingman 2. Half of our club was there for the opening ceremony in Emmen. We watched the F5—front right—with eagle eyes, noting every tiny wobble or intentional wobble. As expected, Mac did a great job.

As a boy, Mac didn’t really have a dream of flying; no, he wanted to be a carpenter or a judge—and if that didn’t work out, well, a Federal Councilor. Maybe a visit to aviation legend Paul Böhlen’s workshop, but that was about it. He also attended the legendary helicopter meet as a spectator to check it out—slowly but surely, flying started to interest him after all. Before starting high school, he went to see a career counselor, and suddenly the career of an airline pilot came up as a possibility. He scoured the internet for options and found SPHAIR. This was followed by powered-flight courses in a Bravo (AS-202) at Belpmoos. While preparing for his high school diploma, he went through various selection processes, including on the PC-7 simulator.

Mac also did his military service during that time… Believe it or not, Mac was a second lieutenant in the armored forces in Thun. Pilot recruit schools had long since ceased to exist by then. Yes, yes, times have changed here, too. By the way, his chief flight instructor in Emmen is also an avid model aircraft enthusiast, so Mac gradually got hooked as well.

Whenever he had vacation or free time, he’d try out a model helicopter, practicing on a simulator—just as many people do today. He also tried his hand at flying an electric jet with an impeller. But here’s the interesting part: he even went so far as to build an airplane himself. Mac found a store that still had a Charter kit in stock. He got right to work on it, figuring out how it was all done. He overcame one hurdle after another, and the wings were covered without any major warping. He didn’t need our help with that; it wasn’t until he had questions about the motorization and the propeller that he reached out to us. The Charter was test-flown, and you could tell Mac was already a little proud. Mind you, at the time he was already flying an F/A-18 over our heads. Just a little side note. One Saturday at the airfield—it got a little out of hand—Mac was in the air with a Panther electric propeller plane, and I was flying an SR-71; the planes met up, and we cleared the airspace...

Now back to the big planes. Mac completed the selection process for the PC-7 and then the PC-21 in Ticino, while also pursuing his commercial pilot’s license. Mac said the step from the PC-7 to the PC-21 was bigger than the subsequent step to the F/A-18. At the end of this training came his certification and assignment to Flight Squadron 18 in Payerne.

Of course, we celebrated this in style at our airfield. You can see just how well the PC-21 is designed here. On the F/A-18 two-seater, you complete four flights, then you take to the skies in the single-seater. Mac was now part of the BFK, the Professional Air Force Corps; the UeG (Surveillance Wing) no longer exists in that form. But apparently, that wasn’t the end of the line. A year later, Mac was drafted into the Patrouille Suisse. Yes, here you’re drafted—not assigned or ordered, as is customary in the military. The pilots of the current Patrouille Suisse would all nod in agreement. Since serving as a Patrouille Suisse pilot isn’t a full-time job, Mac works as a flight instructor on the PC-7/21. That doesn’t leave much time for his hobby. The Air Force’s flight readiness is being gradually increased. Currently from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; starting in 2020, it will be around the clock. The number of pilots won’t necessarily increase to accommodate this. So, the often-criticized on-call duty during office hours is a thing of the past.

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