A Swiss aerial display team missed the target of their flyover on Sunday afternoon by some six kilometres. The army said the mistake was “not a worrying one”.
The Patrouille Suisse – the red and white squadron that flies in formation over special events – was eagerly, and in vain, awaited by residents of Langenbruck (Canton Basel Country) on Sunday.
Instead of passing over a gathering to mark the centenary of the death of local aviation pioneer Oskar Bider, the planes flew over a yodelling festival in nearby Mümliswil.
According to a ministry of defence spokesman, the team leader spotted the large white tent of the yodelling get-together and, assuming it was the target, flew overhead. An unauthorised helicopter in the area added to the confusion.
The machines being used – F-5E Tiger II jets – aren’t equipped with GPS devices, the ministry added; they are over 40 years old and no longer used in real combat situations.
“Navigation is done on the basis of a map, a pen, and human sight,” the spokesman said.
The commander of the aerial display team apologised for the mix-up on Monday.
More
More
The sky’s the limit: Swiss aviation pioneers
This content was published on
On the centenary of the first non-stop transatlantic flight, we look at the groundbreaking achievements of some Swiss aviation pioneers.
Report finds serious security flaws in Swiss hospital information systems
This content was published on
The IT systems of several Swiss hospitals suffer from serious security flaws, according to the National Testing Institute for Cybersecurity (NTC).
Cost of leisure activities rises dramatically in Switzerland
This content was published on
The Swiss paid more for leisure activities in December. Prices for vacation apartments, package tours and cable cars rose significantly.
New Swiss epidemic surveillance centre inaugurated
This content was published on
The Centre for Pathogen Bioinformatics was inaugurated in Bern on Thursday. It aims to improve epidemics monitoring in Switzerland using genomic data.
This content was published on
Switzerland, as a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), signed a free trade agreement with Thailand during WEF.
This content was published on
The federal audit office has criticised the Swiss government for poor planning of the procurement of six drones from an Israeli supplier.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.