One of the most modern fighter jets available for civilian jet fighter rides is the Mirage III. You can actually enjoy a backseat ride in this incredible jet fighter in Switzerland, making it a double whammy as you fly on a modern jet fighter, in the amazing setting of the Alps. The Mirage III is a supersonic jet fighter designed by the French Dassault aviation company during the late 1950s. It was a successful fighter aircraft, being sold to many air forces around the world and remaining in production for over a decade. Some of the world’s smaller air forces still fly Mirage IIIs or variants as front-line equipment today.
The Mirage III family grew out of French government studies begun in 1952 that led in early 1953 to a specification for a lightweight, all-weather interceptor capable of climbing to 18,000 m (59,040 ft) in six minutes and able to reach Mach 1.3 in level flight. This led to the development of prototypes with delta wings, which became the trademark of the Mirage. However a plane without tail does not fly as easily as traditional jet fighters. The lack of horizontal stabilizers meant no flaps could be used. The jet fighter also required long runways for take offs at high speed. The delta wing configuration also meant the jet plane limits its maneuverability and was unstable at low altitude. However, the delta wing design remained simple and meant the plane was fast, robust with tons of room for fuel.
The first flight of the Mirage III was on November 1956 and the fighter jet attained the speed of 1.52 Mach. With the full of its engine, the Mirage III was capable of reaching 2.2 Mach. The jet fighter was also capable of reaching 60,000ft in less than 9 seconds, which was quite good at the time. Overall 1400 Mirage III were built, many exported to Israel, Switzerland, Australia, and many countries in South America and the Middle East.
IT IS POSSIBLE TO FLY THE MIRAGE III. There is just one place in the world where one can fly the Mirage III, and this is Switzerland. It is costly, around 16,000 euros, and there are just a few days available during the year, but it is an incredible experience. Check out Fly the Mirage fighter jet for additional information on booking and price.
Check out this TV report - in French - about the first flight early 2009:
Mirage III General characteristics
Crew: 1 (trainers have 2)
Length: 15 m (49 ft 3.5 in)
Wingspan: 8.22 m (26 ft 11 in)
Height: 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 34.85 m² (375 ft²)
Empty weight: 7,050 kg (15,600 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 13,500 kg (29,700 lb)
Powerplant: 1× SNECMA Atar 09C turbojet
Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2.2 (2,350 km/h, 1,460 mph)
Range: 2,400 km (1,300 NM, 1,500 mi)
Service ceiling: 17,000 m (56,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 83.3 m/s (16,400 ft/min)
Wing loading: 387 kg/m² (79 lb/ft²)
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