Return Flight to Réunion
25.02.2013
On 25 February 2013 is the fiftieth anniversary of the maiden flight of the first Transall aircraft: The first flight of the C-160 V1 over the French airfield of Melun-Villaroche with the French test pilot Jean Lanvario at the controls lasted 55 minutes. The transport aircraft was a German-French joint venture; it was fielded with the French Air Force in 1967 as a successor to the Nord 2501 Noratlas. At that time, no one would have expected that this aircraft would serve faithfully even 50 years later. The Transall is still used today by numerous units.
German Transalls safely arrived in Dakar
The German Air Force started - on EATC arrangement and conduction - the mission of two C-160 Transall transport aircraft for the logistical support of ECOWAS. The two German Transall left the Air Base of Hohn in northern Germany on 17th Janaury at 19:00, being part of the EATC assigned Air Transport Wing 63 (ATW 63). In order to utilize the available cargo space - and on request of the French Air Force - the aircraft made an - extraordinary - turn towards France in order to catch up additional medical supplies for the French Forces.
European Partnership of Air Force Associations
The EPAA was founded on 30 May 2003 in Viareggio, Italy, by the Air Force Associations of Belgium, France, Germany, and Italy. Shortly thereafter the associations of Bulgaria, Netherlands, Rumania, Switzerland, Slovakia, and Czech Republic became members as well. With the foundation of the German Air Force Association (GAFA) in October 2010 it was decided to change the German EPAA membership from DLwR to GAFA. This change was accepted by all EPAA member states during a meeting on 11 June 2011 in Turin/Italy.
The Transformation of Military Flying Operations in Germany
The subject of this paper is restricted primarily to an examination of Air Force flying operations, although the sortie rates of other military services and our allies will be referred to. The multiple tasks of the "Bundeswehr Flying Operations" division of the German Air Force Office in Cologne include the monitoring and analysis of military flying operations over German territory.
