Good luck, good landing

“Krone” spot landing at the airfield in Waidmannsdorf

Josef Toth (left) and community leader Andreas Pirold with the plaque of seven-time model flying world champion Hanno Prettner.

(Bild: Klaus Loibnegger)

Air sports enthusiasts, police officers, researchers - the runways of the model airfield on the Südring are in high demand. Planes have been taking off from Waidmannsdorf for 75 years. Now also drones.

The traditional model airfield opposite the Wörthersee stadium now records up to 8,000 flight movements (i.e. take-offs and, in the best case, landings) per year. From gliders to electric planes and drones - the miniature airport in Waidmannsdorf, which has a 200-metre-long grass runway and a 100-metre-long asphalt runway, is a hive of activity from April to October.

And it's completely environmentally friendly. "We only allow electric flights. Combustion engines and kerosene are strictly prohibited at our facility," explains host Andreas Pirold, chairman of the Wörthersee Model Flying Group, in an interview with the "Krone".

In the 1980s, Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna flew in especially to take off in Waidmannsdorf - the "Krone" reported.

(Bild: Klaus Loibnegger)

The miniature airport in Waidmannsdorf is one of the oldest in Austria.

(Bild: Klaus Loibnegger)

The police also take off with their drones from the model airfield on the Südring.

(Bild: Klaus Loibnegger)

The passionate pilot can also celebrate two very special anniversaries this year. "We founded our interest group here exactly ten years ago - and we now have over 60 supporting members." Secondly, the airfield in Waidmannsdorf itself is celebrating its 75th birthday.

Our airfield is not only one of the oldest in Austria, but also the only one in Europe that is located in a town.

Hausherr Andreas Pirold

It is one of the oldest model airfields in Austria - and the "birthplace" of an unprecedented success story: Hanno Prettner, one of the world's most successful model airplane pilots, grew up on the one-hectare site.

Home airfield of 7-time world champion
The Klagenfurt native won a total of seven world championship titles - and in the mid-1980s, Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna came to Waidmannsdorf for a few flying laps. "Hanno was an exceptional pilot and a great person. The airfield has borne his name in his honor since 2019," says Pirold.

"Incidentally, the Hanno-Prettner runway is still the only model airfield in Europe that is located in the middle of a city," says Pirold, for whom flying means everything. Born in Grafendorf, he obtained his glider license at the Friesach/Hirt airfield in 1990, followed by his powered flight license two years later. "Flying was my big dream even as a child. You never forget your first solo flight for the rest of your life."

We wish our members, sponsors and all our flying friends a wonderful Advent and a Merry Christmas.

Andreas Pirold, I-MFG Wörthersee

After more than 100 flying hours, however, the Carinthian's dream came to an abrupt and premature end - Andreas Pirold had to stay on the ground due to illness. However, this did not diminish his passion for flying. "That's how I got into model flying. And founded our community in 2014." Together with his right-hand man Josef Toth, Pirold keeps things running at Südring all year round. And not "just" for their model flying colleagues.

Also in the service of science
The Carinthian police are also regular guests - to train their drone pilots and to use the facility as a flight operations center for major events. "The Alpen-Adria University also visits us often. To carry out experiments with their drones - one day they want to use them to explore Mars," reveals Pirold. And since last year, drone researchers from the renowned Joanneum Research have also been taking off and landing in Waidmannsdorf.