Lionel Charlet, a Swiss-French filmmaker, released last year a documentary called “Vols Blancs” (White Fligts) on the Mirage III and F/A-18 Hornet, both combat jets used in Switzerland. This film is *amazing*, incredible! The Swiss pilots are just crazy, some scenes are unbelievable, specially the ones in the valleys of the Alps. Very very low altitude… Have a look at what Lionel says:

The men who are lucky enough to fly carry a serious responsibility – confronted as they are every day to maximum risk and spectacular sceneries – alone in their cockpits they stay focussed on their mission.

There is seriousness in this beauty… if only because war exists. But also because the beauty and transcendence of nature that pilots discover marks them deeply. They don’t indulge in experimentation with “Fun” flying, where one seeks, above all, intense sensations.

The beauty of the three dimensional universe reveals the beauty of the earth and the landscapes, an immense glacier just below the jet, flying head down, perspective is carried away.

Thanks to the Swiss Air Force, I’ve had the occasion to log many hours in FA/18, F-5, Hawk and Mirage, long hard hours gathering the best pictures possible. Each flight is a new challenge, with its struggles and victories.