The army had to bring in a Rafale B, a Mirage 2000-5 and a Fennec. The two young pilots are safe and sound.
The Air and Space Force indicated on Sunday January 19 that it had come to the aid of the pilots of two planes, “victims of bad weather conditions” and “in distress”.
The two tourist planes coming from Pontarlier were bound for Reims. According to the army, the young pilots, not qualified for instrument flight (IFR), were lost north of Paris due to bad weather. Instrument flying allows you to fly even when weather conditions are degraded.
Departing from Saint-Dizier and Évreux, a Rafale B and a Mirage 2000-5 came to assist the two pilots. A Fennec military helicopter was also mobilized.
#FlashInfo Two young pilots in distress assisted by the Air and Space Force. This afternoon, 1 Rafale, 1 Mirage 2000-5 and 1 Fennec were mobilized to guide 2 tourist planes lost north of Paris due to bad weather.
More info: pic.twitter.com/z6RTHSxyaR
— Air and Space Force (@Armee_de_lair) January 19, 2025
“Under the command of the air operations and air defense planning and conduct center (CAPCODA), the fighter and helicopter crews coordinated to join the aircraft, in climatic conditions offering little visibility, and accompany them to a practicable landing ground,” the army said.
Adding that at the end of the operation, “the DR400 and MCR01 pilots landed in Beauvais, guided by the Rafale B fighter pilot”. The procedure lasted about an hour.