Zeltweg Air Base
Austrian airbase and former race track
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zeltweg Air Base, known in German as Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser, is a military airfield in Styria, Austria near Zeltweg. It is the main airfield of the Austrian Air Force. It was also used as a motor racing circuit in the 1960s.
Zeltweg Air Base Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Location | Austria | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 2,238 ft / 682 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 47°12′8″N 14°44′32″E | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  LOXZ Location of Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser in Austria | |||||||||||||||
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| Source: Landings.com[1][2] | |||||||||||||||
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History
Zeltweg Air Base has been home to the Austrian Air Force's Surveillance Squadron since 1976, operating a variety of jet types, including Saab 35OE Draken until 2005, Northrop F-5E Tiger II, and Eurofighter Typhoons since 2007.[3]
It is also a base for training aircraft, such as the Saab 91 Safir (retired 1992),[4] the Pilatus PC-7 (12 in service, since 1984) and the Diamond DA 40NG (4, since 2018).[5]
AirPower air show
Since 1997, the AirPower show is held at Zeltweg. The 2003 and 2005 editions featured Red Bull Air Race events.[6][7] The show was held in 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2019.[citation needed] It is scheduled to be held again in 2022.[8]
Franz Hinterstoisser, after whom the airfield was named, was an early pioneer of Austrian aviation (1863-1933).[9]
Zeltweg Military Aviation Museum
Hangar 8 of Hinterstoisser Air Base is home to the "Zeltweg Military Aviation Museum" (Militärluftfahrtmuseum Zeltweg), a branch of the Vienna Museum of Military History (Heeresgeschichtliches Museum). The collection includes over 25 historic aircraft, and associated military equipment.[10]
Aircraft on display include;[11][12]
- Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopter
- Agusta-Bell 204 helicopter
- De Havilland DH.115 Vampire
- Fouga CM.170 Magister
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21R (Yugoslav AF)
- Saab J29F
- Saab 35OE Draken
- Saab 105 jet trainer
- Short SC.7 Skyvan
- Yakovlev Yak-18 - the first aircraft to enter service with the Austrian Armed Forces of the Second Republic
Saab J29F
Saab 35OE Draken
MIG 21R
Skyvan SC-7
Saab 91 Safir (now preserved at Zeltweg Museum)
General view of museum
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Motorsports
 Grand Prix Circuit (1957–1968) | |
| Location | Zeltweg, Styria, Austria |
|---|---|
| Opened | 6 October 1957 |
| Closed | 25 August 1968 |
| Major events | World Sportscar Championship 500km of Zeltweg (1966–1968) Formula One Austrian Grand Prix (1964) |
| Grand Prix Circuit (1957–1968) | |
| Length | 3.186 km (1.980 mi) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Race lap record | 1:04.820 ( Jo Siffert, Porsche 908, 1968, Group 6) |
Built in 1957 in Styria, the idea for the track came from the United Kingdom's success at Silverstone Circuit, also built on the site of an airfield. However, the track engineers at Zeltweg failed to take into account the abrasive nature of the surface. A lone Formula One World Championship Grand Prix was held in 1964. The World Sportscar Championship Zeltweg 500 Kilometres was held later, until the track was abandoned in 1969 following the construction of the purpose-built Österreichring nearby at Kattigar.
Lap records
The Formula 1 lap record on the Zeltweg Airfield circuit is 1:10.560 by Dan Gurney in a Brabham BT7, while the overall lap record is 1:04.820 and was set by Jo Siffert in a Porsche 908 during the 1968 Zeltweg 500 Kilometres.[13] The fastest official race lap records at the Zeltweg Air Base are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Prix Circuit (1957–1968): 3.186 km (1.980 mi) | ||||
| Group 6 | 1:04.820[13] | Jo Siffert | Porsche 908 | 1968 500km of Zeltweg |
| Group 4 | 1:09.400[14] | Denny Hulme[a] Paul Hawkins[a] | Ford GT40[a] | 1967 Sports Car Grand Prix Österrich |
| Formula One | 1:10.560 | Dan Gurney | Brabham BT7 | 1964 Austrian Grand Prix |
| Formula Two | 1:16.000[15] | Stirling Moss | Porsche 718 | 1960 Flugplatzrennen |
Notes
- Both drivers took the same lap time independently.
