Herbrechtingen

48°38'03"N 010°12'59"E

Runway: 17/35 - 480x15m - asphalt

Airfield Herbrechtingen (German: Flugplatz Herbrechtingen, also known as Fliegerhorst Herbrechtingen, flugplatz Irpfel or flugplatz Giengen an der Brenz, ICAO: EDNG) is a small arifield east of Stuttgart, Germany
In 1912 three local men tried to take off in their homebuilt aircraft, but during the start the aircraft crashed. A second attempt in October by two military pilots led to their death. Still, this is considered the start of the airfield Giengen, as it is known today

In 1917 pilot Hans Ade earned his flying licence.  He and 4 friends built a glider aircraft that was ready to fly in 1921. In 1929 the first rubber band starts were made at the airfield. It was not until 1930 that the first flying club (Luftsportverein Giengen) was founded though.
The flying club got its first hangar from the city of Giengen in 1932

It is not clear what happened to the flying club and the airfield between 1933 and the end of the war. The Giengen flying clubs' website only refers to the war as a period that most flying friends did not return from. At the time the airfield was known as Luftwaffe Fliegerhorst Herbrechtingen. 

What is clear is that the Allied forces did not allow any flying from 1945 onwards. In November 1950 the flying club gathered for the first time to restart their club. It took until 1954 however before the airfield was allowed to be used again, for glider flying only. Work on new aircraft began, and the first post-war glider flight took place in 1956. A winch to start gliders was allowed in 1957/58, a new glider was bought and the 'first brick' laying ceremony for a new hangar took place.
1962 saw the introduction of the first two powered aircraft: a Jodel Bebe and an Aeronca were brought to the airfield. By 1967 talks took place about moving the airfield to another location to allow the construction of the A7 Autobahn. The airfield was permitted to be used for powered air traffic in 1970. 
Because of the construction of the Autobahn over its eastern half the airfield had to be closed in 1980 and its operations moved to a nearby airfield. That year was also the anniversary of the flying club, which by that time had grown to 6 aircraft, one powered glider and 10 gliders. After the construction of the Autobahn was complete, the new hardened 17/35 runway on the western half of the old Fliegerhorst was inaugurated.


2004 approach map of Giengen air field (EDNG) airports.de


Giengen approach, ca 2008

Trivia: Giengen uses the old (pre1995) ICAO code for Geilenkirchen Air Base, which changed to the new ETNG designator in 1995.
The airfield is open to aircraft upto 2.5t MTOW (or 5,7tMTOW PPR)