Wels airfield
| Wels airfield | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | LOLW |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 318 m (1043 ft ) |
| Transport links | |
| Distance from the city center | 2.5 km northeast of Wels (city) |
| Street | B138, A25 motorway |
| train | ÖBB timetable |
| Basic data | |
| opening | 1972 |
| operator | White Seagull Wels Aviation Club |
| surface | 105 ha |
| Runways | |
| 08L / 26R | 1390 m × 30 m asphalt |
| 08C / / 26C | 900 m × 45 m grass |
| 08R / 26L | 930 m × 50 m grass |
The Wels airfield (Flugplatz Welser Heide) is an Austrian public civil airfield and is located directly on the A 25 Wels motorway in Wels / Upper Austria . It is used for powered flight, ultralight, glider flight, parachute jump, model flight and is operated by the White Seagull Wels flying club. The airfield has an asphalt runway and two grass runways. The airport belongs to the Neustadt district ; Historically, the area of the airfield belonged to the municipality of Pernau, which was incorporated into Wels in 1938 .
history
Pre-war period
As early as 1910, the “Verein für Luftschiffahrt” had the idea of building an airfield at the current location. The area, which had been used as a drill and training area by the cavalry regiments of the Austro-Hungarian Army stationed in Wels since 1885 , was flat, as part of the Wels Heath , almost treeless and therefore offered itself for it. At the beginning of November 1910, the citizens of Wels organized the “1. Österreichische Flugwoche Wels ”, in which one of the legendary Wright flying machines was used.
In 1933 work began on what was then the military airfield's emergency landing site . The runway was 800 m long and 550 m wide. In 1935, the former commercial airport was converted into a military airport by the Austrian army. In 1936/37 numerous buildings and facilities were erected. In February 1938 the airport consisted of a command building, two crew buildings, an old hangar, four hangar hangars and various other objects.
time of the nationalsocialism
With the invasion of German troops in March 1938 ( Anschluss of Austria ), the Austrian air forces were disbanded and the German air force took over the Wels airfield. Hermann Göring , Commander in Chief of the Air Force, visited Wels in March 1938; This marked the beginning of the official establishment of the Air Force Ground Organization on Austrian territory.
In 1939 the extensive expansion of the air base began, for example new hangars were built. The area was significantly enlarged through relocation and basic redemptions. 37 settlement houses, farms and smallholders who were in the danger zone of the approach lane were removed. The tenants and residents of these houses were often expropriated and relocated. The Grünbach seeping into the area was diverted to the north. Before the start of the war, the III. Group of the Kampfgeschwader 76 . In Wels-Neustadt , several barracks and houses were built to accommodate Air Force personnel. In mid-March 1938 the "Reich German" Wels Air Base Command was set up in Wels, and at the beginning of July 1939 the Wels Airport Area Command (Koflug). From 1939/40 to 1945 there was a pilot school A / B Wels or A / B 115 or A 115 in Wels . More than 1,000 soldiers were trained by them.
The following table shows a list of selected active flying units (excluding school and supplementary units) of the Wehrmacht Air Force that were stationed here between 1938 and 1945.
| From | To | unit | equipment |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 1938 | April 1939 | III./KG 158 ( III.Group des Kampfgeschwader 158) | Dornier Do 17Z |
| May 1939 | August 1939 | III./KG 76 | Dornier Do 17Z |
| January 1940 | February 1940 | II./KG 76 | Dornier Do 17Z |
| March 1942 | March 1942 | II./St.G. 2 (II. Group of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2) | Junkers Ju 87B-1 , Junkers Ju 87B-2, Junkers Ju 87R-1, Junkers Ju 87R-2, Junkers Ju 87R-4, Junkers Ju 87D-1, Junkers Ju 87R-3 |
| November 1943 | July 1944 | II./ZG 1 (II. Group of Destroyer Squadron 1) | Messerschmitt Bf 110G-2 |
| November 1944 | April 1945 | Stab, III./KG(J) 27 | Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-9 |
| February 1945 | March 1945 | III./KG 4 | Heinkel He 111H |
On March 25, 1945, US planes bombed the airfield.
