I understand Templehof Airport in Berlin is being closed next month or am I again behind in my news? If it is to be closed, if it hasn't been already, why is this historic aerodrome being shut down? This airport probably has more history involving it than any other airport in the world. Please tell me that at least Berlin officials will retain the passenger terminal in some form so that all of us may be able to continue to touch German aviation history regarding Templehof. How have the aviation minded people of Germany reacted to the closing? Has their been any outcry to the termination of his historical aviation landmark? I call on all classic airliner operators in Europe to fly their wonderful aircraft into Templehof on the last day of operations and protest the move to shut it down.

I swear that if I had the means to do it, I would travel to Berlin myself and stage a one man sit-in to demonstrate against the closure!

I am really angry over this move against Templehof!

I think Templehof was a military airfield. The commercial pax airport is Tegel.

Does the Berlin subway go to Tegel yet, or do you still have to take the bus?

Oh no Tremo, during the days prior to the war Templehof was probably the major commercial airport in Germany if not all of Europe. I still remember the dozens of airliners very neatly parked adjacent to the great curving passenger terminal, the site of major international air travel. It was a montage of Douglas DC-3's, Ju-52's operated by Deutch Lufthansa, and of course the giant Junkers G-38. I'm sure there were even Focke Wulf 'Condor' passenger airliners on the tarmac. Templehof at that time was a frenzy of exciting commercial air travel. During the war yes, it may possibly have been turned over to the military but even then I would imagine commercial traffic may have been intermixed carrying government officials and attache's. I remember seeing early photographs of Templehof and its very unique circular landing field. When our airport in San Diego was in the first stages of being designed in the 1920's it too was to have a circular field but in the final stages of design that idea was discarded for the standard type runway. No, Templehof was the classic airfield of its day...and a very historic one at that. That's why I feel so bitter at the thought of it being closed down.

Doug,

The original airport at Singapore (Kallang) was also closed many years ago. The fiery crash of a BOAC L749A (with loss of life) there helped prompted the closure, as it was realised that suburbia was creeping far too close to enable the authorities to enlarge the airport.

The runway is now part of a freeway, the taxi ways now side streets. The original terminal is still standing, now the offices of the Singapore Peoples Association.

So don't fret, find out just what is planned for the site 1st before committing your self to a one man sit in.

Hi David...thanks for those wise words. I do understand I become very emotional when it comes to messing around with history. As a matter of fact I found just one little tiny bit of news regarding the closure and it appears there is a move afoot to turn templehof into a huge park and perhaps saving all or part of the terminal building for other uses. See, all I need is a little calming down from my sisters and brothers here on Propliners.:-)

Best,
Doug

Doug,

Maybe if it closes, one of the "other uses" they can put the terminal to is to expand the transvestite revue they have now in the terminal. One of the articles I read called it a "Follies Bergere", only with men.

Just kidding, of course!! They really need to turn it into a museum of the Airlift. Get another C-54 and restore it, etc., etc., etc.

quote:

---

I'm sure there were even Focke Wulf 'Condor' passenger airliners on the tarmac.

---

Doug, that's not unlikely. DDL had a Condor service linking Copenhagen with Berlin. Attached is a quite unique four page brochure released in 1939. It's a "Provisonal Information" leaflet published a few days before the actual timetable. It was made to promote the DDL Express route between London and Copenhagen... Mind you, "express" meant 3 Hrs 45 mins!



...of course, then came the war...

DDL had 2 Condors - "Dania" (OY-DAM) and "Jutlandia" (OY-DEM). That photo is interesting as it seems to show 'DAM with a light-coloured cheatline. In every other shot I've seen it has a black/dark blue scheme (or overall 'neutral' orange). Could be the way the photo was developed/printed I suppose.

http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/dd3904i.htm

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brian:
DDL had 2 Condors - "Dania" (OY-DAM) and "Jutlandia" (OY-DEM). That photo is interesting as it seems to show 'DAM with a light-coloured cheatline. In every other shot I've seen it has a black/dark blue scheme (or overall 'neutral' orange). Could be the way the photo was developed/printed I suppose.

---

Teh cheatline was indeed black. I guess it must be the scan or processing of the photo that makes it look lighter. The orange scheme was used for the so called Ice-Flights within Denmark and as a neutral scheme during the war.

