A Watchful Veteran

In Germany, at Wutachschlucht near the Black Forest, the glider airfield Reiselfingen provides the best conditions for longer or breathtaking scenic flights.

An old Mercedes-Benz 813 with a powerful winch and a long cable helps the glider to get airborne. However this is not the only classic at the airport: this L 319 was converted into a control tower.

Jürgen is sitting in the retrofitted glass turret. He now takes over the air traffic control. That means he gives the starting and landing gliders and light aircraft information about the airfield, air traffic and the current weather conditions. He also documents all aircraft movements on site. During his shift Jürgen is in close contact with colleagues on the winch and he also operates the warning lights that indicate an impending take-off. His laptop is supplied with power from solar panels.

The vintage van is no longer street legal. It has spent about 25 years of its retirement at the airfield and after the day’s work drives back slowly into the hanger.

The club chairman Markus Halbig said, “it only needs to drive about a kilometer at a time. It does this with any problems, although it would certainly never pass an MOT test anymore.”

On the 9th September 2012, the Reiselfingen flying club will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an airfield fete. Classic fans will get their money’s worth there as many historic gliders are on display.

http://www.sfg-reiselfingen.de/index.html