Mirage pilot: Thierry Goetschmann


Late 2008, the Mirage III-DS J-2012 has been awarded its civil registration HB-RDF.
Unique in the whole world, it is the only plane of this type to be registered as a civil airplane and with which passengers can fly.
The pilot - Thierry Goetschmann - is the former captain of a Mirage III reconnaissance squadron.

It took more than 4200 working hours to restore this airplane, and each flight hour requires 80 hours of maintenance. All this work is being done by volunteers, members of Espace Passion. Those specialists have all worked on the Mirage III used by the Swiss air force.

The Mirage III-DS J-2012 is part of the second series of the two-seater Mirage planes of the Swiss air force. The first set of four airplanes was named Mirage III BS, and the second set of two airplanes that was introduced in 1980 was named Mirage III DS (J-2011 and J-2012).

The code name for two-seater Mirage is "EMIR" (E stands for 'exercise (training)' and MIR for 'Mirage').
Contrary to single seaters, two-seater planes were not equipped with a radar. They were fitted with 2 30mm-barrels, 2 air-to-air infrared rockets (SIWA) and with lures (chaffs & flares).

The J-2012 last flew in December 2003 for the Swiss air force from Buochs to Payerne and was then given to the Foundation in 2005.

For further information regarding Hunter or Mirage III flights please write to: voler@clindailes.ch