Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Airport

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Aeropuerto de Madrid-Cuatro Vientos
Base Aérea de Cuatro Vientos
ECV AIRPORT FROM FLIGHT CMN-ORY (35289689376) .jpg
Characteristics
ICAO code LECU / LEVS
Coordinates

40 ° 22 '14 "  N , 3 ° 47' 7"  W Coordinates: 40 ° 22 '14 "  N , 3 ° 47' 7"  W.
Height above MSL 691 m (2267  ft )
Transport links
Distance from the city center 8 km southwest of Madrid
Basic data
opening 1911
operator Military administration u. AENA
Passengers 398 2008
Flight
movements 		50,507 2008
Runways
10/28 1500 m × 30 m asphalt
10L / 28R 1127 m × 45 m grass

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The Cuatro Vientos Airport ( span. Aeropuerto de Madrid-Cuatro Vientos ) is the oldest airfield in the Spanish capital Madrid . The airport is also used as the Base Aérea de Cuatro Vientos by the Spanish Air Force . In 2008, 50,507 aircraft movements were registered. In the immediate vicinity is the largest aviation museum in Spain with extraordinary historical aircraft and documentation.

In addition to Cuatro Vientos Airport, Madrid-Barajas Airport is the largest airport in Spain and the former US base in Torrejón , which is used for general aviation in addition to the military . In addition, there is a military airfield in the southern suburb of Getafe , which also houses the Airbus Group's manufacturing facilities.

history

On January 11, 1911, a military commission gave the War Ministry of Spain a recommendation to build a flight school on the Cuatro Vientos ("four winds") grounds at the gates of Madrid . The first construction work began on February 8th. A temporary flight control building and training barracks were built. Two hangars were ordered in France. The first two aircraft were ordered with a Henri Farman biplane , fitted with a 70 hp Gnome engine , and another Maurice Farman model with 80 hp engines. As early as March 12, 1911, the first airplane took off from the Madrid Cuatro Vientos airfield and crossed the city center of Madrid in a straight line. Further construction work began in the winter and in March 1912 the new hangars and the first flight control building were able to start operations.

1912 was also the founding year of the Spanish Air Force , the AME (Aeronáutica Militar Española) under the leadership of Captain Alfredo Kindelán equipped with four Farman MF7s , four Lohner T-1 "Pfeil" and three Nieuport II.

In 1918 an aviation institute with a laboratory was established. In 1920, in addition to the flight school, the Servicio Geográfico un Laboratorio Meteorológico de Aviación Militar, (military unit for aerial photographs, maps and weather observation) opens in Cuatro Vientos on January 26th. From 1920 to the end of 1925, numerous pilots were trained in the military flight school. The Escuela de Clasificación (flight school) was then moved to Guadalajara in 1927 . The first wind tunnel in Spain was put into operation in 1926. Two years later, the Aviation Technology, Research and Development College was founded - the Escuela Superior Aerotécnica . In 1929 a small additional airfield was built at the east end of the airfield, which bears the name El Loring .

Madrid-Cuatro Vientos was declared the alternative airport of Madrid-Barajas Airport in 1936 , and national scheduled services are started. During the Spanish Civil War , a fighter and bomber squadron was stationed on Cuatro Vientos on the orders of the Republican administration. In 1940 the Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aerospacial (INTA) was established and the Aviation Technology College became the Academia Militar de Ingenieros Aeronáuticos military academy . From then on she took over the training of aerospace engineers. Shortly thereafter, the Escuela de Transmisiones for engine technology followed.

In November 1947, the Real Aeroclub de España (RACE), the first private aviation club, was founded. In 1951 this was given 90,000 square meters of land in the eastern part of the airfield, and a paved runway 600 meters long was built. A year later, the Ministry of Aviation gave the RACE a further 338,000 square meters, the military remained on the remaining part. In 1957, Cuatro Vientos was transferred to a Category 3 airport by the Spanish Aviation Authority ( Aeronautica Civil ). In 1961 structural measures resulted in a strict separation of the airport into a military part in the north and the civil part of the airport in the south. In 1965, Madrid-Cuatro Vientos was officially declared Madrid-Cuatro Vientos Airport by statute. The classification in classification 1 took place in 1967. In 1970 the taxiways to the queuing area and terminal building were expanded, in July 1971 the national and international scheduled flight service was added to passenger operations.

In December 1975, the short asphalt runway was lengthened by 300 meters to 1200 meters and expanded to 30 meters wide and is now called RWY 10/28. At the same time, a paved natural slope with a length of 1650 meters and a width of 75 meters is being built. The RWY 10/28 runway was expanded again by 300 meters to 1500 meters and at the same time a new control tower and a handling building (terminal) were built.

Military use

As a military airfield , the base is home to the Ala 48 (Spanish wing, a squadron), with the Escuadróns 402 , 403 and 803 . The focus is on the center for cartography and aerial photography - Centro Cartográfico y Fotográfico. Short name: CECAF

Aircraft:

Civil use

Today, Cuatro Vientos is the location of general aviation for private flight schools and aviation clubs, the deployment base of the police helicopters (Servicios del Estado, Dirección General de la Policía, Dirección General de Tráfico (TRAGSA)), the aircraft yard and some aeronautical manufacturing and maintenance companies.

Worth seeing

Special

In 2003 Pope John Paul II celebrated a service with 700,000 young people on the military part of the airport. Also during World Youth Day 2011 , the site was the scene of a mass with Pope Benedict XVI. , with around 1.7 million young people.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Annual statistics of the Spanish airport operating company AENA (PDF; 65 kB)

Web links