Waalhaven Airport
| Waalhaven Airport | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Characteristics | |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 2 m (7 ft ) |
| Basic data | |
| opening | 1920 |
| operator | City of Rotterdam |
The Waalhaven airfield ( Dutch : Vliegveld Waalhaven, Flugfeld Waalhaven), also "Rotterdam (Waalhaven)" was an airfield in the Rotterdam district of Charlois .
It is named after the Waalhaven , a port on the left bank of the Nieuwe Maas in Rotterdam. The excavation that was left over during the dredging of the port was used as the basis for the airfield.
history
It was put into operation on July 26, 1920 as a civil airfield. He served passenger flights, including scheduled flights to Paris and London; for this it was considered an important hub. It was also a customs airport . From June 1924, the first cargo flights from the Netherlands began here. The airport had a 900 meter long runway, repair shops, hotels and restaurants. In addition to airplanes, airships such as the Graf Zeppelin (LZ 127) also operated here .
It was marked with a landing circle and with illuminated signs around the runway, in the northeast with a pilot light. There were obstacle and border lights. Three halls were available, two of them made of bricks (30 and 24 meters wide), one made of corrugated iron (40 meters wide).
The Dutch aviation industry had its roots here, including the Koolhoven aircraft factory (“Vocity Koolhoven”). The Rotterdamsche Aero Club was based here and founded the Nationale Luchtvaartschool .
From November 10, 1939, the 3rd fighter pilot division (3e jachtvliegafdeeling (JaVA)) of the Dutch Air Force was stationed here, and the Fokker GI aircraft were available.
On May 10, 1940, the airfield and the associated buildings were almost completely destroyed by German bombing and then occupied by airborne troops. Bombing from the Dutch and British sides followed to make the airfield unusable for the Germans.
The airfield was not rebuilt, the site now serves as an industrial or port area.
