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Leisure Aviation at Fredrichshafen Germany

During my trip to the UK with Allan Usherwood to load the Druine Turbulent into a container, I planned a short trip to the largest airshow in Europe being held at Frederichshafen. It's a large airfield with 11 main heated large hangars including a central courtyard area (displaying military hardware of the German Airforce), a large terminal building, many restaurants and a new Airship hangar with two Airships inside. Across the other side of the airfield is a small International Air Terminal (tiny in comparison to one of the large heated hangars).

I eventually contacted one of the people I wanted to meet and he arranged some accommodation at a small hotel in town. It was unfortunate that all the people I wanted to meet and talk with were unable to be there while I was attending the airshow. I should have taken Barry Ranfords suggestion to stay a week but I thought if everyone was there I could do my business with them over a couple of days; and then back to the UK to visit Duxford and the Shuttleworth Collection before returning to Australia. The usual saying “the best laid plans of men and mice etc”; so I didn't get to see the people I wanted to see.

I enjoyed the exhibitions held in 10 of the 11 large heated hangars; they had model aircraft in one hangar with a flying section down one end where the models were flown (with safety nets suspended from the roof to protected visitors from close encounters with a model aeroplane).

In the second hangar was full of vintage gliders, while in the third hangar they had modern gliders. The next two hangar had the largest collection of Ultralight Aircraft I ever seen outside of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Several countries had exhibitions covering at least half a hangar including Russia, the Ukraine, Czech Republic etc.

I spent an entire today just walking around looking at the variety of exhibitions (as you will see from my photographs); most were conventional but some were definitely futuristic types of aircraft. I was also able to purchase a large magazine called the World Directory Leisure Aviation (similar to Aerocrafter in the USA) which has over 1000 Paragliders, Ultralights, Microlights, Para-motors, Hang Gliders, Homebuilts, Gyrocopters, Paraplanes, Light Sailplanes, Helicopters, all the accessories, importers, engines and magazines available.   Australia was well represented by Jabiru Aircraft and Engines; also Rotec radial engines from Australia seem quite popular.

The variety of engines including the new Diesel Engines were very interesting, especially a V8 diesel engine called a Centurion 4 by Thielert Aircraft Engines. There were also Limbachs engines, Jabiru engines,  Walter Mikron 111b 4 cylinder inverted inline engines by Parma Technik sro, Lom Praha M132 & M137 inverted inline 4 cylinder and many other 4 cylinder horizontally opposed engines (VW type engines) including two new designs from the Czech Republic on which the manufacturing rights are available.

The only trouble I had was with the public address system at the “Exhibition” was with the airshow part of the program which was all gibberish to me as it seems they speak German in Germany! Although I must admit many of the German people could speak English and that made things relatively easy for me, once they realized I was from Australia.

After the airshow in Germany - I travelled on to London, staying with George & Rose in Somerset, and visiting Duxford and the Shuttleworth Collection