Cottbus Air Base Explained

Cottbus Air Base
Nativename:Flugplatz Cottbus-Nord
Icao:ETHT
Pushpin Map:Germany
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of airport in Germany
Pushpin Label:Cottbus
Pushpin Label Position:left
Type:Military
Operator:Flugplatzmuseum Cottbus
Location:Cottbus
Elevation-F:220
Elevation-M:67
Coordinates:51.7686°N 14.2953°W
Website:http://www.flugplatzmuseumcottbus.de/
R1-Number:08/26
R1-Length-F:7,741
R1-Length-M:2,360
R1-Surface:Concrete
Footnotes:Source: Military Airfield Directory

Cottbus Air Base (German: Flugplatz Cottbus-Nord"Airport Cottbus-North") is a former military airport that is 2km (01miles) north-west of Cottbus in Brandenburg, Germany.

History

During World War II the air base in Cottbus was used by the Luftwaffe and during the 1970s and 1980s by the National People's Army. Following German reunification until 2004, the air base was also used by the Bundeswehr.[1]

Present

The airport is currently closed to air traffic, although the concrete runway has been designated for use by cargo flights in the event of an emergency. There is an aerospace museum on site, the entire runway while still present, is now in use as a solar electric power farm with solar panels mounted on a framework above the runway. The runway overruns at the SWW AND NEE ends of the runway also remain but are not covered by solar panels.

Future

Having been bought by the local government in 2007,[2] the city of Cottbus plans to turn the former air base into an industrial park, creating around 1,000 jobs.[3] [4]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Flugplatz Cottbus. Military Airfield Directory. 10 January 2010. German.
  2. Web site: Flugplatz Cottbus-Nord im Süden Brandenburgs verkauft. Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben. 10 January 2010. German.
  3. Web site: The Property. Cottbus.de. 10 January 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101229105414/http://www.cottbus.de/unternehmer/tip/the_property,255030420.en.html. 29 December 2010. dead.
  4. Web site: Jürgen. Becker. Auf Ex-Flugplatz Cottbus-Nord sollen 1000 Jobs entstehen. Lausitzer Rundschau. 25 July 2007. 10 January 2010. German.