In August 2009 Switzerland’s
Air Force (SAF) is celebrating its 95 years of existence. While earlier tests
took place to use planes for military purposes in 1910 and 1911 it was only at
the outbreak of WW I in 1914 that, what is known today as the SAF, became an
official and integrated formation in Switzerland’s armed forces.
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images below to see larger images
In those days names like
Bleriot, Morane-Saulnier, LVG “Schneider” and Farman were the king of the
sky and Switzerland had a “one-of-each” type of airplane kind of
“air force” … obviously, over the decades, Swiss skies have
seen many different kind of planes, some more, some less known, some home grown,
others built under license , progressively going from a top speed of 78 Km/h
(Dufaux 4) to Mach 2 (Mirage III).
Here you have a few of them as scale
models (various scales and manufacturers) and I hope you enjoy the pictures of
some of my collection of planes (and helos) in Swiss colors. Comments or
questions are welcome (primary
reference: “Flugzeuge der schweizerischen Fliegertruppe seit 1914” Verlag
Th.Gut & Co. 3rd edition 1979).
Bernard Vogt
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