After an 18-year odyssey through Fürstenfeldbruck, Schleswig/Jagel and Jever, Alpha Jet 40+44, the “Gaudy Bird” of the Air Wing Jubilee in 1984, has returned home.
With conservation work done and having been given a new paint job at the Jever Air Force Maintenance Unit, it was taken to Oldenburg by a low-bed truck where it has been re-assembled by a dedicated team of members of the Traditionsgemeinschaft, headed by Hans Laufersweiler, the “grey one”, and given what is hoped to be its permanent place in front of our association and exhibition building.
Find more in image gallery 6.
Meaning to reduce our stock of exhibits ahead of the relocation to the former medical building, we have begun to part from a number of exhibits because the new premises are – at least partially – too limited in space.
A team from the Luftwaffenmuseum (Air Force Museum) in Berlin-Gatow paid us a visit and left taking the 1:3-scale models of the G.91 and the Alpha Jet as well as the ejector seat of the MiG 29 with them. In addition, Dieter Urban has packed up the 1:5-scale model of the F-86 Sabre, which we had on loan at the old place, planning to make it fit to fly again.
A landmark of the airbase has gone. The red-and-white communication tower with the Viking squadron shield was blown up during a THW (Technical Assistance Association) exercise. The former quarters of the medical unit were leveled in due course to create space for a new residential area. The following link provides a video of the blast. The former officers mess can be seen in the background.
More than 30 members of the Traditionsgemeinschaft spent some interesting time viewing the shipyard of Abeking & Rasmussen at Lemwerder, specializing in the construction of high-priced yachts and special-purpose vessels.
Everybody found an 80-meter yacht docked at the quay preparing for launching particularly impressive. They were surprised to hear that boats of that type are allowed to carry but 12 (written out in full: twelve) passengers – with more than twelve persons the boat would be considered a passenger vessel for which special rules and regulations would apply, e.g. with regard to life boats and fire precautions.
If the owner of such a yacht wanted to have a party with more guests, that would only be permissible with the yacht moored at the quay; the vessel must not be under way.
You see – oligarchs and sheiks do not always have an easy time of it.
“Foxes” and “Vikings”
Unfortunately, there isn’t room enough at our new premises to display the “ancestral gallery” of the “Vikings”. Gerd Tresbach affixed legible name tags to photos where necessary, and Udo Reinsch has put them together for a photo book that contains all available picture material from 1961 to 1993. It is regrettable that there is no comprehensive pictorial history of the “Foxes” – photos that cover the period from 1963 to 1973 are completely missing. But at least all available photos from Leck and Oldenburg have been digitalized and incorporated into the photo book and thus pictures of the pilots of the two squadrons are on record to the greatest possible extent. We have the photo book on sale; the price is 30 € – that is expensive but just covers the cost of production.
On another day`s excursion 30 members of the Traditionsgemeinschaft headed for Wunstorf and Air Transport Wing 62. Attention was focused on the Luftwaffe`s new transport aircraft, the A 400 M. There was a presentation of the new aircraft, and a great number of questions about its strong and weak points were answered. Participants also had the opportunity of taking a look at the inside of that “big bird”.
After lengthy negotiations with VEBEG we have succeeded in acquiring the front section of an Alpha Jet. Plans are to completely reassemble the front cockpit. Special thanks goes to the Portuguese Air Force that supplied all missing gauges and controls totally without any red tape and free of charge.
Image gallery #10 shows a number of photographs.
The Oldenburg Film team consisting of Gerold Kehmeier, Norbert Pollak and Wolfgang Meyer made a film about the history of Oldenburg Air Base. In it, many ex-members make their contributions. The Commemorative Association was able to support the endeavour supplying lots of photographs, moving pictures plus general background knowledge.
To view the video please follow this link: https://youtube/FK35SNC8WCc
In connection with the November Beer Call the restored cockpit of an Alpha-Jet could be presented to the public. It took members of the Traditionsgemeinschaft numerous hours to turn a detached empty segment of the fuselage into a fully equipped, accessible cockpit. Page 10 of our image gallery tells the story of the restoration. There is a photo book on “Project Cockpit” available at our fan shop.
Download the pdf file that tells the history of the reconstruction of the cockpit
30 members of the Traditionsgemeinschaft took part in this year`s TG on Tour to Dresden that included a sightseeing tour, visits to Our Lady` s Church (Frauenkirche), the Army`s Officer Training College, the Königstein Fortress and the Museum of Military History. Participants enjoyed themselves in what was mainly good weather.
You will find a number of photos of the trip in image gallery #5.