Alps crash ‘will not affect air display’

Alps crash ‘will not affect air display’

Deputy Mike Higgins said he did not expect any new regulations coming in following the incident in Switzerland or the display’s line-up being affected.

On Saturday a 1930s Junkers Ju-52 crashed on the side of a mountain in Switzerland while en route to Zurich from Locarno in the south of the country.

The aircraft was one of seven airworthy models which remain in operation and one of the German-made planes previously featured in the Jersey display in 2015 and took paying passengers for fights around the Island.

Two years ago a Hawker Hunter jet crashed in West Sussex while carrying out an aerobatic manoeuvre, leading to the deaths of 11 people on the ground.

Following that incident the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority increased the minimum altitude at which ex-military jets could fly at displays, the minimum distance they could operate at from the crowd and also increased the stringency of post-display safety reports.

‘It [the Junker Ju-52] is one of the aircraft that I was considering [for this year’s display] and we did have it in the display about two years ago.

‘The one we had was Lufthansa’s and people paid to fly around the Island in it,’ he said.

‘There will be no impact on the display and we already follow standards laid down in the UK and internationally.

‘We do not only need permission from the Bailiff but also the director of civil aviation and if we have military aircraft flying we also have to comply with military regulations.’

Deputy Higgins added that he had tried to fly in one of the aircraft owned by the company involved in Saturday’s incident but had not been able to secure a seat.

‘I was in Switzerland a few years ago and was actually going to fly in one of their aircraft, as it is a fantastic experience, but it was totally booked up.

‘What happened in this incident, I really do not know, but they are maintained to a very high standard.

‘Although they were built in the 1930s, it has been completely rebuilt since and the level of maintenance and scrutiny is extremely high. It is a very tragic incident.’

Meanwhile, Deputy Higgins announced that he had now booked a number of other aircraft for September’s event, including the Tucano T1 training aircraft, which is scheduled to be retired from the RAF’s fleet later this year.

Other aircraft recently announced to appear are the Sea Fury T20, the Avro Nineteen, the only surviving Nord Noratlas and the Pitts Special S2S, which will be carrying out an aerobatic display.

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