Langenselbold glider airfield
| Langenselbold glider airfield | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Characteristics | |||
| Coordinates | |||
| Height above MSL | 120 m (394 ft ) | ||
| Transport links | |||
| Distance from the city center | 2 km east of Langenselbold | ||
| Basic data | |||
| opening | 1953 | ||
| operator | Aero-Club Langenselbold eV | ||
| Start-and runway | |||
| 07/25 (runway) | 400 m of grass | ||
The Langenselbold glider airfield is an airfield on the eastern edge of the Hessian town of Langenselbold between the A66 motorway and the Kinzig river .
history
As early as the 1930s, the vineyard (Wingerte) to the north of today's airfield was used by the local Hitler Youth and the National Socialist Air Corps for gliding training.
After the end of the Second World War , former pilots and aviation enthusiasts from the surrounding areas came together in a community of interests and used the meadows south of Langenselbold for model flights . With the re-authorization of gliding by the Allies , the newly formed association began gliding operations on an area between the neighboring villages of Rückingen and Niederrodenbach . Due to the laying of a high-voltage line and the close proximity to the Langendiebach air base , the company moved to the site in Langenselbold, which is still in use today.
In the course of time, the airfield's infrastructure has been steadily expanded. In addition to a canteen building, which serves as a clubhouse with a workshop, a tower and two hangars were built . In 1979 one of the halls was destroyed by arson and completely rebuilt in the following years.
Numerous flight days took place on the site from 1953 to 2010 .
For the Hessentag 2009 the western part of the airfield was used as the “Hessentagsarena” for concerts by Peter Maffay and the Toten Hosen . After the stage had been dismantled, the radio station Hit Radio FFH organized a flight day under the motto “The Hessentag takes off”, which attracted around 60,000 visitors. The performances included flight demonstrations by the Royal Jordanian Falcons and the glider pilot Martina Kirchberg .
Flight operations
Several club-owned and private gliders , gliders with auxiliary engines and ultralight aircraft are stationed on the airfield . The field has an approx. 400 m long grass runway for take-off and landing. The pull-out section for winch cables is approx. 900 m long.
Touring motor gliders and microlight aircraft that are not part of the space require prior approval to approach the space.
Performance gliding
In addition to the regular training operations, numerous pilots use the airfield as a starting point for long-distance sail flights. In 1968 the pilot Elke Loos managed a record flight of 525 km from Langenselbold to Paris, which earned her the German championship title in free cross-country flight.
Pilots from the Aero Club Langenselbold have won various regional and national championship titles and competitions. In 2008 the club managed to win the first glider league and the world championship title in the IGC- OLC World League.
The flight instructor Susanne Schödel became world champion in the FAI 15-meter class in 2009 and 2011 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Barbara Hofmann: Loopings in the air and handstands on the wings. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, June 15, 2009, accessed on June 12, 2020 .
- ↑ Hendrik Buchheister: Kaiserslautern the glider pilot. Frankfurter Rundschau, September 15, 2008, accessed on June 12, 2020 .