Austrian Eurofighter pilots begin supersonic training

Austrian Armed Forces Eurofighter pilots begin ten days of supersonic flight training on Tuesday, which may bring loud sonic booms over Salzburg, ORF reports. Up to three supersonic flights are planned on each training day, although pilots usually fly below the speed of sound during the exercises.

The pilots will practise interception manoeuvres under realistic conditions. René Auer of the Salzburg Military Command said the physical effects of the forces on pilots cannot be replicated in a simulator.

The training will also practise time-critical coordination between Eurofighter pilots, radar officers and military and civilian air traffic control. Flight safety is the top priority, Auer said.

Flights will take place across much of Austrian airspace, with regional restrictions. Urban areas will be avoided, and flights are generally scheduled between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. They will not take place on Sundays or public holidays.

The flights are coordinated from the Berg operations centre in Pongau. Eurofighters will fly above 12,500 metres to limit the impact of sonic booms on people and wildlife on the ground.

No supersonic flights are planned over Tyrol or Vorarlberg because those states are too narrow from north to south to keep the exercises clear of German, Italian and Swiss airspace.