Ridali Airfield
Ridali Airfield Ridali lennuväli | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wilga tow plane at Ridali airfield in the evening | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Ridali Gliding Club | ||||||||||
| Location | Suurküla, Põlva Parish | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 88 m / 289 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 57°56′34″N 026°58′40″E / 57.94278°N 26.97778°E | ||||||||||
| Website | http://www.purilend.ee | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Sources: Ridali Lennuklubi | |||||||||||
Ridali Airfield ((ICAO: EERI); Estonian: Ridali lennuväli) is an airfield in Estonia, about 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Võru in the vicinity of Ridali - a place known for its scenery, lakes, fields and forests, giving glider pilots many visual reference points to navigate by. The airfield was used during World War II, and in the early 1960s it started serving glider pilots. The first gliders to fly in Ridali were Soviet KAI-12s (improved design from the Czech LF-109). The only way to launch gliders was by using the Czech winch "Herkules". By 1968, the club already had two KAI-12s, three Blaníks, two towing winches and a Yak-12 for aerotows.
Ridali Airfield is currently the home of Ridali Gliding Club (Estonian: Ridali Lennuklubi).