Finally I have time to get on with my logs of our Austrian trip. So here we go again
As said we ended in Linz yesterday, and now we would work our way further eastbound. First stop was a little airfield near St. Valentin, but that turned out to be a model aircraft flying club only... So we quickly moved on to another small airfield, where we we more lucky.
Leutzmannsdorf
D-ECSO Stearman former id?
Nobody was present, but we managed to read a few aircraft off through gaps in the hangar doors. The above Stearman was a very nice surprise. Unfortunately there is no info whatsoever on the web, apart from a picture (see here: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/1261722/M/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ). A former ID would be highly appreciated!
Then we made a detour to Hubhof, where we hoped to see the preserved J.29.
Marchenland, Hubhof
(29560/E ye) J.29F pr, blue & white c/s
To get to this location exit the A1 at exit 80 near Melk. Cross the Donau, and get on road 3 in the direction of Spitz and Krems. After some 8 km you get to the village of Aggsbach Markt. Here you have to turn left in the centre of the village, and follow the signs to Marchenland. This will lead you up the hills, and in our case this meant up in the snow and fog again. The park was closed for winter (as we knew before we came here), and no matter how hard we tried we didn't see the Tunnan. But since there was a house nearby which looked like it had to to something with the amusement park I decided to knock on the door. And luck was with us again; there was somebody home, they were the owners of the park, and we were allowed to have a look at the Tunnan! I can't be sure that the Tunnan is not visible from outside, but it is up the hill and in our case probably hidden in the fog. But even without the fog I would say it would be very difficult to see it, as it is displayed behind a line of trees. Anyway, we got it!
And then another operational base.
Tulln-Langenlebarn
3G-ED PC-6/B2-H2 FlRgt 1, 4 st
3G-EJ PC-6/B2-H2 FlRgt 1, 4 st
6M-BB S-70A-42 FlRgt 1, 1 st
6M-BF S-70A-42 FlRgt 1, 1st
17 J.35OE pr
This was rather disappointing. Since most gaps in our Austrian register were PC-6's we had hoped to score a lot here. But the horrible weather didn't help at all, and there was hardly any activity. Also none of the instructional airframes recently reported by Perry Dirkx were seen. We stayed around for about an hour, and decided to leave again after that with just a single new aircraft in the pocket. The Draken is preserved on a roundabout a few kilometers away from the airbase by the way, along the ringroad south of the city.
Very nearby is the airfield of Stockerau, which should house Stearman LY-AVS according to EMOOS. We did visit the place, and got access to all hangars again, but unfortunately the Yak had moved on some two years ago. Apparently there were problems with renewing the certificate in Austria, so it moved on to some Eastern European country (our guide thought Czech Republic but wasn't sure). That probably explains why there are so few Yak-52's in Austria by the way. Anyway, a classical case of "too late"...
Then we went on to Hollabrun.
Hollabrunner Technik Leistungszentrum, Hollabrun
3B-HN OH-13H pr
To get here follow the B303 and take the second exit at Hollabrun (just after crossing the railway). Go into the town (along the Anton Ehrenfried Strasse), and turn left immediately before the railway crossing. The first left again will lead you along the HTL. The chopper is in the main hallway at the ground floor. It MIGHT be visible through the glass doors if the school is closed, but when we were there some maintenance work was being done, and part of the hallway was fenced off with screens so you really had to go inside to see it. No problem with entering the school or photographing the helicopter, we were even allowed to remove the plastic sheets that were covering it from paint and dust for our pictures. Nice!
Then it was time for another gamble. A long drive, without any actual sightings, but the aircraft was there!
Testfuchs company, Gross Siegharts
38-12 F-104G pr, ex 24+60
This Starfighter is preserved with the above company. Drive into the village, make your way to the centre (horrible street signs here), and try to find the road to Raabs. If you get on this road, the Raabser Strasse (how original), the Starfighter will be on a pole on your left just before you leave the village. It is in what looks like German navy grey c/s, with a registration in original German style, but with the company logo (I think) instead of the Iron Cross.
So very happy we made our way back towards Vienna, with almost none visibility the first few kilometers. I don't think I ever drove in such thick fog before!
We almost skipped the MiG-21 at Gerasdorf (just above Vienna) since a friend had said it had gone by last September, but I saw a report on the internet which still mentioned it, so we decided to give it a try anyway.
Fa. Unger, Gerasdorf bei Wien
1706 MiG-21PF pr, ex Pol AF
This is preserved at a Mercedes parts dealer at the Brunner Strasse 158, which is the B7/E461. But be aware, this road starts in Vienna, and if you get to number 158 you are still in Vienna and not in Gerasdorf. You have to continue some more kilometers along the same road, and then you'll see the MiG-21 on poles on the right hand side of the road. You really can't miss it, as long as you drive on long enough! (sorry, Pieter....) The remains of a badge could be seen on the nose, is this the badge of 41 PLM (the last unit it served with)?
And that was the last stop of the day. We headed on towards Graz, as we wanted to start our day there tomorrow. Only stop we still planned was a MacD, but when you need one you can't find one. So we drove on and on til we actually reached Graz, and very hungry we finally found a restaurant there.
As always any comments, additions and corrections are very welcome.
That's all folks!
Frank Mink & Patrick Dirksen
Tristar Aviation