Zeltweg Air Base

Austrian airbase and former race track
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LOXZ is located in Austria
LOXZ
LOXZ
Location of Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser in Austria
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 2,750 9,022 Asphalt
08L/26R 1,100 3,609 Grass
Source: Landings.com[1][2]
Crowds at Zeltweg Air Base for Airpower 2016
Pilatus PC-7, Zeltweg, 2008

Zeltweg Air Base, now known 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.

History

Zeltweg Air Base has been home to 2.Staffel / Überwachungsgeschwader (Surveillance Wing) since 1976, operating a variety of fast-jet types including Saab 35OE Draaken 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][6]

AirPower air show

Since 1997, the AirPower show is held at Zeltweg. The 2003 and 2005 editions featured Red Bull Air Race events.[7][8] 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.[9]

Franz Hinterstoisser, for whom the air base is now named, was an early pioneer of Austrian aviation (1863-1933).[10]

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.[11]

Aircraft on display include;[12][13]

Motorsports

Zeltweg
Zeltweg Airfield
Grand Prix Circuit (1957–1968)
LocationZeltweg, Styria, Austria
Opened6 October 1957; 66 years ago (1957-10-06)
Closed25 August 1968; 56 years ago (1968-08-25)
Major eventsAustrian Grand Prix (1964)
World Sportscar Championship 500km of Zeltweg (1966–1968)
Grand Prix Circuit (1957–1968)
Length3.186 km (1.980 miles)
Turns4
Race lap record1:04.820 (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 just across the street.

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.[14] The fastest official race lap records at the Zeltweg Air Base are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event
Grand Prix Circuit: 3.186 km (1957–1968)
Group 6 1:04.820[14] Jo Siffert Porsche 908 1968 500km of Zeltweg
Group 4 1:09.400[15] 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[16] Stirling Moss Porsche 718 1960 Flugplatzrennen

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Both drivers took the same lap time independently.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zeltweg Airfield.