Rechlin is a small village in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The town's airport was the Luftwaffe's main testing ground for new aircraft designs during the Third Reich. The Rechlin data sheets on Luftwaffe and captured Allied aircraft are considered by many aviation historians to be among the most reliable sources for aircraft performance data from the WW2 era.

The beginnings
Construction of the first airfield at Rechlin started in 1916; the airfield was officially opened on 29 August, 1918. After the end of World War 1, the airfield was closed again and many of its installations dismantled. During the 1920s, the airfield was reopened as a civilian airbase, but it was soon used as a testing ground for the secret German air force experiments under the Treaty of Rapallo. The site was probably chosen for its remote location in an almost uninhabited area.

During the Third Reich
In 1935, the Rechlin airfield became the official testing ground of the newly-formed Luftwaffe. The site was designated Erprobungsstelle (E-Stelle) and was expanded by constructing two more airfileds in nearby Roggenthin and Lärz. Construction work on the airfields and the accompanying barracks was partly carried out by forced labor from nearby concentration camp Ravensbr?ck.
Many of the Luftwaffe's new plane models were test flown at the Rechlin facilities; KG 200 with its array of captured planes was a regular guest at the airfields. After several Allied bombing runs on the Rechlin and Roggenthin airfields in 1944, testing of late-war planes was shifted to Lärz. On April 10, 1945, a final bomber attack by the US Air Force almost completely destroyed the airfields; what was left was blown up by the German garrison before Soviet troops arrived at Rechlin on May 2.

Post-war history
In 1946, the Soviet Air Force established a permanent presence at the airbase. An attack fighter squadron and later a helicopter squadron were stationed at Lärz; the airfield at Rechlin was used by the NVA. Military usage of the airfields continued until 1993, when the last Russian air force units were moved home. The Rechlin airfield was reopened for civilian use in 1994.

ICAO Code EDAX
Name RECHLIN - LÄRZ
Land Deutschland
Bundesland Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Letzte Änderung 13. November 2003

Kategorie Verkehrslandeplatz / Public Airfield
Betreiber / Operator Entwicklungs-und Betriebsgesellschaft Müritzflugplatz Rechlin-Lärz mbH

Lage / Location 0.5 NM N Lärz
Nachtflug / NVFR NVFR
LFZ / ACFT Bis / up to 14000 kg
Helicopter Ja / Yes
Motorsegler / GLDP Ja / Yes
Segelflugzeuge / GLD Ja / Yes
Ballone Ja / Yes
UL Ja / Yes
Fallschirmspringen / PJE Ja / Yes
H-GLD, Luftsportgeräte / Flying sports products
Summer Mon-Fri 0700-SS/1700, Sat, Sun, HOL0800-SS/1700
Winter 0800-SS/1700, Sat, Sun, HOL 0900-SS/1700
O/T PPR
Luftaufsicht / OPS +49 (0)39833 / 22282, Fax 22283
PPR +49 (0)39833 / 22282
AIS EDDB +49 (0)30 / 60918250
MET (0190) 077222
Gafor 14

Zoll / Customs Nein / No
Fuel 100 LL
Oil 15W50
Hangar Nein / No
Höhe / Elevation 220 ft / 67 m
FIS Berlin Information 126.350
Rufzeichen / Call sign Lärz Info
Frequenz Tower 129.975 GE
NAV Aids 069°/46 NM from BKD 117.70 226°/40 NM from FLD 117.15
Koordinaten 53 18, 31 N / 12 45, 13 E
Platzrunde / Traffic circuit N 1000
Landebahnen / RWY 1
RWY 2380 x 50 m, CONCRETE
RWY 08 TKOF 2080 m; LDG 2080 m
RWY 26 TKOF 2080 m; LDG 2080 m
MTOW PCN 37 R/A/W/T
Bemerkungen / Remarks Wohngebiete meiden!

Address:
ZIP / City D-17248 Lärz

Fon +49 (0)39833 / 22282

Images and information placed above are from http://www.airports.de/airport.php?ICAO=EDAX
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General Info
Country	Germany
ICAO ID	EDAX
Time	UTC+1(+2DT)
Latitude	53.306417 53° 18' 23.10" N
Longitude	12.753139 012° 45' 11.30" E
Elevation	220 feet 67 meters
Magnetic Variation	002° E (01/05)
Beacon	Yes
Operating Agency	CIVIL GOVERNMENT, (LANDING FEES AND DIPLOMATIC CLEARANCE MAY BE REQUIRED)
Alternate Name	MURITZ
Operating Hours	SEE REMARKS FOR OPERATING HOURS OR COMMUNICATIONS FOR POSSIBLE HOURS
Daylight Savings Time	Last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October

Communications
LARZ INFO	129.975

Runways
ID	Dimensions	Surface	PCN	ILS
08/26	7808 x 164 feet 2380 x 50 meters	CONCRETE.	037RAWT	NO

Supplies/Equipment
Fuel	100/130 MIL Spec, low lead, aviation gasoline (BLUE)

Remarks
CAUTION	PJE; gldr act using winch launchers.
FUEL	(NC-100LL)
MISC	Ldg fees.
OPR HOURS	Opr 0800-SS/1700Z; 0900-SS/1700Z Sat, Sun, hol. OT PPR. (0700-SS/1700Z Mon-Fri; 0800-SS/1700Z Sat, Sun, hol. OT PPR DT).
RSTD	Avoid ovft Larz.

Runway 08/26

7808 x 164 feet
2380 x 50 meters

The content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2005.
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