BA133 Nancy-Ochey,  28 May 2009

After we checked in in our F1 Hotel in Nancy yesterday evening we went downtown Nancy where we watched the Champions League Final in an Irish Pub. This was the perfect way to end the first day. The next morning we woke up pretty early to have the standard breakfast at the F1 Hotel.

When we arrived at the airbase of Nancy-Ochey around half past eight we first drove around the base to see whether some Mirages were parked outside. Unfortunately we didn't see any Mirages on base, so we decided to find a nice spot in the landing area. As the Gendarmerie is not happy with spotters around French airbases we decided to stay as much out of sight as possible, near the tree line.

Around 9.30h the first Mirage 2000s departed, but as we didn't have a clear view on the airbase we didn't exactly know how many Mirages departed. The first aircraft to arrive an hour later was not a Mirage, but a TBM.700. This one was followed by another TBM of French test unit CEV. A very welcome surprise of course.

Eleven o'clock the first Mirages started to arrive. As we didn't know how many aircraft departed we were happy when a total of nine Mirage 2000s arrived during the morning. When these were on the ground we decided to drive towards the next Mirage 2000-base, Luxeuil-St.Sauveur.

History of BA133 Nancy-Ochey

Base Aérienne “Herny Jeandet” Nancy-Ochey is one of the oldest airbases of the French Air Force. It all begins in September 1915 when a military commission comes to the village of Ochey to do an inspection. Civil authorities and military officers decided then the expropriation of 150 hectares of cultivated earths in order to install the first airfield.   

During the fall of 1915, the first squadrons arrived at Nancy-Ochey operating the Bréguet Michelin V. During the World War I, the airbase was very important and had with approx. 400 aircraft lots of flying activity. Because of this, the airbase of Ochey was bombed by the Germans 21 times. In 1917, the Michelin V were replaced by the Bréguet AV. After the World War I the airfield as abandoned and the constructions were dismantled and transferred to Etampes. 

In 1939 flying activity finally resumes with the arrival of the first reservists. But when the German troops destroyed the fuel reservoirs on June 10 1940 the airbase was abandoned again. From spring 1944 the airbase was used by the German Air Force. After the liberation the American troops modernized the airbase and on May 8 1945 the airbase was handed over to the French authorities again.

The first French airplanes arrived in August 1961; the 8th Escadre operating the Mystère IV. January 12 1962, during a ceremony General Sthelin, commander of the French Air Force officially reopened the airbase, named Base Aérienne 133 “Henry Jeandet”. Named after a highly skilled pilot that illustrated himself within Escadron 2/7 during the World War II. 

August 30 1967, the 3rd Escadre, equipped with the new Mirage IIIE arrived at the airbase. Escadron 03.003 "Ardennes" is officially created on September 6 1974 operating the Mirage VF. And from July 1987 flying the Mirage IIIE.

August 30 1991, the first  Mirage 2000 arrived for Escadron 02.003 "Champagne".  As early as 1992, these fighters where active in Yugoslavia of support UNPROFOR. The first Mirage 2000D, fighter bomber arrived officially on, March 30 1994, to operate with Escadron 01.003 "Navarre". May 16 that same year, the last Mirage IIIE left Nancy-Ochey and Escadron 03.003 "Ardennes" finishes their transformation to Mirage 2000D.

Since July 23 1999 and the delivery of the sixtieth Mirage 2000D, all three Escadrons are on full strength. With its modern infrastructure and its sixty airplanes Base Aérienne 133 Nancy-Ochey is one of the backbones of the French Air Force.