post war period
It was not until 1949 that model aircraft building was allowed again and on April 29, 1949 the Wels model building club "Weisse Möve" was founded. In September 1949, the first major event was held - a flight model exhibition and the “1. Austrian model glider competition ". At the end of 1949, the military authorities of the western occupation zones permitted flying gliders in Austria again. As early as February 1950, a 1,800 m² area directly adjacent to the airfield was purchased for 3.50 schillings per square meter and a barrack was built in the summer . The first attempt at flight on April 2, 1950 on the so-called “Indianerberg” west of Wels ended with broken wood and tattered canvas. The next flight attempts took place on the northern part of the airfield, which was not used by the Americans. Flight operations officially began on July 9, 1950.
In the first years of foundation, sensational advertising campaigns were carried out as part of the Welser Volksfest and the Rieder Messe . Leaflets were dropped for the companies Frank & Sons or the nitrogen works AG and others . For the Knorr company , soup cubes were thrown from glider pilots, which dangled from tissue paper parachutes when they fell. Twelve to 15 starts were completed on the ten days of the fair.
Another action was the implementation of a rubber rope start from the 1592 m high Feuerkogel . In November 1950 the action was started and a glider pilot was brought to the summit by cable car. The first flight worked immediately, the flight was canceled after two hours in order to carry out the planned three flights. During the second attempt to start, one side of the rubber rope team stumbled and the trap was released too early. After 40 m the "flight" was over and the aircraft was damaged. Since such starts were forbidden at the time, this action does not appear in either the chronicle or the press.
Another unusual action was the first jump after the end of the war with an automatic parachute on October 11, 1953. Walter Markl, paratrooper in World War II, made this jump from a height of 300 m.
The first airplane crash was recorded on June 8, 1955. A brand new L-Sparrow glider plane crashed from 100 m. The pilot was only slightly injured.
The powered flight school opened on July 19, 1959 and is run on behalf of the regional association of the Austrian Aero Club . In the 1960s, a second runway was created with a length of 1240 m and a width of 50 m.
Official opening
Asphalting work on Ostrollweg began in March 1971, and the sports slope was built in September. The official opening of the Wels airfield took place on May 6, 1972. By decision of June 27th, the state government declared the Wels airfield to be a "public civil airfield".
additional
The first manned battery-electric powered flight took place here on October 21, 1973 . The airplane (Militky-Brditschka) MB E1, OE-9023, based on an HB-3 , was converted to an electric drive by Fred Militky , who has already equipped his model airplanes with quiet electric motors. The aircraft with a take-off weight (MTOW) of 440 kg was built in a short construction period and in cooperation with the battery manufacturer Varta and Bosch as the engine supplier. After a 70 m take-off run, the aircraft took off on a 14-minute first flight, the height reached was 300 to 360 m above ground, the maximum speed 139 km / h. The pilot was Ing.Heino Briditschka .
Data
location
- Height: 318 m above sea level MSL
- Area: 105 ha
Frequencies
White Seagull Wels Aviation Club (WMW)
On April 29, 1949, the founding meeting of the Wels model club, the “White Seagull”, took place in the “Roter Krebs” inn in Wels on the town square. Years later, the spelling “seagull” was chosen.
Three months after it was founded, the WMW had 40 members, by the end of 1949 it had 62. In 2015, the WMW was the largest aviation club in Austria with around 600 members. The association has five sections: parachute , powered flight , ultralight , glider and model flight .
In 2006 the WMW had 28 aircraft (powered aircraft VFR , IFR , 3-axis ULs, powered gliders and gliders).
Lease, political
There is currently a 25-year lease agreement with the municipality of Wels, which will run until 2027 and which, if not renewed, will allow the airport operator to use it until 2030 thanks to a notice period.
In the past, local media occasionally addressed the issue of aircraft noise . In 2007 there were plans by the municipal authorities of the city of Wels to relocate businesses to the area, although the rental agreement for the use of the airfield extends into 2027.
According to a report from 2005, the area had "a high ecological value with a diverse flora and fauna".
