Page 64 - Aviation News (February 2020)

Left: Alizé 56 taxiing with its wings folded
An Alizé prepares for a carrier launch. With
place for centre of gravity issues, but was
welded into a fi xed position. Over the
years, the cockpits of both Alizés had been
robbed of their instruments by enthusiasts
and that became a major hurdle, with the
task of sourcing instruments proving to be
one of the major problems of the whole
62
58-62_alizeDC.mfDC.mf.indd 62
aboard the aircraft carrier Foch. The
undercarriage sponsons originally housed
sonobuoy launchers, but were later fi tted with
ECM and missile warning equipment. Alan Bayliss
relocating to Lann-Bihoué, in Brittany, more
than 620 miles (998km) away by road. For
Alizé Marine, it meant that some of its key
members were posted away and that the
hangar they were using would get a new
owner. Finally, a solution was found to
accommodate the Alizé, and the aircraft
was allowed to remain in Nîmes-Garons,
where it is still based today.
BACK INTO THE AIR
After what amounted to a full overhaul
spread over about three years, the aircraft
was now ready to fl y. Alizé 59/F-AZYI
took to the air again on March 24, 2013 at
Nîmes-Garons, while being temporarily
registered F-WZYI for the initial trial phase.
the bridle in tension, the nose is raised The crew on that fl ight was composed
to give a high wing angle of attack for of Jean Ivars, a former Alizé, Super
maximum lift. Henri-Pierre Grolleau
Etendard and Hawkeye pilot and landing
signal o cer, and Philippe Pérez, a radar
operator/navigator with a wealth of Alizé
experience. Since then, the aircraft has
taken part in numerous airshows and
private events hosted by the French Navy.
It is routinely fl own in close formation with
French Navy aircraft, such as the E-2C
Hawkeye as Alizé Marine has developed a
close relationship with Flottille 4F, a former
Br.1050 operator.
Although not as iconic as the Super
Etendard or the F-8 Crusader with which it
served on board the carriers Clemenceau
and Foch, the Alizé faithfully performed
its missions, serving with distinction for
more than four decades. Like the Fairey
Gannet, it performed unglamorous but
restoration process. S/n 59’s exhaust cone essential missions and it contributed to
was damaged and it was swapped with that the safety of French carrier groups. Today,
from s/n 56 and its engine was replaced. the Alizé Marine team proudly keeps the
Another problem surfaced when the type’s heritage alive, and thanks to the
Marine Nationale announced that Base dedication of its aircrews and engineers,
Aéronavale Nîmes-Garons would close o ers the opportunity to again see this
in July 2011, with most of its squadrons aircraft at airshows.
Alizé 59/F-AZYI is the last fl ying
example, kept airworthy by the Alizé
Marine group at Nîmes-Garons since March
2013. AirTeamImages.com/Jonathan Zaninger
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