Besides displaying at airshows, Mirage IIIDS HB-RDF was also available for passenger flights for the members of the Espace Passion association, with prices around €14,000 for a 40/50-minute flight
The Swiss Mirage IIIDS HB-RDF (101/228F), the world’s only privately operated Mirage IIIDS, made its final flight on May 25, 2023.
Scramble Magazine reports that the aircraft’s owner, the Association Espace Passion, had to ground the two-seat Mirage after the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, Switzerland’s civil aviation authority, declined to renew its permit to fly. HB-RDF was previously registered as J-2012.
The Association Espace Passion and the Clin d’Ailes museum in Payerne were granted a special one-day permit for two farewell flights, which took the aircraft from Payerne to the airfields at Sion, Emmen, and Buochs. Renowned Mirage pilot Thierry Goetschmann flew both sorties. After the second flight, he returned to Payerne, where HB-RDF touched down for the last time. The aircraft will be displayed at the local aviation museum, Clin d’Ailes.
According to the Clin d’Ailes website, J-2012 accumulated more than 1,387 flight hours. It belonged to the Swiss Air Force’s second series of two-seat Mirages.
The first batch of four aircraft was designated Mirage IIIBS. The second batch, comprising two aircraft introduced in 1980, was designated Mirage III DS: J-2011 and J-2012.
The Swiss two-seat Mirages carried the code name “EMIR,” combining “E” for exercise and “MIR” for Mirage. Unlike the single-seat versions, they had no radar. Their armament consisted of two 30 mm guns, two infrared SIWA air-to-air missiles, and chaff and flare countermeasures.
J-2012’s final flight with the Air Force took place in December 2003, from Buochs to Payerne. The aircraft was transferred to the Foundation in 2005. European Airshows reports that, after three years of refurbishment and efforts to secure a flight permit, J-2012 returned to the air in 2008 under its civilian registration, HB-RDF.
In addition to appearing at airshows, HB-RDF offered passenger flights to members of the Espace Passion association, priced at about €14,000 for a 40- to 50-minute flight.
Due to the age of the engine and other components, the aircraft’s permit to fly was not renewed. As a result, the entire 2023 flying season—including passenger flights and air displays—was cancelled, bringing 15 years of private Mirage III operations in Europe to a close. The last chance to see HB-RDF flying at an airshow was at the 2021 Luxeuil Air Show in France.
Photo by Swiss Confederation and Aldo Bidini via Wikipedia
