Departure
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MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Payerne Air Base is a Swiss Air Force airfield lying just north of the town of Payerne in the Canton de Vaud, roughly halfway between Lausanne and Bern. It is Switzerland's largest military air base, home to F/A-18 Hornet and F-5E Tiger squadrons, and is notable in aviation history as the launch point for the pioneering Solar Impulse solar-powered flights. A long, ILS-equipped runway and an on-site military aviation museum make it a distinctive and interesting field for the sim pilot to study.
Payerne Air Base is a military airfield of the Swiss Air Force situated north of the town of Payerne, roughly midway between Lausanne and Bern. It is the largest air base in Switzerland and home to the F/A-18 Hornet squadrons Fliegerstaffel 17 Falcons and Fliegerstaffel 18 Panthers, the militia F-5E Tiger II squadron Fliegerstaffel 6 Ducks, and the transport squadron Lufttransportstaffel 1. The base is also known as the departure point for the world's first crewed 26-hour solar-powered flight by Solar Impulse 1 in July 2010, and later became home base for its successor, Solar Impulse 2. Alongside its military role the field also hosts civilian business aviation traffic and the Clin d'Ailes military aviation museum.
The base lies just north of Payerne in the Canton de Vaud, Switzerland, approximately halfway between Lausanne and Bern. As a major Swiss Air Force installation it sits within airspace managed by the military branch of Skyguide, known as Skyguide National, which provides air traffic control for the field. Payerne also serves as an alternate airport for Bern-Belp for foreign government flights, reflecting its role within the wider Swiss controlled airspace structure.
Payerne has one physical runway orientated 05/23, surfaced in hard standing and lit along its length. Runway 05 has a declared length of 9,080 feet and Runway 23 of 8,088 feet. Both directions are served by an ILS. The runway is substantial enough that, according to the operator, it can support long-haul flights, and a connecting taxiway at hangar 5 links the airfield to the A1 motorway, which can in theory be used as an emergency runway extension, though this has never actually been done. Both ends of the runway are also fitted with retractable arresting gear for fast-jet operations.
Payerne is served by the following published frequencies: APP/DEP on 141.8 MHz, ARR on 34.027 MHz and 130.625 MHz, INFO on 138.05 MHz, and TWR on 128.675 MHz. The field is equipped with an ILS on both runway directions (05 and 23), supporting instrument approaches to the long runway. Air traffic control is provided by the military branch of Skyguide, Skyguide National.
Payerne Air Base has long served as a key installation of the Swiss Air Force. In 2004 it hosted the international air show Air04, and a decade later, from 30 August to 7 September 2014, it staged the larger Air14 international airshow. Its most famous moment came on 8 July 2010, when the experimental solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 1 departed from Payerne to complete the world's first crewed 26-hour solar-powered flight. The base subsequently became home to the successor aircraft, Solar Impulse 2, which made its first flight from Payerne on 2 June 2014. The base has also long housed the aviation investigation division of Switzerland's air accident authority, formerly the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and later the Swiss Accident Investigation Board, now part of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board.
Payerne today operates as a combined military and civil airfield. It remains the home of Fliegerstaffel 17 Falcons and Fliegerstaffel 18 Panthers flying the F/A-18 Hornet, the militia F-5E Tiger II squadron Fliegerstaffel 6 Ducks, and the transport squadron Lufttransportstaffel 1, and it hosts Quick Reaction Alert and air policing duties for the Swiss Air Force. The base is also the country's main training centre for Air Force ground crew, including aircraft mechanics and airport firefighters, and houses F/A-18 flight simulators. On the civil side, Speedwings Business SA provides VIP handling for business aviation from a dedicated apron with over 6,600 square metres of heated hangar space, supporting long-haul business jet arrivals. The on-site Clin d'Ailes military aviation museum offers private flights in a Hawker Hunter trainer (HB-RVW) and a Dassault Mirage IIIDS (HB-RDF).'