Air Fighter Academy becomes ‘Luftraum Nord’
There has been a long period of uncertainty around the future of the German Air Fighter Academy warbird collection. But recently the colleagues of German aviation magazine Flug Revue revealed that the entire collection had already been sold to a new owner late in 2023.
For several years the Erlebniswelt Hangar10 (Experience World Hangar 10) at Heringsdorf Airport on the island Usedom in the North-East of Germany was the home the Air Fighter Academy.
Through the years a mouthwatering variation of (mainly German built) warbirds had found their way to Heringsdorf, such as Messerschmitt Bf-109s, a FlugWerk FW-190, multiple Bücker biplanes and a Fieseler Storch. These, together with Allied types as Harvard, Mustang, Spitfire and a Yakovlev Yak-9 were brought together by the founder of the Air Fighter Academy, Volker Schülke.
Unfortunately Schülke lost his life when the Pilatus P-2 D-EPIL he was flying crashed at Heringsdorf on 2 August 2020. After this tragic accident the future of the collection was at risk, especially when the warbirds of the Air Fighter Academy were offered for sale through Boschung Global of Switzerland. However Boschung aimed to avoid dispersing the collection around the globe and offered it in a package deal. This deal not only consisted of the airplanes but also the museum and the hangars at Heringsdorf.
Boschung Global has finally been able to find a buyer for the whole package. The new owner is well known German collector Karl F. Grimminger, an entrepreneur living in the area of München. He is the owner of ‘Luftraum Süd’ (‘Airspace South’) a collection of warbirds and historic airplanes such as Beech AT-11, Harvard, Hawker Hurricane, Fox Moth and Dragon Rapide. These are based at the airfield of Aalen-Elchingen near Neresheim in Baden-Württemberg.
To match with his ‘Luftraum Süd’ collection, Grimminger has (not surprisingly) decided to rename the Air Fighter Academy to ‘Luftraum Nord’ (‘Airspace North’). The good news is that the museum has reopened and that, whatever the name may be, the collection is still worth a visit!
From left to right:
Messerschmitt Bf-109G-14 D-FMGV 2 black
CASA built Bücker Bü-133 D-EPAX
Fieseler Fi-156 Storch D-EVAS
Sources: Boschung Global, Flug Revue
Photos: Boschung Global (formation) and Gert Jan Mentink