Wels airfield as a habitat for rare plants and animals
The airfield and the surrounding meadow area are the remains of the Wels Heath . The Wels airfield represents the largest contiguous extensive grassland area of the entire Danube lowland between Passau and St. Pölten . Together with the directly adjacent military training area, this is approx. 130 hectares of meadow area. The meadow area is also fenced and almost treeless. Around 1990 the fertilization of the meadows was reduced and from 1998 it was completely stopped. The meadows are also mowed late. The White Möve Wels flying club pays the farmers compensation for this. The meager Schötter soils of the lower terrace haggard without fertilization in the following years. This starvation towards poor meadows was reflected in the increasing growth of flowers. Species such as Carthusian carnation , field thyme, and wound clover now bloomed in abundance. Species such as skylark , lapwing , partridge , stonechat , curlew , quail and gray bammer breed on the site . These birds either no longer occur in the area or breed at a significantly lower density. The extensification of meadow use also led to the settlement or re-settlement of numerous species. So in 1997 the first breeding pair of the curlew settled . The population increased to eight to ten breeding pairs in the following years. With 6.3 breeding pairs per square kilometer, a top value for Central Europe was achieved. With 22 to 24 lapwing territories, the airfield is home to the largest lapwing colony in Upper Austria. The population density of the skylark with around 100 territories, the partridge with 15 to 20 territories and five to six stonechat territories is very high. In addition to the extensive use of meadows, the reduced enemy pressure through predators plays a role. This is due to the fact that ground predators like the red fox cannot access the mostly fenced-in area and flying predators like carrion crows have no stand waiting due to the lack of trees and bushes. The airfield also attracts numerous birds as a resting area. The last occurrence of the green toad is located on the site . Among the numerous types of insects there are rarities such as tooth rust saw bees and short-tailed blues . In recent years several species have been found that were considered extinct in Upper Austria. These species include the maple leaf weevil , steppe furrow bee and amazon ant . With the Grain Bock even a new proof for the whole of Upper Austria was successful. Despite massive protests by nature conservation associations, an AC / DC concert with 95,000 visitors was held on May 22, 2010, International Day of Biodiversity and in the middle of the breeding season . After the concert, a patch of mud covered with rubbish remained. Because of heavy rain on the day of the concert, large quantities of wood chips were distributed. Vogler Air Base , ten kilometers away , is equally important as a habitat for bird species.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Cf. Markus Rachbauer: The German Wehrmacht in Wels 1938-1945. In: Stadt Wels (Ed.), National Socialism in Wels, Volume 3, Wels 2015, p. 109ff.
- ↑ Henry L. deZeng IV: Air Force Airfields 1935-45 Austria (1937 Borders) , accessed on September 4, 2014
- ↑ www.461st.org: 461st Bombardment Group (H)
- ↑ Franz Zussner: Photo report from the second rollout of the world's first electric aircraft austrianwings.info, October 27, 2017 accessed November 12, 2017.
- ↑ on the aircraft fleet, see also archive link ( Memento of the original from January 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Aircraft inauguration on Sunday July 17, 2005: A celebration of joy and satisfaction Cumulus 3/2005, Journal of the flying club and airport operator Weisse Möwe Wels, July / September 2005, accessed November 11, 2017. - In recognition of his commitment as mayor to the Welser Airport and the extension of the lease for a further 25 years up to (including the notice period) 2030 (p. 38 f., 66 p., PDF)
- ^ ORF.at - New plans for the Wels airfield, January 11, 2007
- ↑ OÖN ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - Now the Wels airfield is also a topic in the state parliament, October 10, 2005
- ↑ Hans Uhl: meadow birds in Upper Austria. In: Ornithological News from Upper Austria. 19 / 1–2, 2010, pp. 27–36.
- ↑ Josef Limberger, Martin Schwarzer: An oasis for rare species and habitats - the Wels airfield. In: ÖKO.L magazine for ecology, nature and environmental protection. Volume 32, Issue 3, Linz 2010, pp. 22-27 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
- ^ Hans Uhl: Of species-rich airfields and impoverished cultural landscape. In: ÖKO.L magazine for ecology, nature and environmental protection. Volume 35, Issue 3, Linz 2013, pp. 20–35 ( PDF on ZOBODAT ).
