Germany trip: Fliegerhorst Laage
We woke up before dawn in Hamburg for another early morning drive. Our destination: Fliegerhorst Laage to see its Eurofighter Typhoons.
The only East German airbase to be retained by the Luftwaffe following reunification, Laage is home to Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader (TaktLwG) 73 “Steinhoff”. The wing is tasked with training all German and Austrian fighter pilots destined to fly the type. At the time of our visit, the base was also the temporary home for Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 71 “Richthofen”, whose base at Fliegerhorst Wittmund was undergoing major renovations. TaktLwG 71 was scheduled to return to Wittmund in July, so we were cutting it close.
The prospect of photographing aircraft from two different fighter wings at a single base was exciting, and I knew that TaktLwG 71 had recently unveiled a special-schemed Typhoon to celebrate their impending return to Wittmund. This was enough to overlook the limited choice of locations for photographs, with the airport’s cafe terrace being the only real option. The cafe is located on the terminal’s second floor just after a nice display area featuring information and artifacts about the Steinhoff wing.
As European air forces typically only fly in the morning on Fridays, arriving early was essential. Somehow, we still managed to miss 1 Typhoon and 1 Alpha Jet departing before 8:30 A.M. Hoping these two jets were not going to be the only movements for the day, we grabbed some coffee and breakfast and waited. The sound of APUs soon signalled the start of more activity, so we, along with the other spotters there, readied our cameras.
Five more Typhoons from TaktLwG 73, including 2 two-seaters, along with a second Alpha Jet departed, giving us a good chance for some great images. Disappointingly, none of the Typhoons from TaktLwG 71 were active that morning and catching the “Back Again” special jet proved impossible. The presence of the Top Aces Alpha Jet aggressors was unexpected, as was Typhoon 30+73, with its special “Steinhoff” tail artwork.
Two hours later, with all the jets having returned to base, the duty fire truck returned to the fire station, signaling the end of scheduled flying activity. For us, it was now time to drive back to Hamburg, spending the rest of the day touring the city.
