EHC Team

Team members of the Cuarnens's Heron Squadron

Leader’s words about the team…
Even if we do this only for fun, there is something magic when you make fly several people as one, even if happens is in the virtual world of simulation. Achieving this adds a drop of poetry in the military aeronautic world. I did not want to describe myself, so I asked the guys to write a short one… here is the result, even if I’m not sure to deserve all those beautiful words. Thanks guys !!! #1

Miguel, callsign Guizmo – HERON #1 Leader

Guizmo is our leader and the initiator of this whole adventure. He has a few years of DCS under the belt and has climbed the ranking with determination. He is the undisputed supreme and beloved leader of our team (and you better agree with that!) His experience, combined with excellent flying skills and ability to deal with personalities makes him the cornerstone of our small group of air simulation enthusiasts. Guizmo devotes considerable time to planning and preparing each flight, ensuring that every detail is cared for to ensure success. He also knows how to consider the opinions of other pilots, even when some enjoy derailing his plans. Guizmo has created a contagious team spirit and is a solid leader of our little nest of Hornets. He knows how to motivate us with new challenges and to push us to our limits (and, we have some... 🙂 ). He's also a fine diplomat who knows as much how to handle little personal clashes, as to share, exchange and delegate. He is very creative and has plenty of ideas. Sympathetic and charismatic, he doesn't take himself too seriously, but enough to make us dream. He's also passionate about RC helicopters, motorcycles and lots of other things. As leader of our EHC patrol, Guizmo is THE exemplary leader. His leadership, expertise and commitment make us appreciate to fly with him. R2D2, Goudi, Teken, Scal, Spotter, Drifter, Hunter, Pini.

Pascal, callsign R2D2 - HERON 2, Right wingman

An Anakin Skywalker unconditional and photography passionate. We can feel through his photo shots how this guy can manage to make a rose feel comfortable to the point of losing its petals. In the display team he is one of the two precision references in the first level wingmen role. He introduced to the team the idea of flying in very close formation as the Blue Angels do, then 3 and 4 started to work on it with him. He is also a precious wingman, having him on your right during missions is real asset. His support to a leader is outstanding, he strongly helped me tuning my way of leading the flight and sequencing orders and moves. Thanks for your help boy ! Your faithfully, #1

Claude, callsign Goudi – HERON 3, Left wingman

He loves as much bonsais as he dislikes computers. Maintaining the DCS and his setup can sometimes turn into his worst nightmare. He is the « loyal guy », never missed a single training over the last year, often reporting first on the flightline. With a strong character, one of the words he loves is « Respect ». With R2D2, he is the second accuracy pilar we needed to hold tight the Blue Box. He is also a good RC Helicopter pilot perfectly handling very nice auto-rotations. In the formation he prefers being a first-class wingman and hence fits perfectly for the number 3 role. Thanks for your constancy my friend for 15 years now ! See you soon, #1.

François, callsign Teken – HERON 4, Slot

C’est lui qui a introduit certains d’entre nous à DCS. C’est le « marcheur », un vrai amoureux de la nature. Cela fait plusieurs mois ou années qu’il veut photographier un Lynx. L’autre l’a déjà probablement trouvé. Il est calme et patient, toujours prêt à aider les autres avec leurs installations. C’est un découvreur de technologie, souvent le premier à essayer puis à partager l’info pour sauver du temps aux autres. Il aime les mécaniques ingénieuses et est toujours admiratif devant les belles choses. Merci pour ta générosité. Je te vois pas bientôt car tu voles derrière moi ! Salut 👋🏻, #1.

Gilles, callsign Scal – HERON 5, Opposing solo

He is one of the last recruits of the team. I just know him in real life for a few weeks, but I can already put a few works for him. He is the “Climber”, his fingers are modelled by the Swiss mountains, his hands are strong like trees, he can move like a spider on the granite walls. He is super gentle as well and extremely friendly, which got him to easily find his place within the team as Opposing solo. This guy is never complaining and naturally positive. He still needs some practice at the moment of write this, but he progresses at a fast pace. I also fly with him on public servers and the collaboration with him is strait forward. Again welcome mate, happy to know you ! Cheers #1.

Patrick, callsign Spotter – HERON 6 Solo leader

An old friend of mine with whom I had only occasional contact over the years, until we found out that we had both fallen separately into the DCS trap. His simmer career stated with FS4 and the Jane’s series in the 90’s, then he gave himself a short 20 years break to let technology mature… And now he is full on sims, probably enjoying more tweaking his cockpit setup, or stacking up software layers than actually flying. He probably logs the lower stick time of the team, but still pulls his part. I call him “The Engineer”, a surprising mix of popping ideas and maniac perfectionism in implementing them. As the Solo leader he has brough major contributions to our display program and keeps on seeking new ways to improve it, while bitching along the way at my constant program changes (engineers and management spec changes, you know how they like that!). He also can edit pretty good videos, which as a running joke I enjoy stealing from him to post on the teams’ social media. You deserve the challenge of solo leader dude! Very special regards, #1

Gilbert, callsign Drifter – HERON 7, Opposing solo backup

In a nutshell HERON 7’s job is to practice the program of 5. That allow the team to have a minimum of six pilots for trainings. His callsign comes from his way to execute very sportive rejoins, sometimes overshooting a bit… but hey, he is progressing a lot lastly. As some others in the floc he first is a friend in real life, well known for being a bit picky on food: red meat and pizzas are his favorites. He is the “Music Lover” of the group, with a passion for high quality music sets. Besides that he also enjoys nature photography. You are a great guy Gil ! Happy to see you enlisting for our trainings. Cheers, #1.

Sven, callsign Hunter – HERON 8, Solo leader backup

As with HERON 7, 8’s job is to cover for 6. He is the « Fisherman », he participates to fishing contest, but his real passion is for warbirds and airplanes. He never misses an airshow taking place withing his reach. He has the same role as Spotter, handling solo moves and also covering for any solo in the formation if needed. He is our youngest pilot and lives in a beautiful region in Switzerland, which lands him a very typical accent that nicely adds to his pretty direct and candid way of speaking, even about himself. Hope you will accomplish all your dreams boy, including all those about aviation ! Fly safe, Regards, #1.

Martin, callsign Single – HERON 9, Full back

Taking the last available slot he came to complete the team in May 2024. Smart and agile, he learns at the speed of light. In real life he is a hockey fan but also drive bikes over racing circuits. He is the “Racer” but also the “funny guy”. We’ll train him to replace most of the slots for the display. In a second time he’ll be the leader backup. For this he will receive some specific training on smoothness, trajectories management, communication and situation awareness. He currently flies in 2D mode, which tells already quite a lot about the guy skills. Welcome Single and thanks for completing the team. Cheers #1.

Jean-Luc, callsign Pegaze – HERON 10, Leader Form2

Our ranks were normally full, but the arrival of JL quickly convinced me of an opportunity to be seized. An IRL pilot and a specialist of the MB339 was a cocktail I couldn't pass up. What's more, he naturally blended in with the team. He's a curious guy, and his background, which I won't mention here, is out of the ordinary. By teaching him Case I, I was able to assess the finesse of his piloting and his ability to learn. On the other hand, with the MB339, we're planning crossings between patrols, so I needed a second flight leader, at the same time making a replacement leader for the fa18 (a position of little interest to our number 9). This also enabled me from time to time to fly within the pack and not just at the front. J-Luc has a refined and clear way of speaking, he's our "polite pilot". On a personal note, I'd just like to say that he used to be a heavyweight champion in a striking martial art, which contrasts with his natural pacifism. Thank you for what you bring to the team. Cheers #1.