Veteran aircraft day in Nyvang

Last Sunday many visitors flocked to the airfield in Andelslandsbyen Nyvang to see the beautiful and airworthy machines:

The airstrip in Andelslansbyen Nyvang is just 240m long, which makes it challenging both for landing and take-off. There are also some strict requirements that pilots and their aircraft have to comply with, and only historic aircraft are allowed to use the airfield on special occasions. So the event was quite unique.

Members of our Zonen Flylaug met up early and got everything ready. Our dear Zonen aircraft KZ-III OY-DYZ was inspected in the hangar (photo below). Bjarne Gren, Poul Eberhardt, Jørgen Koldsø, and Morten Munkesø:

A very special replika of the Ellehammer from the Aeronautical Centre in Avedøre (AAA) was on display:

This aircraft was constructed as a copy of the Lillehammer’s original model from 1909 in just 2 years.  The aircraft is registered as an ultralight, and it had its maiden flight on the 10th September 2006. On the 12th September 2006 we celebrated 100 years of the Ellehammer’s first flight on the island of Lindholm where this aircraft was representing the original one. Read the interesting story of this remarkable project in this issue of Oscar-Yankee 2006-4, pages 8-11.

I had to try to seat in its basket chair – it was very comfortable – whilst Hans Larsen (on the right) was preparing the aircraft for taxiing  to the airstrip.

Guests were landing – Carl-Erik Olsen and his wife Aase came from the island of Funnen in their KZ-VII from 1947:

Today there are only around 35 KZ-VII flying in the world, 20 of them – in Denmark. Carl-Erik visited the AirVenture in Oshkosh in 2005 where his aircraft received a Bronze Lindy Award.

We had an excellent speaker at the event – Gorm Christensen (who came in his KZVII, of course):

I heard many people praising his deep knowledge about all those different aircraft, their history, present and previous owners.

There was lots of action in the air during the day. Kenneth Maigaard and Morten Munkesø did thrilling stunts in their Grasshoppers (photo by Rikke Chemnitz):

This photo was the best shot of the day. When Rikke posted it on Facebook, it went viral. Check out Rikke’s photography by following this link.

Carl-Erik was also admired by the crowd for his exciting air display:

Hans Larsen (left) after completing his ground display in the Ellehammer, and Michael Bo Jensen (right) who took the role of ground services on the day. Michael promised to come in his KZ-VII next time.

Zonen’s ambulance from 1938 was driving around. I got a lift in it in the morning and arrived to the OY-DYZ hangar in style.

All seemed to enjoy the event. Kenneth spotted biking around:

Boye Sass, another member of Zonen Flylaug, came in his beautiful Chevrolet from 1934:

A tent with food and drinks was set up near the airfield. These people did a great job, and their sausages were really good!

The OY-DYZ tried to get airborne a couple of times, but each time it was grounded by our experienced pilots and flight engineers. They didn’t think the engine was functioning 100% right.

Here Jørgen is fearlessly trying to adjust it whilst the engine is running:

Meanwhile the visitors were enjoying watching the aircraft, chatting with the pilots, and the day out in a sunny weather:

I left the airfield an hour before the event was closing, as I wanted to show my pilot-friend Jens a bit around. It was first time Jens visited the Andelslandsbyen Nyvang. We went to the Zonens rescue corps‘ hangars:

Saw the dairy that just finished production of a new batch of smoked cheese, and tasted freshly made buttermilk:

We also visited the church and all the private rooms behind it, and the preserved school. In the local Brugsen (supermarket, like in the old days) Jens bought a hand-made brush, and we later saw how those brushes were made in the brush-binder guild. We spent some time at the KTAS (Kjøbenhavns Telefon Aktieselskab) exhibition staring at the vintage equipment and laughing over the phone models we once owned.  When Jens and I discovered how charming the patisserie was inside, we had coffee and cake there:

It was a very nice day and a great event with exciting air display. Many fellow pilots from other clubs came to experience it, and we all had a good time together. Many thanks to all members of the Zonen Flylaug and AAA for their efforts in maintaining this beautiful KZ-III OY-DYZ and keeping it flying!