“Une fois Mirage, toujours Mirage!” insists Thierry Goetschmann. “Once you have flown the delta you never want to fly anything else,” said the pilot of the Mirage IIIDS-EMIR that graces the Paris Air Show. Goetschmann is the world’s only civilian-rated Mirage III pilot, and a veteran of 1,100 hours in the type. He will fly the Mirage in the air display over the weekend, which will be nostalgic viewing for many here.
If they wish, members of the public can go one step further and experience the joys of delta flight for themselves. A small sum gains entry to the club Espace Passion, run by the Musée Clin d’Ailes at Payerne, Switzerland. Members can then pay ?11,500 for a Mirage flight or, if they prefer, around ?4,000 for a ride in the club’s Hawker Hunter. Espace Passion is a nonprofit organization staffed by volunteers dedicated to the preservation of military aircraft, and passenger flying helps pay for the upkeep of the aircraft.
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