Project F/A-18C Hornet Staffel 11 Tiger Meet 2011/2014

The Schweize Luftwaffe (Swiss Air Force) acquired a fleet of 34 F/A-18 in the mid-1990s. The first two aircraft were assembled in St. Louis, with the remaining 32 produced and assembled in Switzerland with parts both imported from the US and parts produced by five major Swiss subcontractors. The first aircraft assembled in Switzerland underwent a successful first test flight on 3 October 1996. The Swiss companies were subcontracted directly to both McDonnell Douglas and to Northrop Grumman (now Boeing), necessitating a close working relationship between the American contractors and their Swiss counterparts.

The Swiss Defense Technology and Procurement Agency (GRD) functions as the Swiss program management office. The first two F/A-18s, assembled in St. Louis, were delivered to the Swiss in early 1996 after a successful first flight on 20 January 1996. From October 1996 on, the Hornets left the assembly bays at Emmen. Delivery was completed by the end of 1999. Staffel 17 was the first front squadron to retrain to the Hornet from June 1997 on, followed in the spring of 1998 by Staffel 18. Last but not least, retraining was concluded by Dübendorf based Staffel 11, in 1999.
 
The United States Navy tradition of assigning a squadron leader or lead aircraft a special livery is also observed in foreign armed forces, and this project depicting an aircraft belonging to a NATO Tigers Association full member is a good example of this practice (though Switzerland is not a NATO country, by virtue of its role in the joint defense of European air space, Staffel 11 was granted full membership during the 2004 NATO Tiger Meet at Schleswig-Jagel, Germany).

The order for this particular Schweize Luftwaffe bird exclusive livery came from my friend and fellow demo pilot, LCL. Paterne Lefavre, Patrouille de France en SL, in the wake of Shana Carpool's new F/A-18C Hornet release, and it involved two jobs in one - the actual replica to be given to his partner and fellow squadron mate, COL. Rhea Thor, and an alternate version based on the same design for his own use. Then came the version choice!

Click images to enlarge.

Eight Shades of Blue exclusive delivery.

"So that's why they seem upside down.."

The tails on Rhea Thor's J-5011 Replica.

The tails on the real Staffel 11 J-5011.

Two photos above: the real Tiger J-5011.

Fliegerstaffel 11 "Tigers" have a variety of special liveries for the J-5011, the aircraft that usually displays them, and I already decided to make a commercial version of one of them so, in a way, Paterne Lefavre made the choice for me, when he decided to go with the Tiger Meet 2011/2014 version for the exclusive. My other choice, the 2009 10 Year Jubilee version, would become the MP version (commercial) - see here! and here!

I decided to make the alternate version of the exclusive 2011/2014 Tiger Meet J-5011 a plane with a sequential serial but with no optional event livery, thus J-5012. The actual replica was made in two versions, as in real life: one as it was when participating in the Tiger Meet at Schleswig-Jagel, Germany, without the aft flanks serials, and one with the serials applied as they were sometime after the event, when the aircraft resumed normal duty with the squadron.

Click image to enlarge.

LIVERY COST:
The cost of a Shana Aircraft F/A-18C unique custom livery is 3,000 L$ with guaranteed exclusive and support for 12 months. Auto paint delivery system included. Pilot name modification by the client is possible, though usually included in the work. Additional liveries of this design licensed by the buyer to others will involve a 600 L$ fee due by each of the chosen recipients. A pack of two liveries ordered at the same time for this livery model applied to its F/A-18D counterpart varies from  4,000 L$ to 5,000 L$, depending on the work involved in the transposition of the C model to the D model. Same warranty applicable in all cases.

AIRCRAFT PROFILE COST:
The cost of a Shana Aircraft F/A-18C unique aircraft profile using the unique livery ordered is 500 L$. Supplied with frame. Permissions: no mod, copy, no transfer.

TIME TO COMPLETION:
48 hours from start, 72 hours with profile. Start depending on lined up and ongoing work.

AIRCRAFT INFO:
!SC : F/A-18C and F/A-18D Hornet - v1.3
Shana Aircraft does not have a SL Market Place store. You will need to find the F/A-18C Hornet in a vendor at Shana Carpool's store in Meridas (SLUR here).

Note: Color schemes for this aircraft without U.S.N. Third Fleet S.L. markings but using generic Navy markings are available on demand. U.S.N. Third Fleet S.L. orders have a special discount on this type. See Third Fleet price list here!

ASRA KRON © EIGHT SHADES OF BLUE 2018

Disclaimer:
All references in this entry refer only to the item illustrated.