In the heart of the Alps, Switzerland is a paradise for skiing, climbing, and trekking enthusiasts from all over the world. But the Alpine country does not offer the ideal environment for flight operations, especially in winter. To find out more about flying in this region, we paid a visit to the most representative air base of the Schweizer Luftwaffe (Swiss Air Force), Meiringen-Unterbach. The base, opened on December 1,1941, is located in the middle of the Aar river valley, surrounded by 6,500ft-plus (2,000m'-plus) mountains. The single runway (10/28) runs east-west, is only 6,571ft (2,000m) long and is 1,900ft (580m) above sea level. The air base is small, but its main feature cannot be seen. It is the cavern that houses Meiringen's resident fighter aircraft, which is linked to the runway by two taxiways.
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