When you watch a spectacular air show put on by the likes of the Blue Angels, you expect to see acrobatic stunts using fighter jets like F/A-18 Hornets. To celebrate its centennial anniversary and the 50th anniversary of its aerobatic team, the Swiss Air Force (which started with hot air balloons) along with Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) decided to push things up several notches by adding a huge wide-bodied jet into two special performances at the Air14 Payerne air show in Switzerland. (H/t Jaunted.)
The aerobatic team, known as the Patrouille Suisse, usually demonstrates its skills flying in F-5E Tiger II fighter jets. But in a show on August 30 and September 6, it added the talents of three SWISS pilots, who flew an Airbus A330-300 alongside six significantly smaller fighter jets. To document the event from various angles, SWISS deployed several cameras to create a film – 38, in fact – allowing us to see the action from the seat of the fighter jet to the cockpit of the A330, and everything in-between.
The performance was organized by SWISS as part of its attendance at the Air14 show, held at the Payerne Air Force Base. The show counted approximately 50,000 visitors – some lucky enough to see this flyover. Check out these awesome videos from the air (above, produced by SWISS) and from the ground (below, filmed by a show attendee).
While we don’t normally want to experience this type of flying experience when we travel, these large-bodied planes are capable of performing extreme maneuvers. Check out the video of this Boeing 787-9 getting ready for an air show.
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