Swiss Air Force aerobatic jet demonstration team, Patrouille Suisse, teamed up with a Swiss International Airlines Airbus A320 in a wondrous formations flight through the Swiss Alps to kick of the 2015 Ski World Cup International Lauberhorn Races in Wengen.
The promotional video put together by the airline details preparations both by airline employees and downhill skiers. It offers 30 different angles both inside and out of the Airbus airliner including stunning footage featuring nation's air force squadron of six F-5 Tiger IIs. The Lauberhorn Races are Switzerland's biggest annual winter sports event, and are widely regarded as a highlight of the men's FIS World Cup downhill skiing season.
The Swiss military aerobatic team has been performing in fighter jets since 1964 but plans are currently to disband by next year. The F-5s are being withdrawn from active service and there are insufficient F-18's in the air force's fleet to replace the 12 F-Es that are actively maintained in team colors. One possible alternative to keep the team active it to only fly four F-18s that will not receive special paint and perform at fewer displays.
Photo Patrouille Suisse & Sunset Takeoff, by Javier Rodríguez (Flickr / CC Commercial License)
Being The Airline of Switzerland, SWISS attaches great value to the entire winter sports world. To take just one example, the airline offers its passengers free transport of their skiing and snowboarding equipment. The Airbus A320 HB-JLT "Grenchen" was escorted by the F-5E Tigers of the Swiss Air Force's aerobatics team among the majestic Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau peaks.
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