Soest-Bad Sassendorf Airfield (
ICAO
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...
: EDLZ), located in the
Sauerland
The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited.
The Sauerland is the largest tourist region in ...
region close to
Soest and the
Möhnesee
Möhnesee is a municipality in the district of Soest, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Geography
The Möhnesee municipality is situated around the Möhne Reservoir (hence the name), approx. 10 km south of Soest.
History
On the night of ...
, between the
A 44 and
B 1, is now a civilian
airfield
An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
. It is rated / approved as a 'special landing site'. These are often used by private
aero club
A flying club or aero club is a not-for-profit, member-run organization that provides its members with affordable access to aircraft.
Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and associated services, as ...
s. Unlike a commercial airfield, only the operators (and upon request also third parties) may take off and land. There is no obligation to operate, and therefore published opening times are not required.
In 2001, the airfield saw the launch of the Airfisch 8
ground effect vehicle
A ground-effect vehicle (GEV), also called a wing-in-ground-effect (WIG), ground-effect craft, wingship, flarecraft or ekranoplan (russian: экранопла́н – "screenglider"), is a vehicle that is able to move over the surface by gainin ...
, designed to fly only above the water's surface.
Military history
Previously been used by the
Royal Canadian Army from 1953 to 1971, in the latter part of the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...
(from 1971 until mid-1994),
3 Regiment Army Air Corps
3 Regiment Army Air Corps (3 Regt AAC) is a regiment of the British Army and is part of the 16 Air Assault Brigade and Attack Helicopter Force (AHF), which is under the authority of the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC). As of April 2022, this regi ...
(3 AAC) of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
was based here. 3 AAC operated
Westland Scout AH1,
Westland Gazelle AH1, and
Westland Lynx AH1 and AH7 helicopters.
AAC units based there included:
653,
654
__NOTOC__
Year 654 ( DCLIV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 654 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...
,
660,
662
Year 662 ( DCLXII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 662 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became ...
, and
663
__NOTOC__
Year 663 ( DCLXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 663 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...
squadrons. Following the drawdown of
British Forces Germany
British Forces Germany (''BFG'') was the generic name for the three services of the British Armed Forces, made up of service personnel, UK Civil Servants, and dependents (family members), based in Germany. It was established following the Secon ...
(BFG), 3 Regiment Army Air Corps subsequently relocated to
Wattisham Airfield
Wattisham Airfield is an operational Army Airfield located next to the village of Wattisham in Suffolk, England. It is home to 3 Regiment Army Air Corps and 4 Regiment Army Air Corps. They are part of the Attack Helicopter Force (AHF) wi ...
, Suffolk, England.
Site / services
The length of the airfield main runway is , while the glider winch launching distance is about long. They are both grass runways, with headings 07/25. The traffic pattern runs south, as the northerly air space is reserved for
skydivers. The airfield frequency is 122.600 MHz. There is a fuel station at the airfield with
Avgas
Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles, ...
,
Mogas, and
Jet A-1
Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial av ...
available.
Flying operations
Two clubs are based here: the Flugsportgemeinschaft Soest e.V (Soest Flying Club) operating powered aircraft and gliders, and the Fallschirmsportclub Soest-Bad Sassendorf e.V (Soest-Bad Sassendorf Skydiving Club). There is also a
gyrocopter flying school
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills.
Flight training can be conducted under a st ...
operating here, run by the ''Flugdienst Sauerland''. Flying is usually on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays (occasionally also on normal business days), weather permitting. The gliding season runs regularly from late March or early April to late October or early November. Powered flight takes place year-round.
The small airfield also holds flying days where
aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in conventional passenger-carrying flights. The term is a portmanteau of "aerial" and "acrobatics". Aerobatics are performed in aeroplanes and glide ...
and stunts are presented by professional pilots and aerobatic pilots.
See also
*
List of airfields and special landing sites in Germany (German Wikipedia page)
*
German-language Wikipedia article - from which this article was started.
References
External links
Flugsportgemeinschaft Soest e.V.— flying club
Segelflieger der Flugsportgemeinschaft Soest e.V.— gliding club
Fallschirmsportclub Soest-Bad Sassendorf e.V.— skydiving club
Soester Flugtagen— air days
{{Authority control
History of the British Army
Airports in North Rhine-Westphalia
Soest (district)