Last Thursday I visited airforce base 115 near Orange in southern France. In the morning you have an excellent view on from the Chemin de Ratavoux in Camaret-sur-Aigues; a narrow road that runs parallel to the runway at a distance of approx 100m. The only problem is the fence because I had no steps with me. I could squeeze my 200mm lens through it but couldn’t move it around quickly and freely enough to photograph the departing aircraft. Luckily I brought a garden chain from the camping were I stayed. If I placed the chair on a somewhat elevated part of the road, I was just able to take pictures across the barbed wire fence.
Unfortunately the wind was northerly so the Mirages took off from the south (runway 32), with the sun in their back. Early in the morning this was not a problem though. When using runway 32 the Mirages already get airborne before they reach the paved road. But then they are above the fence and can be photographed nicely with 200mm from the Chemin de Ratavoux.
At 10h I heard engines being started in the shelter area on the other side of the airfield. Two Mirages 2000C taxied to the runway and took off at 10.10: registrations 115-LK and 115-YT.
A quarter of an hour later Mirage 2000B 115-OA took off. It was clearly used for training a new pilot because it made two low flypasts at 10.39 and 10.56. Then the pilot practised landing; he made seven (!) landing-and-starts right in front of me, halfway the runway (11.19, 11.22, 11.26, 11.29, 11.31, 11.34 and 11.36). Then the other two Mirages returned from their morning mission and landed at 11.38, followed immediately by the trainee. The latter deployed his brake-parachute. All three taxied to the shelters at the other side of the field and it was lunch time. By then photography from this spot was hardly possible anymore because the sun had turned to much. If you have southerly winds the Mirages will start from the other side of the runway (14) and you can use this spot a bit longer, maybe until 12 or so.
No problems with the gendarmerie while staying on the road next to the fence, eventhough I remained in clear view of the tower from 3 hours in a row.
A note on the mission times: This morning mission seems to be typical, daprting after 10h and returning around 12h. I stayed on a camp site in the Massive Central near Lapte for 2 weeks and saw and/or heard Mirages flying overhead almost every day. This is 160km from Orange and I suppose they were from this airbase. Usually I saw them around 10.45 or 11.30 passing by; at the latest returning south around 12h. Then apparently the long French lunch break started. In the afternoon there was no flying going on until 14.30 and I even saw Mirages flying as late as 18h.
Interesting museums in this region are at the local airfields of Lyon-Corbas (http://www.ealc.fr) and Montélimar (http://www.meacmtl.com). Both have an interesting collection of fighter jets: all types of Mirages including the Mirage IV nucleair bomber, Jaguars, etc.. The ones in Lyon are inside hangars and you will get a 1½ hour tour (also in English). In Montélimar most aircraft are outside and can be photographed easily, though they are close together and positioned on grass. Lyon-Corbas had just obtained a Mirage 2000B from Orange-Caritat with registration 5-OW (by the way was this originally 115-OW?). Photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/p760/sets/ ... 394071760/
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