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Old 26th Jul 2016, 08:34
  #19 (permalink)  
EDMJ
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Munich, Germany
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Neubiberg is long since completely dead and gone. It's a park, and the local municipality has even explicitly forbidden flying model aircraft on the site (gliders included). The buildings to the North of the runway belong to the University of the German Armed Forces, who test various vehicles on the apron and taxiway remains

The runway markings you see on satellite pictures are the remains of a last-ditch attempt by the local flying club to make friends with the locals (after years of not giving a damn about people who don't actually like the sound of small aircraft): Two runways in succession were marked out on the +2,000m single runway. With an easterly wind, for example, you'd take off from RWY 07 West and land on RWY 07 East.

It didn't work. Neubiberg's licence was linked to that of the old Munich Airport, so when the latter closed in 1992, its slow death started and final closure was in 1997 (I think). Property developers had set their sights on the place - one of whom was a pilot in Neubiberg himself and behind the scenes did all he could to get the place closed - but I think fear of what had been more or less intentionally buried on the site over the years stopped those plans.

A small group of around 50 people managed to scupper plans to convert Fürstenfeldbruck into a GA airport for Munich a couple of years ago, and that is now also completely closed. That was the last available alternative.

In my 26 years in Munich I have witnessed the closure of three major airports (Riem, Neubiberg and Fürstenfeldbruck) and fourth will follow in the near future (the military airfield in Erding). An unparalleled waste of public infrastructure and resources.

Last edited by EDMJ; 26th Jul 2016 at 08:59. Reason: .
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