Lost in the sky. Two young pilots flying tourist planes were lost north of Paris this Sunday and had to be rescued by the air force, military authorities said in a press release.
The two pilots, “not qualified for instrument flying” (which allows you to fly even when weather conditions are degraded) according to the army, took off this morning from Pontarlier (Doubs) towards Reims (Marne). But bad weather conditions – fog and low ceilings – delayed their arrival, but not without putting them in danger.
Around noon, the Air Force therefore “triggered its aerial alert means” in order to come to their aid. “The fighter and helicopter crews coordinated to join the aircraft, in climatic conditions offering little visibility,” specifies the press release. The objective being to accompany planes in distress towards a practicable landing site.
-Three military aircraft therefore took off: a Rafale B from Saint-Dizier (Haute-Marne), a Mirage 2000-5 from Évreux (Eure) as well as a Fennec helicopter from the Villacoublay base “to more easily locate the diversion ground best suited. At the end of the intervention, which lasted approximately an hour, the two planes (a DR400 and an MCR01) landed at the Beauvais aerodrome (Oise).
The Air Force recalls that it permanently ensures the protection of French airspace, including assistance to aircraft in difficulty.
