MIRAGE DISPLAY TEAM
http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #354 SEPTEMBER 2017 // 47
An interview
with ‘Elvis’
AFM: What were the criteria
for crew selection?
Elvis: The 3e Escadre commanding
officers chose the crew from the
candidates that volunteered. The final
choice was based on qualifications and
personal interaction. The team will
spend a lot of time together, so it’s very
important to get along very well.
AFM: How experienced are the crews?
Elvis: The two pilots and two WSOs
are all four-ship leads, with more than
2,000 flight hours and over 100 combat
missions each. We have all been in the
French Air Force for more than 12 years
and are aged between 30 and 37.
AFM: What are the similarities between
Couteau Delta and Ramex Delta?
Elvis: The first common point is the
aircraft. The Mirage 2000D is based
on the Mirage 2000N. We have the
same airframe, same engine, same
flight control system, same navigation
system... but the primary missions
are different [conventional attack and
close air support, and nuclear strike,
respectively]. Despite that, the Mirage
2000D and Mirage 2000N regularly
fly together in combat operations.
AFM: What is the speciality
of the 3e Escadre?
Elvis: Without doubt, it is deployment
at short notice. The Mirage 2000D is
reliable, versatile and efficient. It has
been deployed in all recent French
Air Force operations. Nancy’s crew
are dedicated to achieving results.
AFM: Is the Couteau Delta routine
genuinely similar to your operations?
Elvis: The display is built up from
daily manoeuvres – strike, CAS [close
air support], show of force – but
compressed in time and space to improve
the experience for the public. Our
motto is: ‘fly close together, close to
the ground and make some noise!’
AFM: How did you manage the transition
between Ramex Delta and Couteau Delta?
Elvis: None of us four had previousexperience in this kind of display team.
For efficiency and safety reasons the
display programme will be the same as
that of Ramex Delta in 2016. We met with
the Ramex Delta crew, in particular ‘Gaby’
[the former team leader] and ‘Pepe’ [WSO]
so they could share their experience. They
helped us set up the display and timing,
but also [advised on] things like regulation,
deployment, communications...
AFM: Can you explain the way you
choreograph the display on the ground?
Elvis: During the pre-display briefing, the
leader reviews the routine and the crew
repeats the radio calls and the various
actions on the controls, trying to mentally
visualise the display in the briefing room.
From the outside it looks a little bit odd,
but it is of paramount importance to
focus in this way before the display.
AFM: Do you feel a lot of
pressure from the public?
Elvis: Looking at social media we realised
that there was a lot of expectation. For
the first year we have already received
a lot of requests. We are eager to show
the public the results of our work.event, the crew adopted the Couteau Charlie
callsign, reviving the traditions of a Mirage IIIE
team that performed between 1977 and 1993.
Meet the team
At the end of Ramex Delta’s final season, the
French Air Force responded to public pressure
and decided to organise a replacement
team. Some expected that a pair of Rafale Bs
would take up the mantle. Instead, a more
obvious choice prevailed, and the 3e Escadre
(3rd Wing) at Nancy was chosen to field a
successor, the Mirage 2000D crew having
already proved they were up to the task.
For the first season, the lead crew for the
new Couteau Delta team is provided by EC 2/3
‘Champagne’, and comprises ‘Elvis’ as pilot and
‘Pastif’ as WSO (in French parlance, navigateur
officier système d’arme, or NOSA). The
second crew comes from EC 3/3 ‘Ardennes’
with ‘San’ as pilot and ‘Axel’ as NOSA.
‘Elvis’,
Couteau
Delta pilot
and team
leader.
Mirage 2000D 635/3-AS tucks up its gear as it climbs
out of Base Aérienne 133 Nancy-Ochey. It wears
the sanglier (wild boar) emblem of EC 3/3 ‘Ardennes’
on the port side of the tailfi n.
AFM