AXALP tour: Buochs/Stans 10th October 2017

Flugplatz Buochs/Stans airport is south of Lucerne and sits at the bottom of a valley, in the foothills of the Alps. The airport is home to the Pilatus Aircraft where aircraft are built and repaired including the PC6, PC7, PC9, PC12, PC21 and PC24. The brand new PC24 is seen as a jet version of the already popular PC12 with its short/rough field capabilities allowing it to compete with other small business jets.

This was an airfield i had not visited before when we had been in Switzerland in 2016. As with all other airfields visited in Switzerland there are no real fences and roads cross the taxiways and runways. This allows for unriveled access and views. As we drove down towards the Pilatus Aircraft factory there was a number of brand new aircraft sat out on the pan waiting to either be delivered to their new owners or being readied for testing.

With the steep slopes close to the airfield its gives a great opportunity for parachute practice without the expense of using an aircraft. Beside the Pilatus factory we watched multiple people training by running down the slope hoping that the parachute would catch the wind and lift them off the ground to glide down to the flat field below.

Luckily where we had parked up to watch the parachutists was next to the taxiway back to the Pilatus factory, when the PC24 arrived back after its test flight. This created an opportunity to get a close look at the new aircraft and take photos of it with a stunning backdrop.

Swiss airfields offer fantastic backdrops and some of the best access for photography i've had outside of being actually on the airfield. Next on the tour was Alpnach airbase.