Belgian Air Force Alpha Jet pilots

[tomdocherty72]

Hi All,

My first post here. I hope to make contact with pilots of the Belgian Air Force who were trained in the Alpha Jet by 9 and 1 Wings of the Belgian Air Force at Brustem and Beauvechain. I am particularly interested in the training syllabus and any comment they might have on the capabilites of the Alpha Jet as well as any tales of exciting moments and near misses experienced whilst flying the type.

[tomdocherty72]

Originally Posted by tomdocherty72

Hi All,

My first post here. I hope to make contact with pilots of the Belgian Air Force who were trained in the Alpha Jet by 9 and 1 Wings of the Belgian Air Force at Brustem and Beauvechain. I am particularly interested in the training syllabus and any comment they might have on the capabilites of the Alpha Jet as well as any tales of exciting moments and near misses experienced whilst flying the type.

No response from anyone in the BAF yet. Is there anyone out there from the RAF who flew the type as an exchange pilot with the Belgians or at Boscombe Down with the few operated there?

[Bonza]

There aren't many pilots in general that frequent these forums mate. You might be better off seeking alternative methods of communication more specific to those units or individuals you're seeking out. Do feel free to stick around here for the conversation, though. : )

[FirstSpear]

Originally Posted by tomdocherty72

No response from anyone in the BAF yet. Is there anyone out there from the RAF who flew the type as an exchange pilot with the Belgians or at Boscombe Down with the few operated there?

FYI, the type has been operated from French soil near Cazaux for some time now and the machines are jointly maintained with other training assets, like the SF260.

As for the more hair-raising situations, I can only attest, from the ground, to seeing many a BAF two-ship flying their low-level runs over the country side when these were still permissible. During the cold war, BAF units were some of the only ones in NATO to train with 'no minimum'. This contributed to a very high accident rate among the Mirage V fleet (and crews) and initially with the F16s. The policy changed dramatically when some midairs were experienced with small civilian aircraft in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Gunnery training was then concentrated in Sardinia and much navigation training was conducted on early instrumented ranges in SW France and separately in Corsica.

One fun situation in 1990 was seeing a pair of F4s (non BAF and therefore illegally operating so low --my guess would be USN or USMC because of the apparent F4N and carrier color scheme) between the arches of the bridge on Brussels to Paris highway not five miles from SHAPE headquarters near Mons. It happened around 2:00AM and I can tell you that while the bridge was lit and there was a near full moon, as I was only 200 yards from crossing the bridge the planes got my FULL attention. As a pilot, I can appreciate the airmanship but the move was just 'ill-advised' to say the least.

[tomdocherty72]

Originally Posted by FirstSpear

As for the more hair-raising situations, I can only attest, from the ground, to seeing many a BAF two-ship flying their low-level runs over the country side when these were still permissible. During the cold war, BAF units were some of the only ones in NATO to train with 'no minimum'. This contributed to a very high accident rate among the Mirage V fleet (and crews) and initially with the F16s. The policy changed dramatically when some midairs were experienced with small civilian aircraft in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Gunnery training was then concentrated in Sardinia and much navigation training was conducted on early instrumented ranges in SW France and separately in Corsica.

Hi FirstSpear,

Thanks for you feedback on the Alpha Jet. I note that your perspective was from the ground. Were you directly involved with the Alpha Jet as a pilot, ground crew or other support staff?