Though DDL operated two Condors as stated by Brian, they actualy owned three more frames which they received from the RAF after WW2. Two of these were located in Germany while the third was sitting rotting away in Norway. On of the RAF examples was actualy flown to Copenhagen but crashed shortly afterwards. The second RAF Condor crashed on take-off on its delivery flight from Germany and was consequently scrapped. The Norwegian example was in such a bad state, that it was scrapped on site.

Looking at it again I don't think the photo is distorting the colours. For one thing, there is clearly a dark outline to the cheatline, which would be pointless if the cheatline was itself black as it later was. Also I know of no filter or processing technique which could affect just the black of the cheatline yet leave other 'blacks' (tyres etc.) unchanged. And the titling looks to be darker than its surrounds and is certainly not white-on-black.

So I think it does show an entirely different colour scheme, one I had not seen before.

Brian, you're of course entitled to your own opinion. But I don't agree.

Sitting with the original brochure in my hand, plus the fact that I have access to the DDL archives and therefore have seen all official photos of the Condors, I do not support the idea of the different cheatline colour style. Looking at the leaflet photo, it is clear that some manipulation has been done. Just check the edges around the nose cone and the propeller hubs. I realise the scan is small and not the best of quality, sorry.

Nicolai, I really don't have an opinion one way or the other and obviously don't have the detailed info like you. I'm just looking at the photo which clearly depicts a cheatline other than black. It could of course be a completely fake photo, and the more I look at it the more I tend to think it is. The people seem slightly out of scale and those around the wheels appear to have been airbrushed. Could it be this isn't a photo of a real airplane, but a one of model which has been inserted into another photo ?

Pretty good piece of artwork ! No Photoshop back then

Brian, attached is another (better) scan of the first page of the leaflet. I think the details with the edges around the nose etc. is a bit more clear. Good point about the size of the people. The Condor was a big aircraft, but not THAT big ;-)

If interested I can send you another high-res scan directly by e-mail.

BTW, I just realised my previous sent e-mail seemed a little "sharp". Sorry about that, it was not my intention to sound rude.

condor_b.jpg (112 Kb, 185 downloads) Condor

quote:

---

Originally posted by Doug Vernon:
I understand Templehof Airport in Berlin is being closed next month or am I again behind in my news?

---

According to Aviation Letter #455, Tempelhof will remain open for now.

Sorry to reply this on Templehof, but I see that David Wood posted some info on Singapore's Kallang Airport. I understand it closed down a long time ago. Do you happen to know when was it closed down? Was it when Paya Lebar Airport was opned (by 1995)? And what about this one? Was it closed down also when Singapore Changi opened in 1981? As I am writing a book on the conflict of airports and communities, the Berlin Tempelhof issue is also of my interest. Any news here?

Hi Luiz.
Seletar a military airfield was the 1st airport serving Singapore (it is now a G.A airport)
Kallang was the 2nd and served from 1937 unilt the early 1950's. It was closed down because it was becoming too small and too close to the growing suburbia.
The fatal crash of a BOAC L749A Connie which clipped the sea wall on approach, was the final "straw that broke the camels back."
The old Kallang Terminal Building is still in existance, used by the Singapore Peoples Association as a Training College, but the taxi ways are all now suburban streets and the runway is part of Stadium Link road off Geylang Road.
Paya Lebar, the 3rd airport for Singapore, was a former military airfield that was used by the Japanese during WW2. It then became the Civilian International airport for Singapore until the old military airfield at Changi took its placea s the 4th an current International airport and Payar Lebar returned to military use.

If you log onto:

http://www.can.com.sg/content/neocan/en/archive/spotlig...ngapore_s_first.html

you can read more.

PA-Building-small.JPG (4 Kb, 88 downloads) Old Kallang Terminal in 2005

Wasn't there an infamous Japanese prison at Changi in Singapore during WW2 and was this close to the airfield?

Yes and Yes Michael. It was finally closed just recently and replaced by a new prison built close by.

Thanks for that David.

Odd, as we certainly don't have any prisons close to airports in the UK.

Same out here. But when you see the physical size of Singapore Island, one can understand why it is close by. There is simply no where else to put it!